SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:19
Mas a ningn otro de los apstoles vi, sino a Jacobo, el hermano del Seor.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 1:19
Verse 19. James the Lord's brother.] Dr. Paley observes: There were at Jerusalem two apostles, or at least two eminent members of the Church, of the name of James. This is distinctly inferred from the Acts of the Apostles, Acts xii. 2, where the historian relates the death of James, the brother of John; and yet, in Acts xv. 13-21, and in Acts xxi. 18, he records a speech delivered by James in the assembly of the apostles and elders. In this place James, the Lord 's brother, is mentioned thus to distinguish him from James the brother of John. Some think there were three of this name:-1. James, our Lord's brother, or cousin, as some will have it; 2. James, the son of Alphaeus; and 3. James, the son of Zebedee. But the two former names belong to the same person.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. But other of the apostles saw I none , etc..] This is observed to show, that as he did not receive the Gospel from Peter, so neither from any of the other apostles, whom he did not so much as see, much less converse with; save James the Lord's brother ; not James the son of Zebedee, the brother of John, whom Herod slew with the sword; but James the son of Alphaeus, he who made the speech in the synod at Jerusalem, ( Acts 15:13) was the writer of the epistle which bears his name, and was the brother of Joses, Simon, and Judas, who are called the brethren of Christ, ( Matthew 13:55) and that because they were the kinsmen and relations of Christ according to the flesh, it being usual with the Jews to call such brethren. The relation came in and stood thus; this James was James the less, the son of Mary the wife of Cleophas, ( Mark 15:40,47) which Cleophas was the brother of Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of our Lord, as Eusebius, from Hegesippus, relates; and so our Lord and this James were brothers' children, as was supposed: or else the wife of Cleophas the mother of James, was sister to Mary the mother of Christ, as she is called, ( John 19:25) and so they were sisters' children, or own cousins; and thus Jerom f12 , after much discourse on this subject, concludes that Mary the mother of James the less was the wife of Alphaeus, (or Cleophas, which is the same,) and the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom the Evangelist John surnames Mary of Cleophas; and persons in such a relation, and even uncles and nephews, were called brethren by the Jews; (see Genesis 12:5) ( Genesis 13:8 29:12,15 Leviticus 10:4) nor is James one of our Lord's disciples being called his brother, any contradiction to ( John 7:5) as the Jew affirms, where it is said, neither did his brethren believe in him; since they might not believe in him then, and yet believe in him afterwards: besides, Christ had brethren or relations according to the flesh, distinct from his disciples and apostles, and his brethren among them; (see Matthew 10:1 12:46,49) such as were James, Judas, and Simon; nor does the Evangelist John say, that none of Christ's brethren believed in him, only that they that came to him and bid him go into Judea did not. Some have been of opinion that a third James, distinct from James the son of Zebedee and James the son of Alphaeus, is here meant; who was not of the twelve apostles, and was surnamed James the just, and called the brother of Christ because of his faith, wisdom, and becoming conversation; but certain it is, that this James was of the number of the apostles, as appears from the exceptive clause, other of the apostles saw I none, save James, etc.. and from his being put with Cephas and John, who were pillars and the chief among the apostles; and besides it was James the son of Alphaeus, who was surnamed the just, and Oblias f14 , and presided over the church at Jerusalem, and was a man of great esteem among the Jews; and is by Josephus, as here, called the brother of Jesus.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-24 - St. Paul was wonderfully brought to the knowledge and faith of Christ All who are savingly converted, are called by the grace of God; their conversion is wrought by his power and grace working in them. It wil but little avail us to have Christ revealed to us, if he is not als revealed in us. He instantly prepared to obey, without hesitating as to his worldly interest, credit, ease, or life itself. And what matter of thanksgiving and joy is it to the churches of Christ, when they hear of such instances to the praise of the glory of his grace, whether the have ever seen them or not! They glorify God for his power and mercy i saving such persons, and for all the service to his people and caus that is done, and may be further expected from them __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
ετερον 2087 δε 1161 των 3588 αποστολων 652 ουκ 3756 ειδον 1492 5627 ει 1487 μη 3361 ιακωβον 2385 τον 3588 αδελφον 80 του 3588 κυριου 2962
Vincent's NT Word Studies
19. Save James (ei mh). With the usual exceptive sense. I saw none save James. Not, I saw none other of the apostles, but I saw James. Jas. is counted as an apostle, though not reckoned among the twelve. For Paul's use of "apostle," see on 1 Thess. i. 1, and comp. 1 Corinthians xv. 4-7.
The Lord's brother. Added in order to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee (Matt. iv. 21; x. 2; Mark x. 35), who was still living, and from James the son of Alphaeus (Matt. x. 3). 42 The Lord's brother means that James was a son of Joseph and Mary. This view is known as the Helvidian theory, from Helvidius, a layman of Rome, who wrote, about 380, a book against mariolatry and ascetic celibacy. The explanations which differ from that of Helvidius have grown, largely, out of the desire to maintain the perpetual virginity of Mary. Jerome has given his name to a theory known as the Hieronymian put forth in reply to Helvidius, about 383, according to which the brethren of the Lord were the sons of his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Alphaeus or Clopas, and therefore Jesus' cousins. A third view bears the name of Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus (ob. 404), and is that the Lord's brothers were sons of Joseph by a former wife. 43
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:19 {Except James the brother of the Lord} (ei me iakwbon ton adelfon tou kuriou). James the son of Zebedee was still living at that time. The rest of the twelve were probably away preaching and James, brother of the Lord, is here termed an apostle, though not one of the twelve as Barnabas is later so called. Paul is showing his independence of and equality with the twelve in answer to the attacks of the Judaizers.
