Among the two Apostles honored today, one is St. James the Less. He is called this because Jesus selected two men named James to be among His early followers. James the Lessor is the son of Alpheus. It is the other James(the greater) who is the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of the Apostle John.
James the Less is listed as one of the Apostles in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is this St. James that is considered the early Bishop of the primitive church in Jerusalem. It is this St. James that plays a major role, as a Bishop, in the Acts of the Apostles that suggested the 4 Jewish principles that the Gentiles must follow (see Acts 15:13-21).
It is also believed that it is this James that is the author of the epistle of James in the New Testament canon.
James continued to lead the Church of Jerusalem until he was murdered by the Pharisees who threw him off the top of the Temple and stoned him until he died. This occured around the year 62.
The Church has assigned May 3rd for his feast day and he shares this day with a fellow apostle, Philp.
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