Starting a conversation about the apostle James Zebedee, one of the 12 closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, you should pay attention to the fact that he is often confused with two other New Testament saints who bore this name. One of them is the apostle James Alfeyev, who was also a member of the inner circle of the Savior. In addition, Jacob was called the brother of Jesus Christ ─ the son of Joseph, born before his betrothal with the Virgin Mary. The mistake is especially noticeable when reading the troparion to the apostle James Zebedeev, as well as the prayer and akathist dedicated to him.
Sons of Thunder
The Gospels of Matthew (4:21) and Mark (1:19) describe the scene of the calling of Jesus Christ to the future apostles James Zebedeev and his younger brother, John the Evangelist. Both of them were the sons of the fisherman Zebedee and, like their father, earned their livelihood by throwing nets into the waters of the Sea of Galilee (the modern name is Lake Kinneret). For the impetuous and unbridled disposition, Jesus named the brothers by the name of Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder” in Aramaic.
Character traits that served as the occasion for such an unusual name appear in their episode described by the Evangelist Luke (9:54), when the brothers offer Jesus to cast down heavenly fire on residents of the Samoryan village who refused Him hospitality.
The same can be seen in the scene from the Gospel of Mark (10:35 ─ 37), where the holy apostle James the Zebedee and his brother ask the Master to give them honorable places in the kingdom of heaven. In both cases, the Lord indulges in the emotional impulses of his disciples, using their recklessness and naivety as an occasion for wise instruction.
Along with the apostles Peter and John the Evangelist, James Zavedeev was one of the closest disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. It was them that He made witnesses to the three most important Gospel events ─ the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (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 Gethsemane.
Christ Preachers
We learn about the activities to which the apostle James the Zebedee devoted himself after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ from the pages of another book included in the New Testament. This is the “Acts of the Apostles.” It tells of how, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, who descended upon the apostles on the fiftieth day after the Ascension of Jesus (the feast of Pentecost), he and other disciples of Christ worked on the construction of the first Christian communities.
To preach the word of God, each of them was destined for his own way. The Apostle Jacob Zebedee, whose life was written shortly after his death, was engaged in missionary work among the inhabitants of Spain, who at that time were drowned in the darkness of paganism. After returning to Judea, the disciple of Jesus Christ continued to boldly declare Him as the Savior of the world, confirming his words with extracts from the Holy Scriptures.
Preaching in the synagogues and squares of Jerusalem, he invariably gathered crowds of listeners. Many of them, heeding his simple and wise words, reaching the depths of their hearts, turned to the new faith and secretly received baptism from everyone. It was from them that those first communities subsequently formed, thanks to which Christianity from the catacomb church turned into the leading world religion.
The conversion of the magician philosopher to Christianity
The sermons delivered by the apostle James, the Zebedee, often provoked a malicious reaction from Orthodox Jews, whom he openly accused of cruelty, pharisaism, and unbelief, disguised as ostentatious piety. Not having sufficient theological knowledge to engage in public debate with their enemy, the Jews hired a certain magician philosopher named Hermogenes for a fee.
He was entrusted with a large crowd of people, argued to refute the Gospel doctrine of the coming into the world of Christ the Savior and the Kingdom of Heaven, awaiting all the followers created by Him Church. Before the theological debate, the apostle James the Zebedee had a conversation with the disciple of the sorcerer Philip, and he, having heard the full wise speeches of their future opponent, himself believed in Christ.
Nor did Germogen persist in his delusions. Having delved into the deep essence of the doctrine preached by the apostle, he resolutely disavowed his former beliefs, burned his godly books, and, having received holy baptism, became one of the most ardent adherents of the Christian faith. This example is significant because it demonstrates the power of conviction that the Savior endowed with His closest disciples.
The execution of the disciple of Christ
Holy Tradition tells of a martyrdom, which in 44 A.D. became the crown of the earthly life of Jacob Zebedeev. The enemies of the holy apostle, who remained deaf to his inspired sermons, persuaded King Herod Agrippa I, who ruled in those days, to arrest Jacob, whom he hated, and put him on trial for violating the foundations of the Jewish faith.
The court was quick and unrighteous. Sentenced to death, the apostle even in the last minutes of his life continued to testify to his executioners of the great mission of Jesus Christ. The angry king, drawing his sword, cut off his head with his own hand. This tragic episode is mentioned in the book “Acts of the Apostles” (2: 1-4). By the way, James the Zebedee is the only apostle whose death is described in the New Testament.
The Last Journey of the Apostle James
Further, Holy Tradition says that after the execution, the remains of the holy martyr were, by order of King Herod Agrippa, put into a boat, which was launched along the waves of the Mediterranean Sea. But the Lord did not allow the relics of His disciple to disappear without a trace.
After some time, the boat, driven by an unknown force, safely reached the coast of Spain in the place where the fiery sermons of the apostle Jacob once sounded, and was thrown ashore by the waves. There she lay, hidden from human eyes, for several centuries.
Beginning of the veneration of the holy apostle
In 813, according to Tradition, a lone hermit monk named Pelayo settled in that area. Once he had a certain vision in the image of a guiding star, showing the way to the ark with the incorrupt relics of the apostle. Since that time, their general veneration began, and in 898, the Spanish king Alfons III ordered to erect the Temple of the Apostle James Zebedeev at the site of a wonderful find.
According to historical documents of those years, it was only a small church, standing on the seashore and open to all the winds, but nevertheless, a beginning was made, and in subsequent centuries this tradition continued in many Christian countries.
As an example, we can cite the Moscow church of the Apostle Jacob Zebedeev in Kazennaya Sloboda, the first chronicle mention of which dates back to 1620, that is, the period of the reign of the founder of the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Repeatedly rebuilt, 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 Jacob Zebedeev regularly sound in it, the Orthodox Church celebrates its memorial day on May 13 and July 13.
Under the protection of the heavenly patron
But back to Spain. Its inhabitants, in memory of the miraculous acquisition of relics and a vision that once visited the hermit Pelayo, began to call that stretch of the coast of Compostella, which is translated from Latin as "the place indicated by the star." Over time, he began to populate, finally turning into a big and noisy city.
The Holy Apostle James is revered as one of the heavenly patrons of Spain. His petition to 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 VIII to XV century. For nearly 700 years, they went into battle, strengthening their spirit with a prayer to the apostle James Zebedee.
Way of Jacob
Unlike the Orthodox world, Catholics celebrate the feast day of this saint on July 25, and if the celebration falls on Sunday, then the “year of the Apostle James” is officially announced in Spain, during which all the festivities dedicated to him are held with special pomp. The veneration of the Apostle Jacob Zebedeev among the Spaniards has become so widespread that the place of finding his relics, called Santiago de Compostela. Since the eleventh century, it has become the second most important pilgrimage site, second only to Jerusalem.
In the 20th century, the tradition of visiting him took on a rather peculiar form among Catholics. In order to be considered a true pilgrim, you must 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 bicycle.
The image of the Apostle Jacob Zebedeev in the visual arts
Since according to the Holy Tradition, during the days of his earthly ministry, the apostle often undertook long wanderings, one of which was his visit to Spain, he is considered by the Catholics to be the patron saint of travelers. In this regard, artists of different eras depicted him in the image of a pilgrim holding a staff or a scallop shell, which is a common emblem of the pilgrimage to Compostela, where his relics have been buried for many centuries. His images in the form of a knight sitting on a horse are also known. Such an interpretation of the image is associated with its role in the expulsion of Arabs from the Pirinei Peninsula.