Saint James the Lesser

Feast Day: May 3

In the list of the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, James is listed as ninth. In the tradition he is sometimes called James the Less (Minor), the Just or the Younger, and is increasingly specified as "the son of Alphaeus" to distinguish from that other apostle by the name of James, the son of Zebedee.

He is also known as James the Just, James the Less, or James the Younger.

After Jesus' death, he is the first "bishop" to be in charge of the Christian congregation in Jerusalem. James, along with the other apostles, tells everyone about the Christian faith and that was at that time. The Roman emperor wanted people to worship him alone instead of a Christian God.

Around 1612, Rubens painted a series of portraits of all the apostles, commissioned by the Duke of Lerma. James the Less can be recognized by his attribute: the wooden tool that was used in the manufacture of felt (he was fuller by trade). According to tradition, James was beaten to death with his own tools.