SAINTS DAYS FOR MAY
3 May Philip and St James the Lesser
The Crypt containing the relics of Philip
and St James the Lesser
Two apostles whose actual
dates of death are not known
are commemorated on one day
because a Basilica in Rome
was dedicated to them. All
reference to them is found in
the New Testament.
Several disciples of Jesus are
called James. Only of two of
them we know for definite who
they were: The elder James,
also called ‘St James the
Great’, Son of Zebedee, whose grave is venerated at Santiago de
Compostella, which is the destination of the pilgrim paths of St James – and
the other James, who is said to be the brother of Jesus. Protestant tradition
assures us that he is not identical with James number 3, the Son of Alpheus,
since they take the word ‘brother’ literally, although it could mean ‘cousin’ in
Old Testament tradition. According to Catholic and Orthodox tradition this
James (nr 2 or 3), is called ‘the Less’, sometimes ‘St James the Just’. He
was, as a relative of Jesus, such an important figure in the early Christian
community in Jerusalem, that the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus
mentions his execution in the year 62. Legend has it that he was thrown off
the temple walls and then beaten to death with a fullers’ club, Josephus
reports stoning, which was a judicial murder about which the Community
complained to the Roman Procurator, where upon the High Priest Annas lost
his job. The great esteem which James enjoyed with his contemporaries
justifies that he is today the Patron Saint of pastry-and cake makers, a trade
which has produced the goods, at least before the cake mixture or deep
freeze was invented.
14 May St Matthias (First Century)
He was chosen to replace Judas to make up the number of the apostles to
twelve once more. Acts 1: 21-2, describes the vote taken by the apostles to
choose from 2 candidates. With this brief appearance in the New Testament
definite information about him ends. Tradition places him preaching in
Judea, also in Cappadocia (Southern Turkey) There is a fictitious ‘Acts of
Andrew and Matthias’ which links him to Ethiopia. Clement of Alexandria
makes him one of the 72 disciples sent out to preach throughout the world.
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