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Ascents of James
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
A noncanonical text no longer extant, known only by name from church father Epiphanius in his work against heresies, when he mentions Ascents of James in a section on the Ebionites (see Panarion 30.16.7). Ascents of James was a possible source for the Recognitions, a Pseudo-Clementine work from the second century, and thus modern hypothetical reconstructions are baed on Recognitions. Ascents of James was likely a pseudonymous second-century document that holds Jesus to be the Messiah foretold by Moses; it also seems to have promoted the observance of Jewish Law while calling for the end of temple sacrifices. Ascents of James was never widely authoritative during the early church period.
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Ascents of James
Ascents of James A noncanonical text no longer extant, known only by name from church father Epiphanius in his work against heresies, when he mentions Ascents of James in a section on the Ebionites (see Panarion 30.16.7). Ascents of James was a possible source for the Recognitions, a Pseudo-Clementine
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
James, Ascents Of
James, Ascents ofA late-2nd-century Jewish-Christian book described by Epiphanius (Adv. haer. 30.16.6–9) and no longer extant in its original form. The book exalts James the brother of Jesus as the leader of the earliest Church and denigrates Paul as “the enemy” who prevents the conversion of the entire
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
James, Ascents of
James, Ascents of. *A Jewish-Christian (Ebionite) book referred to by Epiphanius (Haer. 30:16). According to the passage cited, James the brother of Jesus is the hero and defender of circumcision, yet the opponent of the temple and the sacrificial system. He slanders Paul of Tarsus, a Greek who submitted
The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 3, H–L
James, Ascents of
James, Ascents of. A document mentioned in connection with the Ebionites by Epiphanius (Pan. 30.16), who says it presented James, the Lord’s brother, as speaking against the temple, sacrifice, and the altar fire. He also says that it was violently hostile to Paul. Taking Acts 21:39 as a starting point,
The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volumes 1–5
JAMES, ASCENTS OF
JAMES, ASCENTS OF. According to Epiphanius of Salamis (Pan. 30.16.6–9), the Ebionites possessed an alternative version of the “acts of the apostles” known as the Ascents of James. Reportedly, this text related a critique of the sacrificial system delivered by James the Just at the Temple and accused