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JAMES, OUR PATRON SAINT
There are seemingly many men named James in the New
Testament, mainly because of the numerous epithets and
euphemisms applied to them. James, son of Alphaeus,
is called "James the
Less" or the Younger to distinguish him from Saint James
the Great and Saint James the
Just. He was a brother of the apostle Matthew
(Alphaeus was the father of both) and the son of Mary. He appears in the slightly varying lists
of the Twelve Apostles, as does James the Great Matthew 10:3; Mark
3:18; Luke
6:15; Acts 1:13. He is also mentioned when his mother appears in Mark 15:40 (where he is labeled
"less", "little" or "younger" depending on
the translation) and Matthew 27:56.
Not much is known about his later
ministry. He was a martyr in the
early Church and one of its earliest saints. Some historians believe he was clubbed to
death in Jerusalem for violating Judaic law. Others have written that he was crucified
in Egypt and his body was cut up.
The differing accounts of his death explain why there are two
traditional symbols - a club and a saw - for St. James the Less.
Georges de La Tour. St James the Minor
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