Description
Saint James, the son of Zebedee, was the brother of Saint John, the Theologian and Beloved Disciple of Jesus Christ. Saint James was called to Apostolic work from the nets of his father when Jesus called him, Saint John, and Saint Peter to become fishers of men. They were three of the Twelve Holy Apostles who went out to spread the Faith to the whole world. These three were the closest disciples to Christ and were present at His Transfiguration, His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the raising of the daughter of Jairus, as they shared these and other most sacred times with their Lord.
After Pentecost, Saint James traveled to Spain to preach the Gospel, and then returned to Jerusalem, where he encountered the pagan sorcerer Hermogenes and his disciple Philetus. When Philetus was moved to repent and join the Christians, Hermogenes bound him by demons, but Saint James freed Philetus and baptized him. After Hermogenes was bound himself by the same demons, Saint James delivered him, and Hermogenes’ heart was softened and his mind illumined, so he, too, converted and was baptized. Saint James was beheaded by the evil King Herod in a.d. 44.
