St. James The Lesser

St. James the Less is the Apostle James, the son of Alpheus mentioned in: Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13. He is thought by many scholars to be the person identified as James the brother of Lord in Matthew 13: 55, Mark 6:3, and Galatians 1:19. It is this James who is believed to be James the Bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 15:21). Like all the Apostles, except St. John, James the Less died a martyr’s death. A second century source says that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple by the Pharisees and then stoned. The feast of St. James the Less is May 3.