On the 28th October each year, the Church venerates the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude. In expectation of that day, we will take a closer look at what tradition relates about them…
“The passion and legend of Simon and Jude Thaddeus was written in Hebrew by Abdias, bishop of Babylonia, who was ordained a bishop by the apostles themselves, Tropeus, a disciple of Abdias, translated it into Greek, and Africanus put it into Latin.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 646
The apostle Saint Jude Thaddeus, the brother of Saint James the Just
“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James: to them that are beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. Mercy unto you, and peace, and charity be fulfilled. Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.“
Jude v. 1-3; v. 20-25
“But you, my beloved, building yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting. And some indeed reprove, being judged: But others save, pulling them out of the fire. And on others have mercy, in fear, hating also the spotted garment which is carnal. Now to him who is able to preserve you without sin, and to present you spotless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and magnificence, empire and power, before all ages, and now, and for all ages of ages. Amen.“
Saint Jude Thaddeus is the author of a short epistle which is part of Sacred Scripture. In this letter he warns the faithful about “certain men“ (Jude v. 4) – “ungodly men“ (ibid.) – who are “turning the grace of our Lord God into riotousness“ (ibid.), who “defile the flesh, and despise dominion, and blaspheme majesty“ (ibid. v. 8), “blaspheme whatever things they know not“ (ibid. v. 10), and who are like “clouds without water, which are carried about by winds, trees of the autumn, unfruitful, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own confusion; wandering stars, to whom the storm of darkness is reserved for ever“ (ibid. v. 12-13).
According to this description, it seems that the Holy Apostle warns of these people as being dangerous and harmful not only because of some heretical views which they endorse and teach, but mostly because they practice the Christian religion in a manner contrary to the way of the cross, contrary to the law of Christ, and are men stuck in the vice of pride instead of men growing in humility.
Jacobus de Voragine has this to say about Saint Jude in his Golden Legend:
“Jude (Judas) is interpreted as confessing, or glorious, or it comes from jubilum dans, one who gives jubilation. Jude was a confessor of the faith; he had the joy of the kingdom and the jubilation of inward joy. He had several surnames. He was called Judas (frater) Jacobi, Judas the brother of James, because he was the brother of James the Less. Secondly, he was called Thaddeus, which means one who lays hold of the prince; or it comes from thadea, a royal garment, and deus, God. Thaddeus was a royal garment of God by the ornament of his virtues, and by this garment he laid hold of Christ.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 646
Saint James the Less mentioned here, often called Saint James the Just, was also one of the twelve Holy Apostles, the first bishop of Jerusalem, and the author of the New Testament epistle named after him.
Now, what about “Simon the Zealot“?
Saint Simon the Zealot
“This Simon had two surnames; he was called Simon Zelotes, the Zealot, and Simon the Cananean, after Cana of Galilee, where the Lord changed water into wine. Zelotes is the equivalent of Cana, because cana means zeal.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 646
Is he the same person as the Simon who was the second bishop of Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Saint James the Just? Some traditions that have come down to us claim this, others don‘t. Usually, it is assumed – and Jacobus de Voragine testifies to this as well after having checked the sources – that Simon of Jerusalem and Simon the Zealot are not the same man.
According to a Byzantine patriarch in the 9th century, Saint Simon Zelotes‘ last station of missionary activity were the British Isles where he was then martyred:
“Simon born in Cana of Galilee who for his fervent affection for his Master and great zeal that he showed by all means to the Gospel, was surnamed Zelotes, having received the Holy Ghost from above, travelled through Egypt, and Africa, then through Mauretania and all Libya, preaching the Gospel. And the same doctrine he taught to the Occidental Sea, and the Isles called Britanniae.“
Nikepheros I of Constantinople
Yet, another Eastern source tells us that Saint Simon died not as martyr but went to rest peacefully at a very high age in the city of Edessa.
And what does the Roman Martyrology – the Western tradition – teach concerning Saint Simon‘s activities and death?
“Simon preached the Gospel in Egypt, Thaddeus in Mesopotamia. Afterwards, entering Persia together, they converted to Christ a numberless multitude of the inhabitants, and then underwent martyrdom.“
Roman Martyrology for the 28th October
There must be a reason, after all, why the Western Church remembers and honors these two Holy Apostles on the very same day: the reason being, that they suffered the death of martyrdom together in the same place on the same day.
The story of their martyrdom as reported in the Golden Legend
“Jude Thaddeus subsequently preached in Mesopotamia and Pontus, and Simon in Egypt. Then they both went to Persia and there found the two sorcerers, Zaroes and Arphaxat, whom Matthew had driven out of Egypt. (…)
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 648-650
Simon and Jude wanted to leave that region but the people asked them to stay, and they stayed for a year and three months, within which period more than sixty thousand people, not counting children, were baptized. The magicians already described went to a city called Samir, where there were seventy high priests of the idols. They set the priests‘ minds against the apostles, urging them either to compel the holy men to sacrifice to the idols, or to put them to death. When the apostles had traversed the whole province and arrived at the city, the pontiffs, with the entire populace, took them captive and carried them to the temple of the Sun. The demons began to shout: ‘What is there between us and you, apostles of the living God? When you come in, we are burned by the flames!‘ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to the apostles and said: ‘Choose one or the other, sudden death for these, or your own martyrdom!‘ The apostles: ‘Adored be the mercy of God! May he convert these men, and lead us to the palm of martyrdom!‘
Silence fell, and the apostles said: ‘So that you may know that these idols are full of demons, watch! We command the demons to come out and each one of them to shatter his own image!‘ And immediately, to the utter amazement of all, two black and naked figures came out of the idols, smashed them, and with wild cries departed. The pagan priests rushed upon the apostles and killed them. At that very hour, the skies being brilliant and serene, such lightnings flashed down that the temple was split from top to bottom into three segments, and the two sorcerers were turned to ashes by the heat of the lightning.“
It is worth noting that the exact manner of how the pagan priests killed the two Holy Apostles is not made clear in this report. Icons of Saint Simon often depict him with a saw, as there are certain stories relating that he was sawn in half. And Saint Jude Thaddeus is often shown on images with a club or an axe, referring to him having been either beaten or hacked to death.
Saint Jude Thaddeus, and King Abgar of Edessa
There is a tradition according to which the king of Edessa, Abgar, was suffering from leprosy and heard of Jesus‘ miracles of healing while the Messiah was still wandering and preaching throughout the regions of Galilee and Judaea. It is said that King Abgar sought Christ‘s help by sending a letter to him – a letter in which he stated his belief that Jesus must be the Savior and the Son of God. Jesus answered him with the promise to send one of his disciples later on – after his return to the Father.
“Abgar thus realized that he was not to see Christ face to face. Therefore, according to an ancient history as attested to by John of Damascus in Book IV, he sent a painter to Jesus to make a portrait of the Lord, so that even though he, Abgar, could not see him in the flesh, he could at least imagine him by looking at his portrait. But when the artist came to Jesus, the radiance of the Lord‘s countenance was so intense that he could not see his face clearly nor fix his eyes upon it, and so he could not make the portrait as ordered. Seeing this, Jesus took a linen cloth that belonged to the artist and pressed it to his face, leaving his image imprinted on it, and sent this to the king.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 647
The disciple sent to King Abgar to bring him healing and new life is no other than the apostle Saint Jude:
“After Christ‘s assumption into heaven (…), Thomas the apostle sent Thaddeus (also called Jude) to King Abgar, as the Lord had promised. When Thaddeus came to the king and said that he was the promised disciple of Jesus, Abgar saw in his face a marvelous, godlike splendor. Amazed and frightened at the sight, he adored the Lord, and said: ‘Truly you are a disciple of Jesus the Son of God, who made me this promise: ‘I will send one of my disciples to cure you and give you life.‘‘ Thaddeus: ‘If you believe in the Son of God, you will obtain all that your heart desires.‘“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 647-648
Saint Jude Thaddeus was taking the letter written by Jesus as a reply to the king, rubbing the king’s face with it, and Abgar got completely healed of his leprosy.
This legend is the background for the many icons that depict Saint Jude Thaddeus with a medal around his neck showing the face of the Lord.
By the way, Saint Jude Thaddues is the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations. In such circumstances, it is recommended to pray a Novena in honor of him.
Saint Simon, Saint Jude, holy apostles and martyrs, pray for us!