Jacob brother of St Jude son of Halpheus. Jacob's hometown as Sama is the name of a town nine miles away from Sakhnin (mentioned in Jerusalem Talmud (Avodah Zarah 2:2 IV.I) but in Babylonian Talmud (Avodah Zarah 27b) his home town is called Sakhnin (Aramaic Shekhania) in the latter). Saul Lieberman who compared early manuscripts to identify copying errors found Sakhnin to be the correct reading.

Rabbi Abbahu and Rabbi Eleazar ben Damma both considered him to be a believer but Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Eliezer botqh considered him to be an Heretic.