Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. James [Catholic Caucus]
12ApostlesoftheCatholicChurch.com ^ | not given | 12ApostlesoftheCatholicChurch.com

Posted on 11/05/2010 8:54:16 PM PDT by Salvation































The Church honors the Apostles on the following feast days:
Sts Peter and Paul-June 29th
St John-December 27th
St James-July 25th
St Andrew-November 30th
St Thomas-July 3rd
St Matthew-September 21st
Sts Philip and James the Less-May 3rd
St Bartholomew-August 24th
Sts Simon and Jude-October 28th
St Matthias-May 14th (Judas' replacement and comments)



The Lord chose these holy men for their unfeigned love, and gave them eternal glory. Their message goes out through all the earth. Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the end of the world, their message. We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer with God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus Christ chose the twelve Apostles. He chooses us too to a sacred calling. His mystical body, His Church, which consists of all members of the human race, albeit, two-thirds of the population of the world are not officially Catholics, are part of His Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. That implies that through divine providence, that God permits each of us to experience, we receive the direct means and cause of our calling and vocation. All are called by God to be holy by the Holy Spirit regardless of religion, race or creed. We are all God's children, created and called to be sanctified.

The Apostles started the process from an established ecclesical perspective and we are a continuation of that same process and calling. Sanctification in itself had no beginning for God is holy from eternity and has always been sanctifying all creation outside of himself starting with the angels to humankind.

Let us listen to one of the Doctors of the Church, St John Chrysostom, who was called the "golden-mouthed" and listen to what he has to say about the Apostles.

"I wish that it were possible to meet with one who could deliver to us the history of the Apostles, not only all they wrote and spoke of, but of the rest of their daily life, even what they ate, when they walked, and where they sat, what they did every day, in what parts they were... where they lodge-to relate everything with minute exactness".

With prayer and the Holy Spirit, God will inform us everything we need to know about the holy Apostles that will enable us to do God's holy will. There is plentiful information and depth in the sacred scripture and especially in the holy gospels that will flood our minds and hearts to the fullest possible degree.

The gospels will tell us very little about the Apostles except perhaps Peter, Paul and John from a surface level. However, the Holy Spirit will enable us to plumb the depths of God. The below is taken from "The Twelve" by C. Bernard Ruffin

From the writings of Eusebius, however, we are able to glean a small amount of information about the lives of the apostles. Moreover, other writers from the second, third and fourth centuries yield further tidbits of information. Among these were Papias(A.D.60-135A), bishop of Hierapolis (in what is now Turkey), a disciple of St John, whose works, no longer extant, were quoted in fragments by Eusebius and other writers; St Clement of Rome (A.D.30-97), a disciple of Peter and Paul who reigned as pope between A.D.92-101; Iranaeus (c.A.D.120-202), bishop of Lyon (in what is now France); Clement of Alexandria (c. A.D.153-217), an eminent Greek theologian and hymnist; Hippolytus (c.A.D.170-236), a pupil of Irenaeus and author of a number of theological works; Tertullian (c.A.D. 145-221), a Latin-speaking African theologian; Origen (c.A.D.185-254), a celebrated Egyptian teacher, theologian, and ascetic; and St Jerome (c 342-420), the celebrated Italian scholar and translator. The information these first-class scholars were able to gather is, alas, in bits and pieces, but it is all that we have that is reliable.

St Paul is included in the twelve Apostle's website because he made a great contribution to the early Church as we too can make a tremendous input to the Church today when we allow God to lead us and be guided by the same Holy Spirit.

St Matthias was a chosen apostle inasmuch as he was Judas Iscariot replacement. Judas will be mentioned on this site for he was an original Apostle of Jesus, but he will not receive prominence. The information on Judas will focus on the temptation and sin of Judas and his despair and fall. Lastly Judas' information will cover the price and punishment of his betrayal of Christ and this information will follow after his replacement, St Matthias.

In keeping with the spirit of the gospels that Jesus gave to the Apostles, and to us too, who are likewise called- for all have been sent by the Father, as Jesus- to share that same Holy Spirit to lead and guide all to imitate Jesus' words and works according to our own unique ability, calling and the grace of God.

"The Apostles" by Otto Hophan, O.F.M.Cap and translated from the German by L. Edward Wasserman, will be used exclusively. It was published by The Newman Press, Westminister, Maryland 1962. The below is a Foreword by Father Hophan.

Awakening the minds and hearts of Christians to an awareness of the apostles is a very pleasant and important task, but it is also somewhat difficult. At baptism we were infused with a latent sympathy for these beloved men who were the first followers, believers in, and proclaimers of Christ. Every aspect and era of Christendom must be evaluated and examined in the light of the message brought by these first witnesses of Jesus. The "apostolic tradition" was placed, from the very beginning, upon a lofty and superior foundation.

The difficulties encountered in writing a book about the apostles lie in the lack of reliable source material. The apostles preached Christ, not themselves; therefore what Scripture records concerning them is often incidental, and is always presented in connection with Christ. Information from tradition concerning the lives and destines of the apostles is also scarce. Even though the apocryphal-spurious-acts have much to offer about the geographic scenes and national characteristics of the apostolic labors, these lack the necessary reliability. In view of the great importance of the apostles, this state of affairs explains the errors, so striking in themselves, in books on the lives of these men. Comprehensive and coherent portrayals of the apostles are few and far between.

This book represents an effort to bring the apostles out of their humble obscurity. Its goal is to reconstruct the personality of each one of these men, each so different, yet all of them so generally unknown to us; to form a concept of these living, dynamic personalities from the more or less numerous mosaic stones scattared throughout Scripture.

Even with all the restraint of the sacred texts concerning the personal importance and affairs of the apostles, there are, nevertheless, a few words about most of them which, after they are carefully and meticulously scrutinized, often say more than is at first apparent. In addition, the whole of the New Testament, the milieu in which the apostles lived, and tradition provide a powerful and informative background for even the most modest portrayal of an apostle. Making use of the literary license, the author has sought to bridge the remaining gaps in information about the individual apostles by following his own conjectures. Even in this respect, however, his depictions stand the test of comparison with historical and, above all, scriptural evidence. Although apocryphal testimony was at times made use of in order to present a more complete study of a particular apostle, it is never cited as the sole and finally persuasive proof. The reader interested in studing the apocryphal acts in more detail will find more through studies in other works.

This book could very well serve as an introduction to the study of the New Testament. It would be unpardonable if a work which depends so completely upon the Scriptures for information did not provide some degree of commentary upon them.

These texts, even when written in the form of a modest letter of instruction, provide insights into the personalities of the apostles who wrote them... The substance and sense of the Holy Books must be entrusted to the reader in a study based on solid, scientific, biblical scholarship, yet unencumbered with scientific ballast. This work is intended to be not only instructive and informative, but also constructive and formative. The personalities of the apostles, as well as their words and deeds, should have an immediate significance for, and influence on, the active and practical Christian. The work is not a long-winded moral, but a concrete application of the message of the apostles to our own time and lives.

There is another line of thought to be found in this book: the Church. It is in light of the Church that the first two purposes of the book had to be considered, not as apologetics and even less as polemics, but in the spirit of the Gospels; for it is in the Gospels that the Church has her home.

The contract for this book was concluded on the vigil of Pentecost, a date rich in promise and quite symbolic for a work about the apostles. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit it should reach out to an age anxious about the new world, proudly and forcibly to proclaim with Peter and Paul: Christ is " 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the corner stone. Neither is there salvation in any other'"(Acts 4:11-12). For another foundation no one can lay, except Him who has already been established: Jesus Christ!

The hour of the apostles is at hand. To all who earnestly seek the perfection of Christ, this book is dedicated. Christo laborantibus!



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; saints
St. James
1 posted on 11/05/2010 8:54:20 PM PDT by Salvation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: All
This is a Catholic Caucus thread.


Guidelines for Catholic Caucus Threads


2 posted on 11/05/2010 8:54:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; markomalley; ...





The following paragraph is taken from the "Catholic Almanac"

A Galilean, son of Zebedee, brother of John (with whom he was called a "Son of Thunder"), a fisherman; with Peter and John, witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter to life, the transfiguration, the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani; first of the Apostles to die, by the sword in 44 during the rule of Herod Agrippa; there is doubt about a journey legend says he made to Spain and also about the authenticity of relics said to be his at Santiago de Compostela; in art, is depicted carrying a pilgrim's bell; July 25 (Roman Rite), Apr 30 (Byzantine Rite).

The following is taken from "The Apostle" by Otto Hophan, O.F.M.Cap. and listed in the sources in the Doctors of the Catholic Church.

Chapter Three

James had much in common with Andrew, his neighbor and forerunner in the college of apostles. Yet the two differed considerably in their characters and manners. James was also a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and had worked on the water with Andrew and Simon Peter for many years. The Gospels indicate that the two fishermen's families even shared the same boats and fishing equipment, and managed their affairs together.

When our Lord had brought about the miraculous catch of fish, and Simon and his brother Andrew were not able to take in the overabundance alone, :"they beckoned to their comrades in the other boat to come and help them. And they came..." And so it was to be later on. When Peter, as a fisher of men, drew in his overflowing nets, he called to his former companions on the sea; and they came to share the weight of his burden, the overwhelming joy of his work.

James had a brother who also heard the apostolic calling. He was John the Evangelist, whose symbol is an eagle, whose wings one day were to carry him to greater heights than James would reach. James was to stand below in the shadows, just as Andrew did. It may be that Andrew and James owed many of their special favors and privileges to their prominent brothers. But James was neither quiet nor shy-and herein lies the difference between him and the silent Andrew-for he was born to be a great leader.

James, the Bold Apostle

James and John were the sons of Zebedee. Literally this name means "gift of God." Here the evangelist explicitly pointed out the father in order to distinguish this James from another apostle with the same name, James the son of Alpheus. This other James, the Son of Alpheus, was named James the Younger, or the Less (minor), by the evangelist Mark. He was called younger because he was called by Christ to the apostolate after James the son of Zebedee was called, and also because he was younger in age. Therefore, John's brother was usually called the elder-in Latin, major. Traditionally literally, major, is "the greater one."

The first surname-the Lord gave him yet another-indicates the nature of James' personality and character. He was indeed James the Great, high-minded and ambitious, even haughty at times, a man of stature and influence, an active apostle. The picture of him that Rubens painted depicts him as a man of strength, an upright man full of expression and energy.

Both James and John were gifted with this great characteristic from their infancy. Their father Zebedee, truly the "gift of God," must have been a generous and noble man, although he was a humble, unknown fisherman. His aspirations were high, and in the hour in which his sons were called by the Lord he saw his hopes fulfilled. It happened suddenly. Jesus called not only one of his sons, but both of them, and both at the same time. The Messias literally took James and John away from their boats and nets. "And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him," St Mark observed.

How Zebedee had yearned and waited for this hour! The great spiritual joy in his soul overwhelmed the bitter sorrow that struck at his human love for his own two sons. In that hour he had opened up his heart. He watched them following Christ, and was silent. His own sons were no longer his own; they were the Lord's. But he wanted them to go with Jesus. Neither did he try to change their minds, nor did he hold them back. He knew they would ascend to greater heights with Jesus than they would with him in the fishing boats on the sea. And he was well able to adapt himself to his work without his sons. Zebedee was a great father. Rarely does a parent offer his children to God so nobly.

Salome, the mother of James and John, was also a noble-minded woman. It was more difficult and heart-breaking for her to give up both her sons to the distant apostolate at the same time than it was for Zebedee, but she also made the sacrifice very bravely. Soon she herself became a follower of Christ, and along with other pious women, she ministered to the Lord in the best way she knew how. She persevered and remained with the crucified Christ on Calvary. As a mother, she knew further sorrow when she saw that her son John was the only one of all the twelve apostles to stand by the cross. Where was James? Such parents are truly "gifts of God."

James is not mentioned at the calling of the disciples on the Jordan. John, his younger brother, was there. One of them had to remain at home to help Zebedee, and the elder son knew from past experience that in such cases favor fell upon the younger. Yet James profited by the merits of his brother John, as Scripture shows us. When the beloved disciples returned home, he spoke breathlessly about Jesus, the Son of God, the King of Israel, whom he had met on the Jordan with the sons of Jona. It may have affected James very deeply that he too could not have been there. Must he remain a fisherman, mending and washing nets for the rest of his life? He also felt a calling to higher things. If only the Messias would have walked past him, he would have gone with Him immediately! He waited.

Almost a year passed before the Lord returned to call James and his brother John to follow Him forever. Like the rays of a red sun coming up from the edge of the sea, the light of the Messias had already shone upon Simon and Andrew. It now struck James and John:

And going farther on, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And immediately they left their father, and followed him.

When speaking of the selection of the Twelve, which followed the above-mentioned callings by a few months, St. Mark made the brief but significant remark, "There were...James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (these He surnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder)." To be sure, our Lord gave a surname to Simon also; He renamed him Peter, the "rock." Just as "Peter" indicates an office, so "Boanerges" describes a character. James and John had such thundering and flashing natures, such stormy dispositions and almost reckless manners, that our Lord purposely added this surname, which is half praise and half censure.

The Gospels give two examples of the impetuous and presumptuous natures of the sons of Zebedee. The first occurred on a journey to Jerusalem through Samaria, Jesus "sent messengers before him. And they went and entered a Samaritan town to make ready for him; and they did not receive him, because his face was set for Jerusalem." Once before, when Jesus had left Jerusalem and approached their town, they welcomed Him, they "came to him, and they tried to detain him, that he might not depart from them... They besought him to stay there; and he stay for two days." But now their attitude was quite different, just the opposite of that previously shown Him. Since He had "set His face" to the capital city which the Samaritans so hated, they refused even to receive Him.

Certainly all the apostles were indignant about this violation of the obligation to show hospitality to a traveler. Now "when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?'" What a horrible desire! Both apostles, the two brothers, wanted to destroy this Samaritan citya. What they had in mind was even worse than the devastation and annihilation inflicted upon mankind by modern warfare. And these were apostles of the New Law! Had Christ spoken the Sermon of the Mount in vain? Had they not listened? Or had they not understood Him then? " 'But I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you...'".

Both James and John should have remembered the judgment and punishment that the prophet Elias called down upon the messengers of the disloyal and rebellious King Ozochias because they made a similarly inhuman request. Jesus did not enforce his teachings with fire and fist. "But he turned and rebuked them." In some biblical manuscripts-the statement is missing in the best Greek, and in some Latin, manuscripts-our Lord added, "'You do not know of what manner of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'" The Sons of Thunder-how fitting the surname of these two brothers!

How rash and fiery this pair of brothers could be is shown in another Gospel incident. On their last journey to Jerusalem, when Christ made His triumphal entry into the city, the sons of Zebedee boldly approached their Master and asked Him, "'Grant to us that we may sit, one at thy right hand and the other at they left hand, in they glory.'" But before considering and passing judgment on this enigmatic and brazen act, one should read it in its context. Immediately before this, our Lord had predicted His passion and death for the third time:

"We are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that have been written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and scourged and spit upon; and after they have scoured him, they will put him to death; and on the third day he will rise again."

Even in this extremely grave hour in the life of Jesus, James and John brought up their selfish desire. They could only hear the prophecy of the Resurrection, which they thought would certainly be the long-awaited beginning of the Messias' glorious kingdom on earth. Their request was directed sharply against Simon Peter, to whom our Lord earlier had promised a position of honor and authority. They actually wanted to take Simon "down a notch."

Once before in Holy Scripture, a certain James had caused another to lose a special right and privilege. The patriarch James, or Jacob, inflected this loss on his brother Esau, from whom he stole the right of the first-born, the special blessing of their father. And Esau called out bitterly, "Rightly did they name him Jacob; already twice has he outwitted me." In an old Ethiopic "Acts of the Apostles," James the apostle is similarly chided: "You are as the sole of my foot, an oppressor."

In another part of the Gospels, the evangelist Matthew recorded the same incident in a different light. There James and John very modestly had their mother, Salome, approach the Lord to ask for this special favor. (What some mothers will not do to please their sons!) The good Salome may have felt quite embarrassed and ashamed to make such a plea, but her womanly logic told her she had to set such questionable affairs straight and bring them to a definite conclusion before they went too far. Besides, had she not given her two sons to the Lord? And, if this thought did not enter her mind, had she not herself ministered to Him? Were her sons not as eager and as qualified as the other apostles to occupy the first places in the kingdom of heaven?

The ambitious desire of the sons of Zebedee stirred up discord and ill feeling among the other apostles. "And when the ten heard this, they were indignant at the two brothers." The impetuous and presumptuous natures of these two may have been particularly burdensome to the college of apostles.

Clement of Alexandria explained the uniqueness of the death of the apostle James, casting a light on the painfully restrained temperament of this son of Zebedee. On the way to the place of execution his accuser followed him and pleaded for pardon. James considered only a moment, then embraced him and said, "Peace be with you." Joined with his former enemy, the bold apostles welcomed the blow of the sword of martyrdom. Nor was John by any means the sweet disciple he is so often depicted to be in representations which are sometimes worse than poor calendar-art. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were until death Boanerges, Sons of Thunder. They were virile and robust apostles, men, and any saccharine interpretation to the contrary repulsively contradicts Sacred Scripture.

Some of the spiritual writers and many teachers-God bless their innocence!-do not hesitate to exhort their readers and students to turn away from such ambitious and thunderous natures. Therefore it must astonish them, and with them any scrupulous and narrow-minded souls, that the Lord used a different, far-seeing pedagogy with James and John. These two sons of Zebedee received a certain general precedence and preference. In all four scriptural lists of the apostles they are placed among the first group, the first four. St. Mark places James in the second place, immediately after Peter. Throughout the Gospels James is portrayed as a prominent and distinguished apostle.

In the house of Jairus, at the miraculous raising from the dead of Jairus' daughter, our Lord "allowing no one to follow him except Peter and James, and John the brother of James." Jesus took only Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor. There they saw all the magnificence and majesty of the Lord. James had John wanted to share in this sitting at His right and left. He took Peter, James, and John with Him into the Garden of Olives to drink of His chalice. But they did not; they slept. Later they were to drink of His chalice, and they drank boldly. In addition to these few occasions on which the first three apostles were granted special privileges by our Lord, there may have been many more about which we do not know.

By this, then, Jesus Himself indicated that He wanted these three apostles to be men of greater influence and importance than the others. And He chose the three most daring, the three most thunderous. Only the great-minded could understand Him, the greatest of all. Only the great were capable of comprehending the deep meaning in this lesson which He set before them.

Certainly Jesus did not stifle James' bold and daring ideas. He did not let this valuable man stand idle, but encouraged him to persevere in his own natural ways. Certainly James, like his brother, John, had a fair amount of common sense. Although he may have been proud, but he was also courageous. Who would throw away a nugget of gold because he found it in a clod of dirt? Who would fell a productive tree because its form was crooked? A man's manners may differ according to the culture of his environment, but whatever the circumstances, if his actions are done for God, the value of them cannot be destroyed.

Extraordinarily gentle, therefore, was our Lord's answer to the daring and presumptuous request of the sons of Zebedee. Even though they had removed themselves so very far from the spirit of the Gospels, He did not speak to the two brothers in an imperious tone. He neither censured them, rebuked them, nor reprimanded them; but He rejected their daring petition with an illusion to divine predestination:

Christ did not want to restrain the two brothers in their efforts to reach greater heights; He wanted to direct these efforts to another goal. He did want to quench their thirst before they had drunk of the chalice."'Can you drink of the cup,'" He lured them on, " 'of which I am about to drink?' " Here, in the drinking of the cup, in the sufferings which accompany friendship with Jesus, James was to stand the test of his greatness. He who wants to share in the majesty of God must first drink of the cup of the Lord, share His cross.

Christ used this occasion also to instruct the other apostles about true greatness. The indignation of the remaining ten became apparent to the sons of Zebedee. These others felt the prick of the thorny ambition of Salome's sons. Our Lord did not will to replace their ardent zeal with a sense of sufficiency and self-complacency. He wished them to strive for the highest goal in life, but he also wanted to give them a new purpose in their striving:

"You know that those who are regarded as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you. On the contrary, who ever wishes to become great shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be the slave of all; for the son of Man also has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The simple and easy way to enter the kingdom of God is to persevere along the road of service, whether the way is rutty or paved. So the Master of the Twelve welcomed this occasion. While answering the request of James and his brother John, He laid down a fundamental principle for His disciples that serves as a new appraisal of value for all ages. In the kingdom of Christ, too, there are those who are first, but on earth these must be as the last.

When Jesus asked, " 'Can you drink of the cup...?' " James answered quickly and self-confidently, " 'We can.' " Surprised and glad, Jesus looked deep into the heart of James, His daring son of Thunder. In compassion, He prayed for this courageous apostle.

James, the Martyr

Time passed, and nothing happened. James had done nothing conspicuous or outstanding in the ranks of the apostles. Then Christ was crucified, and all was over. Before the risen Savior's manifestation in Galilee, this apostle had returned, with his coworkers, to his fishing. There on the sea everything seems to be as it had been before the Messias came. Yet something was missing. The Resurrection gave Jesus back to His apostles, but only for awhile. After the Ascension, the fearful little group had retreated to an upper room to await the first Pentecost. Suddenly "fire from heaven" fell upon them, the true and holy and heavenly fire that purifies. James left his hide-out with the others and went to the far regions of the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Breviary praises this apostle in the lesson read on his feast day: "After the ascension James preached the divinity of the Lord in Judea and Samaria and converted many to Christianity." But all the others did this, also. He drank from the cup of the Lord, but so had all the others drunk from this chalice.

During the first persecution of the Church that was instigated by Jewish leaders-"the high priest... and a party of Sadducces"-he was seized and arrested, imprisoned and scourged. But the others endured this, too. Later "they departed from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus." No longer did the words that James had spoken to the Lord remain without meaning.

The second persecution took place when Stephen, the first martyr of the infant Church, was stoned to death that he might join the crucified God-Man. How significant it is that we should celebrate St. Stephen's birthday on December 26, the day after the birth of Christ!

The third persecution was that of Herod Agrippa 1. There were three Herods, and of these three the first was the most diabolical. There was a curse on all generations of this family, bearing out the biblical allusion to the inheritance of a debt.

The grandfather of Herod Agrippa 1 was Herod 1, so-called the Great, ruler from 40-4 B.C. His reign glowed with success, but his character was tinged with darkness. He was sly, crafty, cunning. He literally sought to slaughter the infant Church in the cradle when he murdered the children of Bethlehem, the Holy Innocents. Agrippa's father, Aristobolus, along with another one of his brothers, was executed by the other Herod because he was suspected of treason.

The uncle, Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 B.C. to 39 A.D. as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, was an incestuous adulterer and the murderer of John the Baptist. Early on the morning of Good Friday he derided the accused Christ; he jeered and scoffed and sneered at him.

This was the sinful ancestry of Herod Agrippa, king of the Jew from 41 to 44 A.D. He spent a dissipated childhood, first in the courts of his grandfather Herod and later in Rome, where he became acquainted with sin and vice. through the favor and good will of his equally immoral friend, Emperor Caligula, who ruled from 37 to 41 A.D,, he seized the tetrarchate of his deceased uncle, Philip, and also that of Lysanias. Through plots and intrigue, he took over the province and jurisdiction of his uncle, Herod Antipas, who was forced into exile. Finally he appropriated the rule of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria from Emperor Claudius. This powerful sovereign united under his scepter the entire district that was once his grandfather's. Not less powerful an enemy of the Church, he appeared to have it in his power to crush the Church with the mere nod of his head.

The Acts of the Apostles briefly states the reason for the persecution of Herod Agrippa: "It pleased the Jews." The majority of the Jews were dissatisfied with the power and rule of Agrippa. A rabbi had even prohibited him from entering the temple. Nevertheless, the king meant to disarm his enemies through crafty and cunning concessions, and thus gradually gain for himself the sympathy of the people. In view of this ambition he persecuted the unpopular and hated Christians to please the Jews. Just as his uncle, Herod Antipas, for politico-diplomatic reasons, previously had turned our Lord over to Pilate, so this Herod also, became of bribery, turned the respected men of the apostolic Church over to the Jews: "Now at this time Herod the king set hands on certain members of the Church to persecute them. He killed James the brother of John with the sword..." It was around Easter time in the year 42.

Herod looked upon James-and with good reason-as a special capture. It is justifiable to assume that this fervid Son of Thunder, by his zeal for Christ, had made himself particularly odious to the Jews. They wanted to dispose of him more than of any other. James the apostle was enemy number one. What a vast amount of seed James had sown for Christ! And now, before he had time to reap harvest, before he had time to taste of the sweet cup, he was struck down by the blow of a criminal. Could God not have cared for and protected the men who wanted to carry out His divine plan? Lord, where are Your friends?

And one can ask still another question here, which leaves no peace of mind until answered. Herod "proceeded to arrest Peter also,...intending to bring him forth to the people after the Passover." Was it to bring him forth to the people or to cast him forth to the dogs? But Peter was miraculously rescued and freed by an angel. Why had God sent no angel to James? Was James not worthy of the same miracle? Inscrutable are the ways of the Lord! The mission of James was completed in his martyrdom for Christ, and immediately he received his reward. But Peter and the other apostles still had a whole world to win.

In the bloody death of James the light of divine wisdom is perceptible. Once James had assured the Lord that he could drink of His bitter chalice: God took him at his word. Martyrdom and persecution were to be the sign for the apostles to go to all parts of the world. According to very old and reliable sources, the apostles had confined their work, for almost twelve years, to the little corner of Palestine. Now the persecution of Herod Agrippa had spread over the entire land of the Jews. Peter "departed, and went to another place." This he did as soon as he was freed from his prison cell, and most of the other apostles followed his example.

James, however, lay in his blood next to the temple in Jerusalem. Since the days in Samaria, this son of a fisherman had longed passionately to prepare the way for the Lord, but this privilege was not to be his any longer. His death served God in another way, though it is not ours always to understand at first glance the ways of Divine Providence. The martyrdom of St. James finally set into action the proselytizing of the whole world. By this noble death the apostle James became "the Great" and "the First." Here is heard the echo from the Gospels: " ' Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.' "

Often later, when oppressed and persecuted, the other apostles were to recall the martyrdom of their brother, James. Of these sufferings, Paul could truthfully write,

From the Jews five times I received forty lashes less one. Thrice I was scourged, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I was adrift on the sea; in journeying often, in perils from floods, in perils from robbers, in perils from my own nation, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils from the sea, in perils from false brethren; in labor and hardships, in many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.

Indeed Paul suffered, but James had suffered even more for Christ than the others. His martyrdom was a living encouragement to them. His ambitious nature had at one time hurt the others, but he was to prove that he really was first, not the first in authority, as Peter, and not the first in labors, as Paul, but the first in death.

James, the Journey Apostle

The early death of this follower of Christ-he died before the first council of the apostles in 49 A.D.-was not conducive to the development of legends concerning him. Old apocryphal works restricted themselves to a depiction of his works, his sphere of life, his circle of acquaintances, and his martyrdom, all in Jerusalem. Theodomir, Bishop of Iria in Galicien around the year 772, was the first to record the definite statement that James suffered martyrdom in Jerusalem after his return from Spain. His mortal remains may have been taken first to Joppe, and from there across the sea to Iria in Spain, by the apostle's followers and disciples. Subsequently, Iria received the name Compostella, which many consider to be a shorter form of Giacomo Postolo- James the apostle-or San Jago de Compostella.

In the year 1082 a stately building was begun over what was believed to be the grace of this apostle-martyr. Santiago de Compostella must be classed with Jerusalem and Rome as one of the three great attractions today for tourists on pilgrimage. From the tenth to the fifteenth centuries pilgrimages to the grave of James were world-famous. Only the pope could release one from a solemn promise to make a pilgrimage to Santiago. Innumerable are the churches and shrines and fountains dedicated to St. James on the roads leading to Santiago. James the Elder was at one time the most popular of all the apostles, today he is the patron of Spain and the patron of pilgrims.

No one can begrudge the gallant Spaniards the honor of claiming this courageous apostle for their own. Their great devotion to this saint has been passed down for centuries, but the legends concerning his labors in Spain are scarcely tenable. These legends had a late origin. The rich Spanish literature from the fifth to the eighth centuries is completely silent about James' journey to Spain. A remark in the Epistle at that time, about the year 58 A. D., had not yet been opened up to Christianity: "But now, having no more work in these parts..., when I set out for Spain I hope to see you as I pass through..."

Another traditional belief which was questioned was the transference of the relics of the apostle James to Compostella in Spain. Pope Leo XIII, in the year 1884, recognized its authenticity. In the early Church, the feast of James the Elder-there is another opinion that maintains this was a feast of James the Less-was observed on December 27, together with that, of Peter and John. It was considered as a companion-feast in connection with Christmas. Today the feast is celebrated on July 25, supposedly the day on which the relics of St James were taken to Spain. Many customs have arisen around this date: a day for a celebration, a day to begin picking apples, a day to begin the harvest-St James' Day, the harvest day; St James Day, the cutting day-and in the European mountains it is a holiday for shepherds.

Since the twelfth century James has always been portrayed as a muscular pilgrim, with a pilgrim's scrip and staff which indicates a widespread knowledge of the legend that he did journey to Spain. He was the first apostle to complete a mission for the Lord. Indeed he was the first to see the "majesty of the Lord, " for he was the first to drink in martyrdom.

We also are pilgrims, far from the Lord. In this life we have no lasting state; the future is always uncertain. When we, as James, drink of our cup, then we, too, shall come to our distant home, tired and happy. In the Votive Mass for Pilgrims the prayer is said:

Lord, we beseech Thee, remain with us, and graciously let the journey be spent in your holiness, that in all changes of this way and of this life it may always find your protection and help.

This grant us through the petition of your holy pilgrim and apostle and saint, James. Amen.

St Anthony Messenger Magazine had an excellent article by Wynne Crombie in its July 2003 edition about St James the Apostle titled "Journey Spain's Road to Compostela." I will quote it in part and imagine the author is speaking and writing about his visit and interviewing as he goes.

For centuries, faith-filled pilgrims have braved the route to Santiago de Compostela. Even today, the famous Cathedral of St. James draws them.

Ever since the relics of St James were discovered, pilgrims have been trekking the Camino from the Pyrenees in France to Santiago in the northwestern corner of Spain.

At the height of its popularity, in the 11th and 12th centuries, the city was receiving over half a million travelers a year. People of all classes and walks of life come to visit the shrine of St James the Apostle, making this the third-holiest site in Christendom, after Jerusalem and Rome.

The complete Spanish portion is about a six-week journey.

As the Legend goes, it began in the early days of Christianity when James the Apostle had been sent to evangelize Spain. When he returned to Jerusalem in 44 A.D., King Herod had him beheaded. After Herod refused permission to have St James' body buried, the saint's disciples, Theodore and Athanasius, pirated the body and cast it afloat upon an unmanned boat.

As the legend goes, an angel led the boat across the sea and up the river Ulla to the capital of Roman Galicia to a place where there was a cemetery, or compostum. It became known in time as the Compostela, or field of stars.

Dr Jose Cernadas, a professor of medieval history, teaches a class on the Camino at the University of Santiago, where the author met him. His class discusses the legends as well as the facts.

"The problem," he says, "is that we are not really sure that St. James is the one buried in the cathedral. From a historical point of view, people from the Middle Ages believed that St. James is the one buried here.

Dr Cernadas also mentions one of the Compostela's most renowned tourist. "One of the first pilgrims was St Francis of Assisi," says Dr. Cernadas. "What we know is that he came to Compostela and founded the monastery of St. Francis.

"Is the journey safe?" the author asked? "Perfectly," Dr. Cernadas say, "even for a woman traveling alone. And the experience can be a magical and profoundly human one. There is always the camaraderie of shared experiences. Without a doubt, it is spiritual, cultural and historical-all of that."

Pope John Paul II visited Mt Gozo in 1993. A large granite monument stands as a testimony to that event. On one side a copper plaque commemorates the pilgrimage of John Paul to Santiago. St Francis' journey is honored on the other side.

The first place the pilgrims view their final destination is on Mt. Gozo (Mount of Joy), just outside the city. We drive up on a warm Santiago day to experience the final mile of the Camino for ourselves. As we walk along that last mile, villages blend together. It is a rural way of life, as it has been for centuries.

In recent years a religious awakening for the Compostela pilgrimage has occured, most due to the celebration of the "Holy Years." The Ano Santo Compostelano, a yearlong celebration, occurs whenever the 25th of July (the feast of St. James)occurs on a Sunday. The last celebration was in 1993 when Pope John Paul II came to Santiago to open the Puerta Sacra, or sacred door. The next one comes up in 2004.

Nothing prepares you for the sight of the twin spires of the Cathedral of St James. The first part was consecrated in 1105, and the rest in 1211. The outside is encased in 18th-century splendor, but the inside is strictly Romanesque gilt and gold.

The author conclues by saying that "we come away with the intense belief that, in spite of the absence of concrete proof, the bones of St James are indeed in the tomb. Such faith could not exist otherwise."


3 posted on 11/05/2010 8:57:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: All
The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. Peter [Catholic Caucus]
The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. Andrew [Catholic Caucus]
The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. John [Catholic Caucus]
The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. James [Catholic Caucus]

4 posted on 11/05/2010 9:00:15 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Please exerpt next time.


5 posted on 11/05/2010 9:16:06 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Short but sweet!


6 posted on 11/06/2010 6:22:03 AM PDT by schmootman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

What fantastic information, Salvation. It made me wish I had a son, so I could name him James. Inspiring!

I loved the idea that Christ did not pick the “lovers” to be the three most important Apostles; He picked impulsive, impetuous Peter, and fiery, ambitious James and John.

Three virile, strong, tough fishermen- not a namby-pamby among them. It gives me hope that sweetness is not the most desirable quality in a Christian; perhaps it’s boldness Christ wants.

When I watch “The Deadliest Catch” I like to imagine I am watching the “fishers of men” in action. Those tough, brawny, hard-living guys must be very similar in temperament to the first Apostles.


7 posted on 11/06/2010 9:26:25 AM PDT by Melian (Catholicism is the Chuck Norris of religions. See Matt 7: 21)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Thank you, Salvation. Great reading.


8 posted on 11/07/2010 11:18:22 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

I always wondered if Jesus called them “Sons of Thunder” in a tongue in cheek joke about Zebedee: maybe HE was the one with the thunderous temper and his sons were like him. Perhaps the whole family was loud and brawny, including their mother!


9 posted on 11/07/2010 3:27:15 PM PST by Melian (Catholicism is the Chuck Norris of religions. See Matt 7: 21)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Melian

Sons of Thunder — I always understood that this title went with their presumption about sitting at the right hand and left hand of Jesus in heaven.

In one Gospel, however, it is their mother, Mary, who does the asking.


10 posted on 11/07/2010 6:21:04 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Cronos
Somehow I got a duplicate thread on this post. I'm going to delete it. But here is the great picture that comment from Cronos:

Even in Torun, which is a city in the North-West of Poland, there are signs that indicate the direction to get to Santiago de Compostelo -- a seashell!



I couldn't find an exact picture, but these are little seashells on old (12th century) churches and I seriously suspect some of these little paintings are at least a few centuries old.

 
5 posted on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 5:21:57 AM by Cronos (This Church is Holy,theOne Church,theTrue Church,theCatholic Church - St. Augustine)

11 posted on 11/20/2010 10:09:36 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson