ALPHEUS. - The name Ἀλφαῖος is probably the Hebrew or Aramaic Halpai (1 Macc. 11:70; Calphi,

Gk. Χαλφί), formed like Ἀγγαῖος from Haggai; it designates two figures of the New Testament.

1) Father of the apostle Levi (Mark 2:14) or Matthew. The so-called "Western" text (codd. D, O, 565, Ferrar group, Old Latin, Tatian and Ephrem) identifies him with the following one by substituting James for Levi. Among modern scholars, only F. Kirmis admits this identification.

2) Father of the apostle James "the less" according to the 4 lists of the apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

If Mary the mother of James the less (Mark 15:40; 16:1) was the "wife" of Clopas or Κλωσᾶς (John 19:25), A. seems to be identified with Clopas (v.), whether he had a single name with a double Semitic and Greek form (like Jesus-Jason, Simeon-Simon) or the single name Halfai was transliterated in two different ways (R. Cornely), or whether he bore two names like Levi-Matthew (M.-J. Lagrange). A. Clopas would be the father of the four "brethren of the Lord" (cf. Matt. 13:55 and Mark 6:3; Matt. 27:56 and Mark 15:40).

But the identity of A. with Clopas is contested, on the basis of what Hegesippus hands down, by many Catholics (e.g. P. Schegg, J. Mader, A. Durand), as well as by Protestants for the most part; Th. Calmes and J. Vosté hold that the Mary of John 19:25 was the "sister" of Clopas and the wife of A. According to F. Prat, this Mary first married A., by whom she had James and Joseph, then Clopas, by whom she had Simon and Jude.

It may be presumed that A., of whose life we know nothing, had died before the public life of Jesus Christ.

Bibliography10 works

BIBL.: For the identity A.-Clopas (besides R. Cornely and M.-J. Lagrange, Ev. selon S. Marc, 4th ed., Paris 1920, pp. 40, 67); F. X. Meinertz, Der Jakobusbrief und sein Verfasser, Freiburg im Br. 1905, pp. 25-27; S. Rosadini, Inst. introductoria in libros N. T., III, Rome 1925, pp. 11-12; J. Chaine, L'épître de S. Jacques, Paris 1927, p. XXXII. - For the distinction of A. from Clopas: Wetzel, Alphaeus und Klopas, in Theol. Studien und Kritiken, 36 (1863), pp. 620-27; Th. Calmes, Saint Jean, Paris 1904, pp. 174-176; A. Durand, L'enfance de Jésus, Paris 1908, pp. 219-21; F. Kirmis, Maria, die immerwährende Jungfrau, Breslau 1917; F. Prat, La Parenté de Jésus, in Recherches de sc. rel., 17 (1927), pp. 127-38; id., Jésus-Christ, I, Paris 1933 (16th ed. 1947), pp. 533-45; J. Vosté, De conceptione virginali I. Christi, Rome 1933, pp. 125-26.

Antonio Romero

@incollection{ec1_alfeo, author = {Romeo, Antonino}, title = {Alfeo}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {I}, pages = {843--844}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1948}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/alfeo} }

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Alpheus

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