Eusebius, History of the Church 2.23.3-18:
3 The manner of the death of James has been already indicated by the abovementioned words of Clement, who records that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and was beaten to death with a club. But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs. He writes as follows:
4 James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called just [δίκαιος] by all from the times of the Lord to the present day, for there were many that bore the name of James. He was holy from the womb of his mother. 5 He drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh. No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath. 6 He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place; for he wore not woolen but linen garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and he was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of God and asking forgiveness for the people. 7 Because of his exceeding great justice he was called the just [ὁ δίκαιος], and oblias, which in Greek signifies a bulwark of the people and justice, in accordance with what the prophets declare concerning him.
8 Now some of the seven sects, which existed among the people and which have been mentioned by me in the memoirs, asked him: What is the gate of Jesus? And he replied that it was the savior. 9 On account of these words some believed that Jesus is the Christ. But the sects mentioned above did not believe either in a resurrection or in the coming of one to give to every man according to his works. But as many as believed did so on account of James. 10 Therefore, when many even of the rulers believed, there was a commotion among the Jews and scribes and Pharisees, who said that there was danger that the whole people would be looking for Jesus as the Christ. Coming therefore in a body to James they said: We entreat you, restrain the people, for they have gone astray in regard to Jesus, as if he were the Christ. We entreat you to persuade all that have come to the feast of the Passover concerning Jesus; for we all have confidence in you. For we bear you witness, as do all the people, that you are just [δίκαιος] and that you do not respect persons. 11 Persuade, therefore, the multitude not to be led astray concerning Jesus. For the whole people, and all of us also, have confidence in you. Stand therefore upon the pinnacle of the temple, that from that high position you might be clearly seen, and that your words may be readily heard by all the people. For all the tribes, with the gentiles also, have come together on account of the Passover.
12 The aforesaid scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple and cried out to him and said: Just one [δίκαιε], in whom we ought all to have confidence, forasmuch as the people are led astray after Jesus, the crucified one, declare to us what the gate of Jesus is. 13 And he answered with a loud voice: Why do you ask me concerning Jesus, the son of man? He himself sits in heaven at the right hand of the great power, and is about to come upon the clouds of heaven! 14 And, when many were fully convinced and gloried in the testimony of James, and said: Hosanna to the son of David, these same scribes and Pharisees said again to one another: We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus. But let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid to believe him. 15 And they cried out, saying: Oh, oh, the just one [ὁ δίκαιος] is also in error! And they fulfilled the scripture written in Isaiah: "Let us take away the just one [τὸν δίκαιον] because he is troublesome to us; therefore they shall eat the fruit of their works." 16 So they went up and threw down the just one [τὸν δίκαιον], and said to each other: Let us stone James the just [τὸν δίκαιον]. And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt down and said: I entreat you, Lord God our father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 17 And while they were thus stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, saying: Cease! What are you doing? The just one [ὁ δίκαιος] is praying for you! 18 And one of them, one of the fullers, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just one [τοῦ δικαίου] on the head. And thus he suffered martyrdom. And they buried him on the spot, by the temple, and his monument still remains by the temple. He became a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately Vespasian besieged them.
3 The manner of the death of James has been already indicated by the abovementioned words of Clement, who records that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and was beaten to death with a club. But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs. He writes as follows:
4 James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called just [δίκαιος] by all from the times of the Lord to the present day, for there were many that bore the name of James. He was holy from the womb of his mother. 5 He drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh. No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath. 6 He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place; for he wore not woolen but linen garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and he was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of God and asking forgiveness for the people. 7 Because of his exceeding great justice he was called the just [ὁ δίκαιος], and oblias, which in Greek signifies a bulwark of the people and justice, in accordance with what the prophets declare concerning him.
8 Now some of the seven sects, which existed among the people and which have been mentioned by me in the memoirs, asked him: What is the gate of Jesus? And he replied that it was the savior. 9 On account of these words some believed that Jesus is the Christ. But the sects mentioned above did not believe either in a resurrection or in the coming of one to give to every man according to his works. But as many as believed did so on account of James. 10 Therefore, when many even of the rulers believed, there was a commotion among the Jews and scribes and Pharisees, who said that there was danger that the whole people would be looking for Jesus as the Christ. Coming therefore in a body to James they said: We entreat you, restrain the people, for they have gone astray in regard to Jesus, as if he were the Christ. We entreat you to persuade all that have come to the feast of the Passover concerning Jesus; for we all have confidence in you. For we bear you witness, as do all the people, that you are just [δίκαιος] and that you do not respect persons. 11 Persuade, therefore, the multitude not to be led astray concerning Jesus. For the whole people, and all of us also, have confidence in you. Stand therefore upon the pinnacle of the temple, that from that high position you might be clearly seen, and that your words may be readily heard by all the people. For all the tribes, with the gentiles also, have come together on account of the Passover.
12 The aforesaid scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple and cried out to him and said: Just one [δίκαιε], in whom we ought all to have confidence, forasmuch as the people are led astray after Jesus, the crucified one, declare to us what the gate of Jesus is. 13 And he answered with a loud voice: Why do you ask me concerning Jesus, the son of man? He himself sits in heaven at the right hand of the great power, and is about to come upon the clouds of heaven! 14 And, when many were fully convinced and gloried in the testimony of James, and said: Hosanna to the son of David, these same scribes and Pharisees said again to one another: We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus. But let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid to believe him. 15 And they cried out, saying: Oh, oh, the just one [ὁ δίκαιος] is also in error! And they fulfilled the scripture written in Isaiah: "Let us take away the just one [τὸν δίκαιον] because he is troublesome to us; therefore they shall eat the fruit of their works." 16 So they went up and threw down the just one [τὸν δίκαιον], and said to each other: Let us stone James the just [τὸν δίκαιον]. And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt down and said: I entreat you, Lord God our father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 17 And while they were thus stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, saying: Cease! What are you doing? The just one [ὁ δίκαιος] is praying for you! 18 And one of them, one of the fullers, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just one [τοῦ δικαίου] on the head. And thus he suffered martyrdom. And they buried him on the spot, by the temple, and his monument still remains by the temple. He became a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately Vespasian besieged them.
James is called "the just one" so many times in this passage, especially as his death nears, that it almost gets boring to read for that reason alone, despite it being a fairly colorful incident otherwise. The quotation from Isaiah is actually a composite:
Wisdom of Solomon 2.12: 12 "Let us lie in wait for the just one [τὸν δίκαιον], because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law and accuses us of sins against our training."
Isaiah 3.10: Say to the just one(s) [τὸν δίκαιον, OG] that it will go well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their actions.
Isaiah 3.10: Say to the just one(s) [τὸν δίκαιον, OG] that it will go well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their actions.
But all of this talk of "the just one" reminds me of the following:
James 5.1-6: 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the just one [τὸν δίκαιον]; he does not resist you.
Verse 6 sounds like a pretty good description, honestly, of the death of James. I have nearly always been of the opinion (not well formed, but distinct) that the epistle of James is pseudonymous, and this verse strikes me as the author's homage to its namesake: speaking in his name to condemn the very sorts of people who supposedly put him to death.
Just a stray thought.
Ben.
