James, son of Alphaeus
James, son of Alphaeus (Greek: Ἰάκωβος, Iakōbos; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܚܠܦܝ; Hebrew: יעקב בן חלפי Ya'akov ben Halfai; Coptic: ⲓⲁⲕⲱⲃⲟⲥ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲁⲗⲫⲉⲟⲥ; Arabic: يعقوب بن حلفى, romanized: Ya'qūb bin Halfā) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, appearing under this name in all three of the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is generally identified with James the Less (Greek Ἰάκωβος ὁ μικρός Iakōbos ho mikros, Mark 15:40) and commonly known by that name in church tradition. He is also labelled "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation. He is distinct from James, son of Zebedee and in some interpretations also from James, brother of Jesus (James the Just). He appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.
Saint James the Lesser | |
|---|---|
St James the Minor by Peter Paul Rubens (1613) | |
| Apostle and Martyr | |
| Born | c. 1st century AD Galilee, Judaea, Roman Empire |
| Died | c. 62 AD Jerusalem, Judaea, Roman Empire or Aegyptus, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | All Christian denominations that venerate saints |
| Feast | 1 May (Anglican Communion), May 3 (Roman Catholic Church), 9 October (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
| Attributes | Carpenter's saw; fuller's club |
| Patronage | Apothecaries; druggists; dying people; Frascati, Italy; fullers; milliners; Monterotondo, Italy; pharmacists; Uruguay |