Since two of the 12 apostles bore the name James, it became necessary to distinguish one from the other by calling one the Less and the other the Greater – a distinction based solely on physical stature. James the Less, whose feast day is celebrated on October 9, is also referred to as the “son of Alphaeus.” James the Greater was the “son of Zebedee” and the brother of the Apostle John. See Matt 4:21-22. Jesus called James and John “sons of thunder” because of their sometime violent eagerness to conquer souls for Christ. His martyrdom is mentioned in Acts 12:1-2.Kontakion
O glorious James, when you heard the Divine Word calling you, you put aside your love for your father and hurried to Christ with John your brother, wherefore you were made worthy to see the divine Transfiguration of the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment