Identity and Distinction
The name James is borne by more than one figure in the apostolic age, and the Orthodox tradition is careful to distinguish them. James, son of Alphaeus, appears in the New Testament only within the lists of the Twelve Apostles, at Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:12-16, and Acts 1:13.
His father was Alphaeus. Because the same name is given as the father of Levi, the tax collector also known as Matthew, in Mark 2:14, the tradition that James and Matthew were brothers arises from this shared paternal name. In wider church tradition James, son of Alphaeus, has also been associated with the figure called James the Less.
Missionary Work and Martyrdom
After Pentecost, James joined the Apostle Andrew the First-Called in preaching the Gospel across Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheropolis, where the accounts describe the conversion of many and the healing of the sick.
His apostolic work ended in the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where, by tradition, he was crucified by the pagans. A separate strand of tradition recorded in Western sources instead holds that he was stoned to death while preaching in Jerusalem and buried near the temple.
Commemoration
The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates the Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, on October 9, and again on June 30 as one of the members honored in the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. In Western calendars his feast is kept on May 3 in the Roman Catholic Church and on May 1 in the Anglican Communion.
