Apostle of the Seventy
Apostle of the Seventy James, Brother of the Lord
I век — †62
Also known as: Иаков Праведный, Иаков Иерусалимский
Apostle of the Seventy James, brother of the Lord in the flesh — the first Bishop of Jerusalem, a Nazirite from birth, author of the Catholic Epistle of James and the most ancient rite of the Divine Liturgy, who presided at the Apostolic Council of 51 AD; he was thrown from the wing of the Jerusalem Temple and killed around the year 62.
The Apostle James, brother of the Lord in the flesh, according to Orthodox understanding, was a son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage (i.e. a step-brother of Christ, which does not contradict the ever-virginity of the Theotokos). From childhood he was a Nazirite — he never drank wine, ate no meat, wore only linen garments, and never cut his hair.
After the Resurrection, Christ appeared to him personally (1 Cor. 15:7) and appointed him the first Bishop of Jerusalem. He led the Jerusalem Church for about 30 years and presided at the Apostolic Council (Acts 15, c. 51 AD) on the question of circumcision for Gentile converts.
He is credited with composing the most ancient surviving rite of the Divine Liturgy — the Liturgy of the Apostle James, still celebrated in churches of the Syro-Palestinian tradition and on his feast day; this rite formed the basis of the later liturgies of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom. He is also credited as the author of the New Testament Catholic Epistle of James.
He suffered martyrdom around the year 62, in the interval between the Roman procurators Festus and Albinus: the Jewish authorities threw him from the wing of the Jerusalem Temple, and — having survived the fall and prayed for his killers — was finished off by a blow from a fuller's club. This is reported by Josephus Flavius and Hegesippus (via Eusebius of Caesarea).
IMPORTANT CATEGORY CORRECTION: in every source checked (azbyka.ru, ortox.ru, pravmir.ru, patriarchia.ru) he is invariably titled "Apostle of the Seventy" — this category is established as his primary liturgical one, replacing the erroneous "righteous." According to tradition (citing the Apostle Paul, Galatians, and the lists of the Synaxis of the Seventy), he is named first in the roster of the Seventy Apostles.
CORRECTION OF COMMEMORATION DATES: the original stub listed "October 10/23" — an incorrect pairing of old and new style. The correct dates have been established: the primary personal commemoration is October 23/November 5; January 4/17 is not a separate personal feast but the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles, in which he is commemorated first; he is additionally commemorated on the Sunday after Nativity together with Righteous Joseph the Betrothed and King David.