Source: Blog Post, “The Ascents of James : The Lost Acts of the Apostles”, By Stephen Andrew Missick, 2011,
This extensive text delves into "The Ascents of James: The Lost Acts of the Apostles," exploring various historical and theological perspectives surrounding James the Just, the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church in Jerusalem. Drawing on ancient sources like Josephus, Hegesippus, and the Pseudo-Clementine literature, the work emphasizes James's prominent role, even over Peter, his strong adherence to Jewish law, and his martyrdom. Key themes include the shift from animal sacrifice to baptism for sin remission, the significance of vegetarianism within early Jewish Christianity, and the historical accounts and debates surrounding Jesus's disciples and family, particularly the "Desposyni" or relatives of Jesus who held leadership positions. The source highlights the challenges faced by early Christians, including persecution and theological disagreements, as they established and spread their faith.
Based on the provided sources and our conversation, the end of "The Ascents of James" presents a dramatic and polemical account culminating in an attack on James the Just on the steps of the Temple in Jerusalem, followed by the attacker's journey to Damascus. This narrative, preserved within the Pseudo-Clementine literature (specifically "The Recognitions of Clement" and "The Homilies of Clement"), offers a unique perspective from early Jewish Christianity, possibly reflecting Ebionite traditions.
James the Just, identified as the Brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, is central to this account. He is widely respected for his virtue and sagacity and is considered preeminent among the apostles, with authority even over Peter (Cephas) according to these traditions and implied in other sources. The narrative in "The Ascents of James" unfolds during seven successive days of debates on the steps leading up to the Temple in Jerusalem. James, along with the twelve apostles, engages in discussions with various Jewish groups, including Sadducees, Pharisees, followers of John the Baptist, and Samaritans, about whether Jesus is the Messiah. James particularly focuses on demonstrating that Jesus is the Prophet like Moses foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15-22, and that the era of animal sacrifices has ended, replaced by baptism for the remission of sins. He teaches plainly that unless one is baptized in water in the name of the threefold blessedness, they cannot receive remission of sins or enter the kingdom of heaven. Through these arguments over seven days, James persuades all the people and even the high priest (presumably Caiaphas, who initiated the debates) that they should hasten to receive baptism.
However, just as the multitude was preparing to come and be baptized, an individual described as "one of our enemies" enters the Temple with a few men and incites a tumult. This enemy begins to cry out, asking the people of Israel why they are being easily led astray by "miserable men, who are deceived by Simon, a magician". A note within the source clarifies that "Simon, a magician" here refers to Simon Peter, not Simon the Sorcerer mentioned elsewhere in the Pseudo-Clementine literature. While James the Bishop was attempting to refute this individual, the enemy began to agitate the crowd and create confusion to prevent people from hearing the teachings. He sought to undo the arrangements made, reproached and reviled the priests, and, acting "like a madman," incited everyone to violence and murder, crying, "What are you doing? Why do you hesitate? Oh, sluggish and inert, why do we not lay hands upon them, and pull all these fellows to pieces?".
After issuing this call to violence, this enemy was the first to act, using "a strong brand from the altar" to strike. Others, seeing his example, were also driven to similar madness, resulting in a chaotic fight with people both beating and being beaten, and "much blood was shed". In the midst of this confused struggle, "that enemy" specifically attacked James, throwing him headlong from the top of the steps. The attacker then apparently supposed James was dead and did not continue to assault him.
The believers, who were more numerous and powerful but chose to suffer rather than kill due to their fear of God, lifted James up. When evening arrived, the priests closed the Temple, and the believers returned to James's house, spending the night in prayer. The next day, before daylight, they left Jerusalem and went down to Jericho, numbering five thousand men.
Three days after these events, one of the brethren arrived from Gamaliel, who is described as being secretly "our brother in the faith," although he remained among the opposing group by design. This brother brought secret tidings about the enemy who had attacked James. According to the intelligence received from Gamaliel, "that enemy" had received a commission from Caiaphas, the chief priest, to go to Damascus with letters to arrest all who believed in Jesus. His mission was to "make havoc among the faithful" in Damascus. The report stated that he was specifically hastening to Damascus because he believed that Peter had fled there. The source mentions that about thirty days later, this enemy stopped in Jericho while on his way to Damascus, though the believers were absent at that time, having gone to visit the miraculously whitened sepulchers of two brethren.
While the text describing the attack and immediate aftermath in "The Ascents of James" uses the term "that enemy", other parts of the Pseudo-Clementine literature incorporated into the sources, such as "The Epistle of Peter to James," identify a figure described as "the man who is my enemy" who has rejected Peter's "legal preaching" and is attempting to transform Peter's words. A note in the source explicitly suggests that this "enemy" figure in the Epistle may be an allusion to the Apostle Paul. Furthermore, the description of this "enemy" in "The Ascents of James" receiving letters from the high priest to go to Damascus to arrest believers25 closely mirrors the biblical account of Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul) who obtained letters from the high priest and went to Damascus to bring believers in Jesus back to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). Thus, within the tradition preserved in the Pseudo-Clementine writings, the individual who attacks James on the Temple steps and then goes to Damascus is understood to be the figure known in the New Testament as Saul of Tarsus.
This account from "The Ascents of James" portrays Saul/Paul not just as a persecutor of the faith in general, but specifically as an attacker of the recognized head of the Jerusalem church, James the Just, in a violent confrontation within the Temple precincts. His subsequent journey to Damascus is presented as a direct consequence of this conflict and a continuation of his mission to persecute believers, driven by the belief that Peter had fled there. This narrative offers a distinct and potentially more adversarial portrayal of Saul/Paul from a Jewish Christian perspective than the one found in the New Testament book of Acts.