Alphaeus is also the name of the father of the tax-collector Levi mentioned in . The publican appears as Matthew in , which has led some to conclude that James and Matthew might have been brothers.John MacArthur, Jr., Daily Readings from The Life of Christ, page 50 (Moody Publishers, 2009).Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament, page 848 (David C. Cook, 2007). The four times that James son of Alphaeus is mentioned directly in the Bible (each time in the list of the Apostles) the only family relationship stated is that his father is Alphaeus., , and . In two lists of the Apostles, the other James and John are listed as brothers and that their father is Zebedee.,
