James the Great

Life events

1. Born — 1

   James was born into a Jewish fishing family on the Sea of Galilee; his father was Zebedee and his mother Salome, who was a sister of Mary, making James a cousin of Jesus.

2. Other — 30

   James and his brother John were preparing to fish with their father Zebedee by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him; the Synoptic Gospels record this as among the first discipleship calls.

3. Other — 30

   James, along with John and Peter, formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles and were the only disciples present at three events: the raising of Jairus's daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

4. Pilgrimage — 40

   According to ancient local tradition, on 2 January AD 40, the Virgin Mary appeared to James on the bank of the Ebro River at Caesaraugusta (modern Zaragoza) while he was preaching in Hispania; the pillar upon which she appeared is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar.

5. Martyred — 44

   The Acts of the Apostles records that Herod Agrippa had James executed by the sword — probably beheaded — making him the first of the Twelve Apostles to be martyred; the site is venerated in the Chapel of Saint James the Great within the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter.

6. Translated — 44

   Legend, summarised in the 12th-century Historia Compostelana commissioned by Diego Gelmírez, holds that disciples Theodore and Athanasius transported James's body by sea from Judaea to Iria Flavia in Galicia, then carried it inland for burial at the site that became Santiago de Compostela.

7. Other — 830

   The tradition at Compostela places the discovery of James's relics in the early 9th century, when a figure named Pelayo found them in the Libredon forest during the episcopate of Bishop Theodemir and the reign of King Alfonso II; this discovery became the foundation for the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

Relationships

Documented claims

• Jesus gave James and John the Aramaic nickname Boanerges, meaning 'Sons of Thunder', possibly reflecting their fiery temperament; the same disposition is cited as a factor in Herod Agrippa's decision to execute James. (likely)
• James, John, and Peter formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles, the only disciples present at three events: the raising of Jairus's daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. (likely)
• The scallop shell (coquille St. Jacques in French, Jakobsmuschel in German) became James's emblem; pilgrims to Santiago traditionally wore it on hats or clothing to identify themselves on the road. (likely)
• When 25 July falls on a Sunday, it is declared a Jacobean Holy Year and the special east door of Santiago Cathedral is opened; 327,378 pilgrims registered completing the qualifying distance in 2018 alone. (certain)
• James's head is believed to be buried beneath the altar of the Chapel of Saint James the Great in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem, marked by red marble and surrounded by six votive lamps. (plausible)