There are certain difficulties with the issue of identifying the personality of the Apostle Thaddeus. The fact is that on the pages of the New Testament it is mentioned under several different names, which is quite consistent with the customs of that time. Moreover, if the researchers have no doubts about the fact that he is called Judas Iakovlev and Levway, then there are disagreements over several other, possibly corresponding to him names, for example, Warsaw (Acts 15:22). Let us dwell on this in more detail.
List of Apostles
First of all, let us turn to the canonical list of names of the 12 apostles of Christ who became His closest disciples. They are usually called in the following order:
- Andrew, usually mentioned with the addition of the title of First-Called.
- Peter is his brother.
- John is an evangelist, the youngest of the apostles, beloved disciple of Christ, who has earned the title of the Theologian.
- James Zavedeev, brother of the Apostle John the Theologian.
- Philip, which is known only that he comes from Bethsaida.
- Bartholomew is the same apostle whom Jesus called "a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
- Matthew is an evangelist, a former tax collector.
- Thomas, nicknamed the Unbeliever for his doubts about the resurrection of Jesus.
- James Alfeyev ─ brother of the Apostle Thaddeus.
- Judas Thaddeus is the apostle discussed in our article. It should be noted that in the canonical list it is mentioned immediately under two names.
- Simon Kananit, also called in the New Testament by Simon Zealot.
- Judas Iscariot is a traitor who, after his apostasy and subsequent suicide, was replaced by an apostle named Matthew (not to be confused with Matthew!).
Disciple of Christ
In the list of names of the 12 apostles of Christ, Thaddeus is traditionally mentioned as the tenth in a row with the addition of another component of the name ─ Judah. This is important to take into account, for example, in order to correctly understand the episode described in the Gospel of John, when during the Last Supper one of the apostles, called Judas, but with the proviso that it was not Iscariot, asked Jesus a question regarding His coming resurrection. Turning to the list of names of the apostles, it is easy to guess that in this case we are talking about the Apostle Thaddeus.
In the New Testament, information about this disciple of Jesus Christ, who was one of the 12 apostles, is very limited. It is only known that he was the son of Alpheus and Cleopas. Some more detailed information can be obtained from the Holy Tradition, which states that after the Ascension of the Savior, the Apostle Thaddeus (aka Judas) preached the word of God in Judea, Edom, Samaria and Galilee, and then went to the Arabian Peninsula, visited Mesopotamia and Syria , after which he arrived in Edessa.
Author of the Cathedral Epistle
This city, located in the southeast of modern Turkey, is associated with one of its most significant acts. In Edessa (according to other sources, in Persia), the apostle wrote his famous Cathedral Epistle, which was included in the New Testament. In it, he briefly, but at the same time unusually succinctly and convincingly set out a whole series of truths that are an integral part of Christian teaching. In particular, he presented the dogma of the Holy Trinity, of the coming Judgment Day, the incarnation of our Savior Jesus Christ, as well as of the angels of God and the spirits of darkness.
This work of his is not only dogmatic, but also of great educational value, since in it the holy apostle calls for observance of carnal purity and chastity, conscientious performance of his daily work and diligence in prayer. In addition, he warns members of religious communities from the possible influence of various heretical false teachings, which were very widespread at that time. Putting faith in Christ above all else, the apostle Judas (Thaddeus) indicates that without good deeds and real manifestations of love for one's neighbors, she is dead.
Crown of Martyrdom
The disciple of Christ completed his earthly journey in 80 or 82 in Armenia, where, according to the Holy Scriptures, he received a martyrdom from the Gentiles. His holy relics were then interred in the territory that is today the northwestern part of Iran. Subsequently, the monastery of St. Thaddeus was established there, in which millions of pilgrims from all over the world now flock.
It is located in a mountainous area, at a distance of 20 km from the city of Maku. The main temple of the monastery - his photo is presented in the article - according to legend, was erected in 68 AD e., that is, even during the life of the apostle. It is known that in 1319 he was seriously injured during the earthquake, and then was rebuilt again.
Nevertheless, individual parts of the building, in particular the altar ledge and the walls adjacent to it, date from at least the 10th century. The most ancient parts of the temple are made of black stone, therefore, the people were given the name "Kara Kelis", which means "Black Church".
Apostle of the Armenian Church
It is interesting to note that, despite the large gathering of pilgrims, the church holds only one worship a year, namely on the feast of the holy apostle, which is celebrated on July 1 according to local custom. On this day, a prayer to the Apostle Thaddeus sounds in Armenian. The fact is that this monastery belongs to this local church, and among Iranian Armenians its veneration is most widespread.
The monastery houses the earliest icon of the Apostle Thaddeus, with which later many lists were made, which were distributed throughout the Orthodox world. A photo of one of them is presented in the article. In addition, individual fragments of the relics of the apostle transferred to the Vatican are also stored in St. Peter's Basilica. In Western European art, the halberd is an indispensable attribute of the images of the Apostle Thaddeus, which can be seen in the reproductions cited in the article.
Brother of jesus
All of the above is the most common identification of the Apostle Thaddeus, and yet, some researchers identify him with another gospel character, Judas, who is called the brother of Jesus Christ, since he was the son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage. And this version is also of interest. Before setting it out, we note that this gospel character is also mentioned under the name of Jacob, which should not bother anyone, since it is customary to use several names mentioned above.
This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was customary not only in Western Europe, but in Russia to identify the apostle Jude (Thaddeus) with the brother of Jesus Christ, which is mentioned in the 6th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. In this regard, the authorship of the Epistle from Jude, which is part of the texts of the New Testament, is attributed to him.
Descendant of the kings of Israel
If we dwell on this version, then the Apostle Thaddeus should be recognized as the son of the first marriage of the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, who was only formally the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this case, the holy apostle is a direct descendant of the Israeli kings David and Solomon.
According to the Holy Scriptures, the Apostle Judas (Thaddeus) had three siblings ─ Simeon, Judas and Josiah, as well as two sisters, whose names are not indicated. Since they were all children of the righteous Joseph, the betrothed of the Virgin Mary, it became a tradition to call them the relatives of the Lord, emphasizing that, despite the lack of blood contact with him, they nevertheless belong to the same family.
The inheritance of the righteous Joseph
Mentioning the brothers of Jesus Christ, among whom, according to this version, included the apostle Thaddeus, the Evangelist John says that at first they did not believe in His divine essence and did not attach importance to the words delivered by His sermons. The sisters treated him the same way.
Moreover, as St. Theophylact of Bulgaria points out in the life of the Apostle Thaddeus , after his return from Egypt, the righteous Joseph wanted to divide the land that belonged to him between his sons. He gave the same share to all to Jesus, despite the fact that he was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary not from him, but in a prestigious way, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Gaining faith
The brothers, however, opposed his decision, and only Judas (Thaddeus), supporting his father, agreed to joint possession with Jesus of a plot of land allocated to him. This was the reason to call him the Brother of the Lord. Since, as mentioned above, it is often referred to under the name of Jacob, the expression ─ James, brother of the Lord, also came into use. It should be borne in mind that this is one and the same person.
At a later stage in the earthly ministry of the Savior, Judah (Thaddeus) believed that Jesus was the very Messiah whom the entire Jewish people had been awaiting for many centuries. Turning with all his heart to his Master, he was included by him among the 12 apostles. Nevertheless, remembering his former unbelief, and rightly revered by his grave sin, the apostle considered himself unworthy to bear the title of God's brother. This was reflected in his conciliar epistle, where he refers to himself only as the brother of Jacob.
Two calendar dates
According to the tradition established in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is customary to celebrate the memory of the Holy Apostle Thaddeus twice a year. The first time this happens is July 2, when the Lord’s brother is honored on the Church calendar ─ the apostle Jude Jacob. It can be seen from the text above that it is identified with the Apostle Thaddeus, whose glory is given to one of the closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. It will be re-honored on July 13 on a holiday called the Council of the 12 Apostles, since it is one of them.