On James, the Brother of the Lord, and David · §3 · Hesychius of Jerusalem

How to praise James, the servant and brother of Christ

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

Hesychius, the preacher, is asking how he can worthily praise James, the brother of the Lord, after contrasting Bethlehem and Zion.

How shall I praise the servant and brother of Christ, the commander-in-chief of the new Jerusalem, the leader of the priests, the chief of the apostles, the crown among heads, the one shining beyond among lamps, the one shining beyond among stars? Peter speaks in public, but James gives the law, and a few words contracted the magnitude of the question: “I judge not to trouble those from the nations,” and so on (Acts 15:19).

Greek

2 Πῶς ἐγκωμιάσω τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ

δοῦλον καὶ ἀδελφόν, τὸν τῆς νέας Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἀρχιστράτηγον, τὸν τῶν ἱερέων

ἡγεμόνα, τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸν ἔξαρχον, τὸν ἐν κεφαλαῖς κορυφήν, τὸν ἐν λύχνοις

ὑπερλάμποντα, τὸν ἐν ἄστροις ὑπερφαίνοντα; Πέτρος δημηγορεῖ, ἀλλ' Ἰάκωβος

νομοθετεῖ, καὶ ὀλίγαι λέξεις τὸ τοῦ ζητήματος συνέστειλαν μέγεθος· «Ἐγὼ κρίνω μὴ

παρενοχλεῖν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἑξῆς».

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

A short passage from Hesychius comparing Bethlehem with Zion, then praising James, the Lord's brother, for his ruling at the council in Jerusalem.

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450), a priest of the Church of Jerusalem, wrote this homily in Greek for a congregation in Jerusalem in the early fifth century.

The surviving text contrasts Bethlehem and Zion and praises James. Hesychius begins by reflecting that if Christ had not humbled himself and become obedient to death, servants would not have been called kinsmen, nor would the clay have been called father of the potter. He then develops a sustained comparison between Bethlehem, where Christ was born, and Zion, where the Church now receives him, showing how the mysteries of the incarnation are fulfilled in the Church.

The homily turns to praise James, the brother of the Lord, as commander-in-chief of the new Jerusalem, leader of the priests, and chief of the apostles, whose brief judgment at the apostolic council settled the question of Gentile inclusion. A reader will meet Peter, mentioned as a public speaker, and Thomas, to whom Zion bared Christ's side when he wished to touch it. The homily quotes or alludes to Philippians 2:8 and Acts 15:19.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 93 (Greek)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

Report a mistake