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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem

23 October and Sunday after the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ - (Commemoration of the Holy and Just Man Joseph, spouse of The Theotokos; of James, brother of the Lord; and of David, the King and Prophet- St. James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem, strenthened the Church in Jersusalem).

St. James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem,wrote one Epistle.

He suffered martyrdom at a very advanced age in 62 AD, being thrown from the parapet of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Biography

The parentage of St James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem is not certain.
According to many Oriental Church Fathers, James is the son of "Cleophas" or "Clopas" (also called "Alpheus") and Mary. Cleophas or Clopas was the brother of St. Joseph, the foster father or step father of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Mary was the first cousin of The Theotokos. In that culture, the word "brother" refered to blood brothers, half brothers, step brothers, and first cousins.

According to many Oriental Church Fathers, St James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem is the blood brother of Saint Simon the Apostle and Saint Jude or Thaddeus the Apostle.

According to many Oriental Church Fathers, St James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem is same person as James, son of Alpheus, who was one of the original twelve Apostles. Other Oriental Church Fathers believe that these two James are two different people..

Name

According to many Oriental Church Fathers who believe that St James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem is same person as James, son of Alpheus; St James the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord and First Bishop of Jerusalem is also called Holy Hieromartyr James the Lesser.

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastichon

KONTAKION (TONE 4)
When in the fullness of time God the Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father, came down to us, He established you, admirable James, as the First shepherd and teacher of Jerusalem, a faithful steward of the Mysteries of faith; wherefore we honor you as an Apostle.

TROPARION (TONE 4)
O Holy James, as a disciple of the Lord, you received the Gospel; as a martyr, you displayed an unyielding will; as a brother of the Lord, you have special power with Him; as a pontiff, you have the right of intercession. Intercede therefore with Christ God that He may save our souls.

More information

St. James the Less Catholic Encyclopedia

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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Last Updated: Sunday, March 07, 2004, 01:12:45, PST
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