Description
St. James was the son of Alphaeus, and the brother of the Evangelist Matthew, also called Levi. They were both called to be members of the Twelve Holy Apostles of the Lord, were eye-witnesses to His life, His teaching, His miracles, and finally of His resurrected life after His Crucifixion when He physically appeared and taught all of them for forty days until His Glorious Ascension.
After Pentecost, when the Apostles were sent to spread the Gospel to the world, St. James went with the Apostle Andrew, the son of Jonah, to preach in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleu-theropolis. There they converted many to the newly established Christian Faith which was alive with miracles and signs, as the Holy Apostles were visible icons of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and Saviour of all. Many healings were made by Him at their hands. St. James is sometimes referred to as St. James the Less, to distinguish him from his fellow disciple James, the son of Zebedee, who is called St. James the Greater. St. James, son of Alphaeus, is also called “The Divine Seed.” He ended his life as a martyr in Ostrachina, Egypt, crucified like his Divine Master.