Isagoge in canonicas septem epistolas

7
IN EPIST. CAN.

Mary of Cleophas who was the sister of Mary the virgin, and in the manner of scripture those are called brothers who were in reality cousins. This, as it appears, is the truest opinion concerning the author of the present epistle. I am not unaware meanwhile that to some it is more pleasing that this James is not of the rank of the Apostles, but of the number of the seventy disciples, and that this is the one they call James of Obalia. But these are only probable conjectures, nor are they worth more than the previous reasons, because from this opinion much is taken away from the authority of the epistle, whereas the former is more agreeable, so that it is both Apostolic and catholic. Hence it can be understood why the ancients called it catholic, along with the following ones, because, namely, it was written not to one private man, or to one private church, but to all the pious. Then, because it ought to have no less weight in proving [matters of faith] than the Pauline epistles. Furthermore, because it has general rules of life, which look to all. For the same reason it is called canonical, although this word [is used] by some