Source: Alan Saxby and James Crossley, James, Brother of Jesus, and the Jerusalem Church: A Radical Exploration of Christian Origins (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2015).
This podcast asserts that the Book of Acts significantly alters the historical narrative of early Christianity, particularly concerning the prominence of James and the Jerusalem church led by Jesus' family. The data suggests Luke, writing later in the first century, downplayed the importance of the original Jerusalem "Pillars" (James, Cephas/Peter, and John) to emphasize the role of Peter and Paul as the foundational apostles for a growing Gentile Christian movement seeking to distance itself from its Jewish origins after the Jewish-Roman War. Luke achieves this by presenting Peter as the central figure in the "early days" in Jerusalem and incorporating Galilean traditions, while strategically omitting or minimizing the influence of James and the original Twelve apostles after their initial introduction. The podcast contends that Luke's narrative is a literary construction to establish a foundation myth for the emergent Gentile church, prioritizing its connection to Peter and the Galilean traditions over the historical leadership of James and the Jerusalem community.
1. The historical significance of James of Jerusalem and the Jakobusgemeinde (Jerusalem church) versus their limited portrayal in the Acts of the Apostles.
Sources highlight that James was a person of major importance and influence during the first decades of the Christian movement, leading a core community in Jerusalem. However, the text of the New Testament, specifically Acts, does not accord him the prominence he should have had. This disparity is linked to the historical context where the emergent Gentile Christian church, writing towards the end of the first century, needed to establish its identity and felt a need to distance itself from its originating linkage with the Jakobusgemeinde, partly due to the aftermath of the Jewish War and potential tensions, such as the rejection of a gift from Paul's churches.
2. Luke's purpose and narrative strategy in writing Acts for a late first-century Gentile audience.
Luke is presented as writing to clarify the Gentile-dominant Christian movement's sense of self-identity, free of the tutelage of Jerusalem. His aim is to provide a foundation myth of Christian origins that aligns with the community's current self-understanding. This involves using narrative techniques to program key figures into the story and potentially altering tradition to fit his guiding thesis, much like other forms of history writing that seek to preserve a community's social identification in its present consciousness.
3. Luke's re-writing of early traditions, particularly his emphasis on Jerusalem as the sole origin point.
Luke's narrative is structured around his fundamental thesis of "Beginning from Jerusalem." This leads him to a determined and resolute re-writing of existent traditions, such as those found in Mark and Matthew, which located critical encounters between the risen Jesus and his disciples back in Galilee. Luke places all post-resurrection appearances in Jerusalem and commands the disciples to stay there, leaving absolutely no space for Galilee in this crucial period.
4. The inclusion and subsequent disappearance of the Twelve Galilean Apostles as a narrative inconsistency (aporia) serving to legitimize Peter's role.
Luke places considerable emphasis on the reconstitution of the Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem, defining them as the "Men of Galilee" who witnessed the entire trajectory from John's baptism to the Ascension and are commissioned as witnesses. However, this focus is followed by their notable absence from the subsequent narrative of Acts (except for Peter and briefly John brother of James), like "ships in the night." This aporia is understood as a deliberate narrative ploy by Luke to retrospectively insert the Galileans with their knowledge of Jesus' full ministry into his foundation myth, primarily serving to legitimate the person and role of Peter as the authorized bearer of the Galilean message in the foundational stories.
5. The programmed centrality and significant role of Peter in Luke's account, displacing the historical prominence of James.
Luke moves Peter into the center of the action in Jerusalem in the "early days" (Acts 2-5), despite historical evidence suggesting James held the comparable status within the Jakobusgemeinde. Luke portrays Peter assuming leadership, interpreting scripture, preaching with mass response, healing, and confronting authorities. Peter is also strategically inserted into key events like the mission to Samaria and the inception of the Gentile mission. This focus on Peter displaces James and is presented as a narrative strategy to assure the emergent Gentile Christian church of the pedigree of its faith grounded in the witness of those who walked with Jesus.