Starting a conversation about the Apostle James Zebedee ─one of the 12 closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, one should pay attention to the fact that he is often confused with two other New Testament saints bearing this name. One of them is the apostle Jacob Alfeev, also part of the Savior's inner circle. In addition, Jacob was the brother of Jesus Christ, the son of Joseph, born before his betrothal with the Virgin Mary. The error is especially noticeable when reading the troparion to the apostle James the Zebedee, as well as the prayer and the Akathist dedicated to him.
"Sons of Thunder"
In the Gospels of Matthew (4:21) and Mark (1:19) describes the calling scene for the ministry of Jesus Christ of the future apostles James the Zebedee and his younger brother John the Theologian. Both were the sons of fisherman Zebedee and, just like their father, they earned their livelihood by throwing nets into the waters of the Sea of Galilee (modern name is the Sea of Galilee). For his impetuous and rampant temper, Jesus called the brothers in the name of Boanerges, which in translation from Aramaic means "Sons of Thunder".
Character traits, which served as an excuse forunusual name, they manifest themselves in the episode described by Evangelist Luke (9:54), when the brothers offer Jesus to overthrow the heavenly fire on the inhabitants of the Samoritan village, who refused to give him hospitality.
The same can be seen in the scene from the Gospel ofMark (10:35 - 37), where the holy Apostle James Zebedee and his brother ask the Master to give them honorary places in the Kingdom of Heaven. In both cases, the Lord condescends to the spiritual impulses of his disciples, using their recklessness and naivety as an excuse for wise instruction.
Along with the apostles Peter and John the Theologian,Jacob Zavedeev was one of the closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. It was they who witnessed the three most important evangelical events - the resurrection of the daughter of Jair (Mark 5:37), the miraculous Transfiguration on the top of Mount Tabor (Matthew 17: 1, Mark 9: 2 and Luke 9:28) and the dramatic scene in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Preachers of Christ's teaching
About that activity, which the apostle devoted himself toJacob Zebedee after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, we learn from the pages of another book included in the New Testament. This is the "Acts of the Apostles". It tells how, being filled with the Holy Spirit, descended on the apostles on the fiftieth day of the Ascension of Jesus (the feast of Pentecost), he and the other disciples of Christ worked on the organization of the first Christian communities.
To preach the word of God to each of them wasits way is predetermined. The apostle James Zebedee, whose life was written shortly after his death, was engaged in missionary activity among the inhabitants of Spain, at that time drowned in the darkness of paganism. Returning then to Judea, the disciple of Jesus Christ continued to boldly declare Him as the Savior of the world, confirming his words with excerpts from the Holy Scripture.
Preaching in the synagogues and in the squares of Jerusalem,he invariably gathered crowds of listeners. Many of them, having heeded it with simple and wise words, reached the depth of the heart, turned to a new faith and secretly received baptism from all. It was from them that the first communities subsequently formed, thanks to which Christianity from the catacomb church became the leading world religion.
The philosopher-sorcerer's conversion to Christianity
The sermons with which the Apostle James spokeZebedee, often evoked an evil reaction from the orthodox Jews, whom he openly accused of cruelty, pharisaism and disbelief, covered by ostentatious piety. Not having sufficient theological knowledge to enter into a public polemic with their enemy, the Jews hired for a pecuniary reward a certain philosopher, a sorcerer named Hermogenes.
Ему было поручено при большом скоплении народа, it is reasonable to refute the Gospel doctrine of the coming to the world of Christ the Savior and the Kingdom of Heaven, awaiting all followers, the Church he created. Before the theological debate began, the apostle James Zebedee had conversation with the disciple of the magician Philip, and he, hearing the wise speeches of their future opponent, he himself believed in Christ.
I did not persist in my mistakes andGermogen. Having penetrated into the deep essence of the doctrine preached by the apostle, he resolutely renounced his former beliefs, burned his god-forgiving books and, having received holy baptism, became one of the most ardent followers of the Christian faith. This example is very revealing, because it demonstrates the power of persuasion, which the Savior endowed to His closest disciples.
Execution of a disciple of Christ
Sacred Tradition tells about the martyrdomthe demise, which in 44 AD became the crown of Jacob Zebedee's earthly life. The enemies of the holy apostle, who remained deaf to his inspired sermons, convinced the reigning King Herod Agrippa I in those days to arrest the hated Jacob and bring them to trial for trampling on the foundations of the Jewish faith.
The court was swift and unrighteous.Apostle condemned to death even in the last moments of his life continued to testify to his executioners about the great mission of Jesus Christ. The angry king, snatching his sword, cut off his head with his own hands. This tragic episode is mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles (2: 1-4). By the way, Jacob Zebedee is the only apostle whose death is described in the New Testament.
The Last Journey of the Apostle James
Further, the Holy Tradition says that after executionThe remains of the holy martyr were ordered by King Herod Agrippa to be put into a boat that was launched through the waves of the Mediterranean. But the Lord did not allow the abyss of His disciple to disappear without a trace.
After some time, driven by an unknown forcethe boat safely reached the shores of Spain in the place where the fiery sermons of the Apostle Jacob once sounded, and was thrown to the shore in waves. There she lay, hidden from human eyes, for several centuries.
Beginning of the veneration of the holy apostle
In the year 813, according to Tradition, in that areasettled lonely hermit monk named Pelayo. Once he had a certain vision in the form of a guiding star, which indicated the way to the ark with the imperishable relics of the apostle. Since that time, their universal worship began, and in 898 the Spanish king Alfons III ordered to erect the Temple of the Apostle James Zebedeev on the site of a wonderful find.
According to the testimony of historical documents of those years,it was only a small church, standing on the seashore and open to all winds, but nevertheless, a start was made, and in subsequent centuries this tradition continued in many Christian countries.
As an example, the Moscow templeApostle Jacob Zebedee in Kazennaya Sloboda, the first chronicle mention of which dates back to 1620, that is, the reign of the founder of the Romanov dynasty ─ sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich. Rebuilt many times, in accordance with the changing architectural features of different eras, it came to us as a unique monument of church architecture. And today, prayers and an akathist to the apostle James Apostle James, who is commemorating the Orthodox Church on May 13 and July 13, are regularly heard in it.
Under the protection of the heavenly patron
But back to Spain.Its inhabitants, in memory of the miraculous discovery of relics and visions that once visited the hermit Pelayo, began to call that part of the coast of Compostela, which is translated from Latin as "The place indicated by the star." Over time, he began to settle, becoming finally a big and bustling city.
Holy Apostle James is revered as one ofheavenly patrons of Spain. His petition before the Throne of Heavenly Father especially helped the Spaniards during the so-called Reconquista ─ the struggle for the liberation of the Iberian Peninsula from the Arabs, which lasted from the 8th to the 15th centuries. For almost 700 years, they went into battle, having strengthened their spirit with the prayer of the apostle James Zebedee.
Jacob's Way
Unlike the Orthodox world, Catholicsthey celebrate this saint’s memorial day on July 25, and if the celebration falls on Sunday, Spain officially announces the “year of the Apostle James”, during which all the festivals dedicated to him are held with special pomp. The veneration of the Apostle Jacob Zebedee among the Spaniards became so widespread that the place where his relics were acquired was called Santiago de Compostela. From the XI century, it became the second most important object of pilgrimage, second only to Jerusalem.
In the 20th century, the tradition of visiting it acquired fromCatholics rather peculiar form. In order to be considered a real pilgrim, you need to receive a special certificate upon arrival in the city. It is issued only to those who, heading to Santiago de Compostela, will pass the so-called path of Jacob. To do this, you must overcome 100 kilometers on foot or 200 by bike.
The image of the Apostle Jacob Zebedee in the visual arts
Since according to the Holy Tradition, in the daysof his earthly ministry, the apostle often made distant wanderings, one of which was his visit to Spain, with the Catholics he is considered the patron saint of travelers. In this regard, artists of different eras depicted him in the form of a pilgrim, holding in his hand the staff or shell of scallops, which is a common emblem of pilgrimage to Compostela, where his relics rest for centuries. Known also are his images in the form of a knight sitting on a horse. Such an interpretation of the image is connected with its role in the expulsion of the Arabs from the Pyrenean peninsula.
