1:1 James. The half-brother of the Lord Jesus (see Introduction: Author and Date; cf. Gal. 1:19; 2:9). bondservant. See note on Rom. 1:1. twelve tribes. A common NT title for Jews (cf. Matt. 19:28; Acts 26:7; Rev. 7:4). When the kingdom split after Solomon’s reign, 10 tribes constituted the northern kingdom, called Israel, and Benjamin and Judah combined to form the southern kingdom, called Judah. After the fall and deportation of the northern kingdom to Assyria (722 B.C.), some of the remnant of