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Title: The Ascents of James: History and Theology of a Jewish-Christian Community by Robert E. Van Voorst ISBN: 1-55540-293-3 Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature Pub. Date: 1989 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95

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Summary: From the "Pinnacle of the Temple"
Comment: Dr Van Voorst has given us a rare glimpse into the early history of that then-new Jewish sect, the "Christians" by distilling, through textual analysis of two early copies of the Psuedo-Clemmentine Recognitions, a text atrributed to Hegesippus and now lost in the original-the 'Anabathmoi Jacobou' or "Ascents of James". The work stands on its own as a wonderfuol bit of scholarship, and supports much of Robert Eisenman's work on James the Righteous. The story related is a narrative, probably poetically enhanced as much early Scripture seems to be, of a fateful public confrontation between the luminaries of the Jerusalem Assembly led by James (the Brother of Jesus) and the priestly authorities of the Herodian Temple over theological questions of messiahship and salvation (!). The debate, since the author is an early church apologist, goes to the new sect of "Christians" (Church of the Circumcision), and the narrative suggests that the entire population of Jerusalem was about to be baptized on the basis of the Scripturally-based arguments of James and the other Apostles, when "The Enemy", a man referred to as SAULUS in a marginal note in the Syriac copy of the Recognitions, incites a riot in the Temple courtyard with several of his followers, a bunch of violent bullies inflicting bloodshed, injuries and deaths among all the people gathered. The end of the fight comes with James the Righteous, the Brother of Jesus, being pushed from the top of the Temple steps (hence "ascents") by "The Enemy" -Saulus/Saul- breaking both his legs, and the retreat of the Christians, with their injured leader, "towards Jericho" (Qumran is also that way from Jerusalem), and the Enemy and his henchmen being given warrants for the arrest of the members of the "Faithful" by the priestly authorities. If this sounds disturbingly familiar, it is because this is probably the precursor to the conversion story of Saul on the 'Road to Damascus' -the Sons of God at Qumran referred to their habitation as "Damascus"- and "Saulus" is known to Christians and Biblical scholars today as Saint Paul.
The episode related occurred sometime in the early 40's of the Common Era, and was apparently written down about 135 CE. I think we need to re-examine those Qumran scrolls....