James, son of Zebedee
c. -16* – c. 44 · Galilee
Also known as James the Greater
Feast: 25 July (Catholic) · 30 April (Orthodox)
Brother of John, son of Zebedee, one of the Twelve and of the inner three. Beheaded by Herod Agrippa I c. AD 44 — the first apostle martyred.
James was one of the inner three — Peter, James, and John, the ones Jesus took up the mountain at the Transfiguration and into the garden at Gethsemane. He was also the first apostle to die. Acts 12 records Herod Agrippa beheading him in Jerusalem around AD 44, which makes him the only apostolic martyrdom we have inside the New Testament. Everything else is tradition. The medieval cult of Santiago de Compostela in Spain claims his relics ended up there; the historical link is impossible to verify, but the pilgrimage road it produced is one of the great cultural facts of medieval Europe.
Primary sources
- ·Acts of the Apostles 12:1-2
- ·Gospel of Mark 3:17
Book of the day
The Rule of Saint Benedict
Benedict of NursiaA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. The compact rule that shaped Western monastic life for centuries.
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