James, son of Alphaeus

The Holy Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the twelve apostles of the Lord. The Synoptic Gospels name him only in the list of the twelve, while the Church keeps the tradition that he preached the Gospel in Judea, in Edessa, at Gaza, in Eleutheropolis and in Egypt, where he received a martyr's death. He is commemorated on 9 October and, with the other apostles, in the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, on 30 June.

Who he was

James was the son of Alphaeus and, according to Orthodox tradition, the brother of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew the publican, whose father is called Alphaeus in the Gospel of Mark (2:14). The books of the New Testament mention his name only four times, each time in the list of the twelve. He is usually counted the same as James the Less, mentioned in the Gospel of Mark (15:40) in connection with his mother, Mary.

He must be distinguished from James, son of Zebedee, the brother of the Evangelist John. In the Orthodox Church he is also distinguished from James the brother of the Lord, the first bishop of Jerusalem, who is remembered on other days. Blessed Jerome and other commentators counted them the same person, but Orthodox tradition honours them as two different saints.

His preaching

James heard the words of the Lord and saw His miracles. After the descent of the Holy Spirit he preached, together with the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-⁠Called, in Judea and in Edessa. He went on to Gaza, in the south of Palestine, and to Eleutheropolis, healing diseases of every kind and turning many to the way of salvation. From those places he set out for Egypt.

Martyrdom

According to the tradition shared by Orthodox sources, Saint James ended his apostolic work in Egypt, in the city of Ostracine, a seaside town on the border with Palestine, where pagans crucified him. Other traditions say that he was stoned, either in Marmarica or at Jerusalem, where he is said to have been buried beside the temple. So the report of his end is not the same in all sources, and the place of his tomb is not surely known.

Veneration

The services of the Church remember him on 9 October. In the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, on 30 June, he is honoured together with the other apostles of the Lord.

His troparion calls him a holy apostle and asks him to intercede with the merciful God for the forgiveness of the sins of our souls.