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Part I of this article, published in CBR 5.1 (pp. 73-122), includes a general introduction to the scholarship on James the Just, discussion on James and the family of Jesus in the Gospels, Jesus' resurrection and the leadership of James, and a detailed survey on scholarly opinions concerning the so-called apostolic council and the conflict at Antioch (Acts 15 and Gal. 2). Part II of the article focuses on the study of traditions concerning James's ritual purity, his martyrdom, and succession, as well as his role in the Gnostic writings and later Christian evidence. The article concludes with reflections on the role of James the Just in present scholarship.

James the Just, the brother of Jesus, is known from the New Testament as the chief apostle of the Torah-obedient Christians. Up to the last quarter of the twentieth century, Jewish Christianity was regarded as an unimportant branch of the early Christian movement. Correspondingly, there was remarkably little interest in James. However, in the past two decades, while early Christianity has been studied as a form of Judaism, the literature on James has grown considerably. Now some scholars tend to assume that James was a loyal follower of his brother right from the beginning, and that his leadership in the church was stronger than traditionally has been assumed. Fresh studies on Acts 15 and Galatians 2 have opened new questions about the Christian Judaism of James and social formation of the community which he led. Part II of this article, to be published in a later issue of Currents, will treat the rest of the James tradition—James's ritual purity, martyrdom and succession, and his role in the Gnostic writings and later Christian evidence. It will conclude with reflections concerning James and earliest Jewish-Christian theology.