Mary, mother of James
mother of James (the Less) and Joseph
Mary, mother of James (Koine Greek: Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ἰακώβου, romanized: María hē toû Iakṓbou, Aramaic: ܡܰܪܝܰܡ ܕ݁ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ݂, romanized: Maryam dəYaʿqūḇ) is identified in the synoptic gospels as one of the women who went to Jesus' tomb after he was buried. Mark 16 (Mark 16:1) and Luke 24 (Luke 24:10) refer to "Mary the mother of James" as one of the Myrrhbearers, the women who went to the tomb of Jesus.
Along with Mary Magdalene and Mary of Clopas, Mary the mother of James is known as one of the Three Marys.
Background
Matthew 27:56 says that "Mary the mother of James and Joseph" was watching the crucifixion from a distance. Mark 15:40 calls her "Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses". James the younger is often identified with James, son of Alphaeus. The Catholic Encyclopedia identifies him with both James, son of Alphaeus and James the brother of Jesus (James the Just).
According to the surviving fragments of the work Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord of the Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, who lived c. 70–163 AD, "Mary, mother of James the Less and Joseph, wife of Alphaeus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom John names of Cleophas". For the Anglican theologian J.B. Lightfoot, this fragment quoted above would be spurious.
“Mary, mother of James” enters the record as mother of James (the Less) and Joseph. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Mary, mother and James can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Mary, mother of James” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Mary, mother and James provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6778755. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mary, mother of James”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mary, mother of James primary sources, Mary, mother of James archive and Mary research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mary, mother of James”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mary, mother of James” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.