Who was James  (as referred to in gospels as Jesus's brother)?
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"There is some question as to exactly how many men bore the name James in the New Testament, but there were three who figured prominently in the ministry of Christ and the history of the early church.  They were James the son of Zebedee and brother of John and an apostle (Matthew 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; Luke 5:10), James the Less, son of Alphaeus and also an apostle (Matthew 10:3; Acts 1:13) and James the brother of our Lord (Matthew 13:35; Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:18, 19). \n\n  James, like the Lord's other siblings, was not supportive of Jesus during his early ministry.  The apostle John makes the point that even his own brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5).  However, that was to change.  Among those disciples who were found with the apostles in Jerusalem following the Lord's ascension were his brothers, which obviously included James, who was to later play a prominent role in the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:14). \n\n     According to Paul, an inspired apostle, Jesus appeared to James following his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7).  Jerome, a fourth century Christian author, records a legend which says that James had made a vow to not eat or drink until he had seen Jesus raised from the dead.  Supposedly, Jesus appeared to James and said, "My brother, eat thy bread, for the Son of man is risen from the dead" (F. W. Farrar, The Pulpit Commentary, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950, Vol. 19, p. 484).  As already noted, before the crucifixion, his brothers were unbelievers.  It was the resurrection of Jesus which brought them to faith. \n\n     James became a leading figure in the church at Jerusalem.  When Peter was released from prison he came to the house of Mary where many in the church had come together to pray for him (Acts 12:12).  According to Peter's account of that evening, the Lord had instructed him to tell James and the brethren of his prison escape, which Peter then did (Acts 12:17)."
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Yes and more than just James the most famous who most likely was the author of the book of James. Below is a conversation between Jesus and His brothers.\nIf you are referring to James Simon and Judas they were His disciples not brothers. This is a different James than His brother. Also there were 2 named Judas but neither were His brothers. Simon was renamed Peter by Jesus.
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The Secret Gospel of Mark (not part of the official Christian canon) implies that Jesus had a sexual relationship with Lazarus. \n\nWhether Jesus was gay, or had children with Mary Magdalene, is all just speculation. We really don't know anything about Jesus beyond what's written in the gospels...and the gospels were written long after Jesus' death.
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Jesus was not the last prophet, he was not a prophet at all. He is the Son of God. Why do you assume th is passage is referring to Jesus? There were many prophets that came after Moses. And as for one that was of the bloodline, John the Baptist fit the description.
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Scripture references Jesus as a man... He is called the "Son of God".....\n\nThat's how I know him......\n\n\nyour sister,\nGinger
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There is no ( or at the very least, precious little) evidence of a person called Jesus outside of the bible.  Xians will say Josephus mentioned him, but in fact, the only translation we have of Josephus was done by a christian writer in the 4th century...we don't have it in the original Latin.  And what is mentioned is very weak and open to interpretation and very likely was subject to interpolation.\n\nThe Romans were meticulous record keepers.  If Jesus existed, and had fostered the kind of revolution that would get their attention by threatening Roman rule, performing miracles, there would be copious writings about him from the Romans, and other sources.\n\nPaul the Apostle is agreeably the earliest christian writer, and he wrote probably a couple decades after the putative events.  Yet Paul makes no reference to a recently living Christ...and if you read his works separate from the rest of the NT, he seems to be writing of a supernatural creature who fought a battle, died and rose again in a spiritual realm, eons ago.  Paul went to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and yet he makes no mention of a pilgramage to Golgotha, or the tomb or any sites that would be shrines to a real person recently living, crucified and risen again ascending into heaven. Paul is bizarrely disinterested in anything relating to a real physical Jesus.\n\nAll other accounts, were written much later.  The earliest Gospel of Mark (by the way, it wasn't written by anybody called Mark, it is anonymous) couldn't have been written any earlier than 40-50 years after the events.  The Gospels all contradict each other as to Jesus life, miracles and death.  I recommend any of Randall Helms books on the New Testament and Gospels for a detailed overview of the problems.\n\nIt really is quite interesting if you are prepared to have an open mind about it.  Jesus, if he existed, was at best a wandering prophet/holyman/philospher.  We have lots of legendary heroes with stories about them, like King Arthur, William Tell...but we know they never actually existed.  I think it more likely he never actually existed, and was created as a "founding father" in the heroic tradition by the early church.
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I think Gospel of Thomas is the original gospel and the synoptics are copies made in Rome.\n\nConsider this...\n\nMariamne/James or saint Peter?\n\nHyppolitus' Refutation of All Heresies states that the Gnostic Christians (Naasenes) claim their "system" was handed down to them by Mariamne from James the Just.... \n\nChap. II.\nNaasseni ascribe their system, through Mariamne, to James the Lord's brother; really traceable to the ancient mysteries; their psychology as given in the "Gospel according to Thomas"... ...These are the heads of very numerous discourses which the Naassene asserts James the brother of the Lord handed down to Mariamne. In order, then, that these impious (heretics) may no longer believe Mariamne or James, or the Savior Himself, let us come to the mystic rites (whence these have derived their figment)…\n\nThe Gospel of Thomas says that Jesus told his disciples that after he had departed James was to be their leader...\n\nThe Gospel of Thomas \n12 The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just…"\n\nIf the Naassenes were the earliest Christian heretics and also claimed to have received their "system" from James, who was to receive the ministry of Jesus, does that make the Naassenes (Gnostics) the heirs to the ministry of Jesus?\n\nYes! Peter, who was "against the woman" (the Magdalene), took his stuff to Rome and founded "Christianity". The real stuff went to Alexandria, but the Catholics attempted to destroy it.
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The new guy has obviously been influenced by the _da_Vinci_Code_ or other, similar works that posit that Jesus was married (most likely to Mary Magdalene), and likely had children through that union.\n\nThere are a couple verses in the gospels (depending on your translation - I'm looking at the New International Version) where Jesus is referred to as having brothers; I'd look specifically at Matthew 13:54-56, which says \n\n"54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"\n\nWhile scholars have argued that "brother" might actually mean "cousin" or "other close male relative", the text wouldn't directly support that.\n\nThe wife and children thing can't be disproved Biblically - but neither can it be proven.  Some take the absense of direct reference to a wife as proof, while say that any man referred to as a rabbi/teacher would need to be married to have that status (as per the culture of the time).  Either way, there isn't anything that can be used definitively either way.
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Paul was he was with Jesus
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Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the four evangelists.  They wrote the four gospels.
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It is John, the author.  Since the gospel is written in the 3rd person, John cannot say "I".  Some scholars believe that John did not use his own name to remain humble.  \n\nJohn 20:2 is a good example of John calling himself "the diciple Jesus loved most"  See also, John 21:20.  \n\nThe commentary in my bible mentions that John is know as the apostle of love and that the was part of an "inner ciricle of three" witnessing the transfiguration, bring Jairus's daughter back to life and waiting in the Garden of Gethsemane, these events may have caused John to think he was loved best.  \n\nIf you are looking for a good bible to read, just for information I suggest The Message and Remix which is by Eugene Peterson, he translated the bible from its orginal Hebrew and Greek into the contempory language we use now.\n\nAlso, The Student Bible (New International Version), published by Zondervan Publishing House is good because it offers reading tips and comentary.  The references I cited in the answer were from this bible.\n\nI also enjoy "Where to Find it in the Bible"  It is "The Ultimate A to Z resource"  it is by Ken Anderson.
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I asked a friend of mine that had studied Greek & Hebrew, what was the most accurate translation in his opinion, and he said the King James translation.  I use it.
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HAHAHHA. You're taking that from Jim Carr. I was watching him last night. Funny british guy. It did make me think about how we're all god's children. Will that make Jesus our brother? I'm confused.
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Luke 12:10\n\n"And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven."
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http://www.answers.com/topic/twelve-apostles-1?method=22\n\nSimon called Peter (Grk. petros, petra; Aram. kēf; Engl. rock) by Jesus, also known as Simon bar Jonah and Simon bar Jochanan (Aram.) and earlier (Pauline Epistles were written first) Cephas (Aram.) by Paul of Tarsus and Simon Peter, a fisherman from Bethsaida "of Galilee" (Jn 1:44; cf. 12:21) \nAndrew brother of Peter, a Bethsaida fisherman and disciple of John the Baptist \nJames ("the Great") and \nJohn, sons of Zebedee, called by Jesus Boanerges (an Aramaic name explained in Mk 3:17 as "Sons of Thunder") \nPhilip from Bethsaida "of Galilee" (Jn 1:44, 12:21) \nBartholomew, in Aramaic "bar-Talemai?", "son of Talemai" or from Ptolemais, identified with Nathanael \nThomas, also known as Judas Thomas Didymus, Aramaic T'oma', "twin", Greek Didymous, "twin" \nJames ("the Less") and \nMatthew the tax collector, sometimes identified with Levi, sons of Alphaeus \nSimon the Canaanite, called in Luke and Acts "Simon the Zealot" \nJudas Iscariot "the traitor"; name Iscariot may refer to the Judaean towns of Kerioth or to the sicarii (Jewish nationalist insurrectionists); he was replaced as an apostle in Acts by Matthias \nThaddaeus, but in some manuscripts of Matthew "Lebbaeus" or "Judas the Zealot" and in Luke Judas, son of James
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James, Peter, John, and Jude
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Paul wrote the most of the letters  in the New Testiment.  I do not believe he had anything to do with any of the Gospels!