Page:Lives of the apostles of Jesus Christ (1836).djvu/435

 when thus mounted on the battlements, he cried with a loud voice, "Why do ye question me about Jesus, the Son of Man? He even sits in heaven, at the right hand of great power, and will come in the clouds of heaven." With this declaration, many were satisfied, and cried "Hosanna to the Son of David." But the unbelieving Scribes and Pharisees, mortified at what they had done, produced a riot; for they consulted together, and then cried out, "Oh! oh! even the Just one is himself deceived." They went up, therefore, and cast down the Just, and said among themselves, "Let us stone James the Just." And they began to stone him, for he did not die with his fall; but turning, he kneeled, saying, "I entreat, O Lord God the Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And while they were stoning him, one of the priests, of the sons of Rahab, spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, "Cease; what do ye? Justus prays for us." But a certain one among them, a fuller, took a lever, such as he had used to squeeze garments, and smote Justus on the head. Thus he suffered martyrdom; and they buried him in that place, and his grave-stone yet remains near the temple."

This story is from Hegesippus, as quoted by Eusebius, to whom alone we owe its preservation,—the works of the original author being all lost, except such fragments, accidentally quoted by other writers. The translation I have taken from the MS. of the Rev. Dr. Murdock, to whose research I am already so much indebted in similar instances.

The comments of Michaelis on these two testimonies, may be appropriately subjoined. (Introd. Vol. IV. pp. 288, 291. Marsh's translation.)

"The account given by Hegesippus, contains an intermixture of truth and fable; and in some material points contradicts the relation of Josephus, to whieh no objection can be made. It confirms however the assertion, that James was in great repute among the Jews, even among those who did not believe in Christ; and that they paid him much greater deference than we might suppose they would have shown to a Christian bishop, and a brother of Christ, whom they had crucified. Many parts of the preceding account are undoubtedly fabulous, especially that part which relates to the request of the Jews, that James would openly declare from the battlements of the temple, that Jesus was not the Messiah. Indeed, if this were true, it would not redound to his honor; for it would imply that he had acted with duplicity, and not taken a decided part in favor of Christianity, or the Jews could never have thought of making such a request. But that a person, who was the head of the church in Jerusalem, should have acted such a double part as to leave it undecided what party he had embraced, and that too for thirty years after the ascension, is in itself almost incredible. It is inconsistent likewise with the relation of Josephus, and is virtually contradicted both by Paul and by Luke, who always speak of him with the utmost respect, and have no where given the smallest hint, that he concealed the principal doctrines of the Christian religion."

Thus gloriously ended the steady, bright career of "the second apostolic martyr." Honored, even by the despisers of the faith and haters of the name of Christ, with the exalted title of "," he added the solemn witness of his blood, to that of his di