James the Apostle
From The Encyclopedia of Mormonism
See this page in the original 1992 publication.
Author: Phillips, R. Douglas
James, the son of Zebedee and one of the original apostles of Jesus Christ, played an important part in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ when he and his brother John appeared with Peter as heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred on them the Melchizedek Priesthood and the apostolic office, including the keys, or authority, of presidency. This ordination had been promised as forthcoming by John the Baptist on May 15, 1829, when he bestowed the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 13; JS-H 1:68-73). In a revelation dated August 1830, the Lord refers to the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood and notes the participation of James: "Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name" (D&C 27:12). In a later epistle to the Church (D&C 128:20), Joseph Smith, reviewing the major events of the restoration, mentions this event and locates its happening near the Susquehanna River between Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Colesville, New York (see Melchizedek Priesthood: Restoration of Melchizedek Priesthood).
In the twenty-two references to him in the New Testament, James is never mentioned apart from either his brother John or Peter. In the lists of the apostles, he is always given precedence after Peter except on two occasions when Andrew's name follows Peter's, where it is clear that this order is due to his family connection (Matt. 10:2; Luke 6:14). James' importance is due to his membership in what may be called a presiding council. This idea is borne out by the fact that Peter, James, and John were members of a select circle and were privileged to be present with Jesus on special occasions from which other apostles were excluded, including the raising of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:22-23, 35-43), the transfiguration on the mountain (Mark 9:2-9), and the agony in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42).
According to Joseph Smith and later presidents of the Church, James, with Peter and John, received special authority and keys from Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. This was in addition to other keys received during their ordination as apostles that endowed them with power for their ministry as the Presidency of the Twelve and the Church (HC 3:386-87; DS 2:165).
If their mother, Salome, was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as is generally believed, then James and John were cousins of Jesus. This may account for Salome's presuming to importune Jesus to grant her sons a special position in his kingdom (Matt. 20:20-23). It may also explain their impetuous zeal against the Samaritan village that denied Jesus' party entry, for which they were called Boanerges ("Sons of Thunder") (Luke 9:52-56; Mark 3:17). James was present with the other apostles in Jerusalem and was a witness of the resurrection of Christ. He was the first of the apostles to be slain, being beheaded by Herod Agrippa I in A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2). R. DOUGLAS PHILLIPS
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