James the Greater, Saint, was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. James is often called James the Greater to distinguish him from another apostle, James the Less. James the Greater was the brother of the apostle John. With John, he was one of the first disciples called to follow Jesus. James and John were fishermen who lived along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus called the brothers the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), apparently because of their rashness. James plays a significant part in all four Gospels. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred. Of all the apostles, his martyrdom is the only one reported in the New Testament. Acts 12: 2 states that King Herod Agrippa I had him killed in the early A.D. 40’s.
According to later tradition, the bones of James were taken to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. As a result, the town became an important pilgrimage center during the Middle Ages. James’s feast day is celebrated on May 1 in the Roman Catholic Church and October 23 in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
