In the New Testament Epistle of James, the author strongly emphasizes that faith without accompanying righteous deeds is dead and notes that stumbling at just one point makes a person guilty of breaking the entire Law (James 2:10).
Early church records and historical scholarship depict James the Just (the brother of Jesus) as a deeply traditional, law-observant leader of the Jerusalem Church. He maintained that Jewish believers should strictly adhere to traditional Mosaic customs, which later created a significant theological tension with Apostle Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.