James the Less, Saint

nformation about the apostle James the Less is somewhat difficult to extract from the Gospels, as perhaps three different persons with the name James are mentioned among Jesus’ disciples. Two apostles named James were present in Acts 1:13 at the election of Matthias (Judas’s replacement), one of these being *James the Greater; the other James is here called “the son of Alpheus.” Elsewhere James is referred to as a relative (brother) of Jesus. This is probably the James who became a leading figure in the church in Jerusalem, is traditionally the author of the Epistle of James, was referred to by Saint *Paul in his Epistles to the Galatians and Corinthians, and was martyred in 62 (according to *Josephus and later, Eusebius). His austerity and constant prayer were noted by Eusebius, and accounts of his *martyrdom state that he was thrown from the Temple wall by the orders of the High Priest and was beaten to death by a cloth fuller with a fuller’s club. The club is thus James’s attribute; he is also depicted in bishop’s robes, and scenes of his martyrdom appear in western and Byzantine mosaics and hagiographic manuscripts.