Galatians 1:19
19 But [de] other [heteros] of the apostles [apostolos]
saw I [eido] none, [ou] save [ei me] James [Iakobos] the Lord's [kurios]
brother. [adelphos] KJV-Interlinear
19 But I did not see any other of
the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. NASB
There were several men who had the name James, which
by the way was a common name in that day. It is a common name even today.
James the brother of John, Acts 12:2. James mentioned in Acts 15 and 21:18.
In the list of the Apostles, Matt 10:2-3, two are mentioned,
James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, and James the son of Alpheus.
From Acts, there were two by this name in
Jerusalem. Of these, James the brother of John was slain by Herod Acts 12:2,
and the other continued to live in Jerusalem, Acts 15:13; 21:13. This latter
James was called James the Less, Mark 15:40, which distinguished him from the
other James.
In John 14:22, there is mentioned James the son of
Alpheus, Simon Zelotes, and Judas, all having the same names as the brothers of
Jesus, but then these names were all common names in that era and many men most
probably had those names.
In Matt. 13:55, there are mentioned names of
additional sons of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who would be half-brothers as it
were, to Jesus, namely, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas (not the one who
betrayed Jesus).
Anyway, not that this all matters much.
Paul continues to make it clear that he did not see
or consul with any of the other apostles, except that he met Peter. And then he
mentions James using the word for brother, ‘adelphos,’ which means womb and
typically designates a sibling, but can also be used to mean a friend or cousin.
Paul went to Jerusalem to see Peter. The other apostles were not in town and James
likely happened to be there, but not the one who Paul went to meet.
Moreover, our subject in this passage is that Paul
received his instruction from the Lord and not from any earthly source. And this would include the brother of Jesus,
who many people could easily presume that the brother, who grew up with Jesus,
might know a great deal and would naturally be a great source of information.
But such was not the case.
Neither institution, nor academia, nor guru, nor
apostle, nor family member had any part in teaching Paul.
He learned directly from the Lord and therein he
makes his case for the authenticity and authority and credibility of what he
himself has to say and teach and write.
