Who Wrote the book of James?

James is the given name for three prominent figures found in the first century New Testament writings. They include two of the twelve apostles along with the brothers of Jesus. These three men with the same name have caused much discussion concerning the identity of the author of the Book of James. We will first independently consider the three men named James and then consider the author of the book.
I. James the Son of Zebedee
The greatest number of Bible references (at least 21) refer to James the son of Zebedee who was also the brother of the Apostle John.
Matthew 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
When they are mentioned together, since James is mentioned first in 17 of the 18 verses, he is almost certainly the older brother (the exception is in Luke 9:28). James worked in the fishing business in the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16) with his brother John, his father Zebedee (Matthew 4:21) and Simon Peter (Luke 5:10). He had certainly been a follower of John the Baptist as were all the early disciples (Acts 1:21-22). When he received the call to follow Christ, he immediately answered it (Matthew 4:18-22).