James
St. James, with his brother John and the apostle Peter, form an inner circle within the twelve disciples. James was among the first four chosen; he and John, fishermen on Lake Genesaret, left their nets to follow Jesus. James witnessed such events as the raising of Jairus' daughter and, like his brother and Peter, slept in the garden of Gesthemane. James was the first of the twelve apostles to have been martyred, beheaded in 42 by Herod Agrippa. James is the only apostle whose death is mentioned in the New Testament.
From the XII-XV Centuries, the most popular shrine outside of Jerusalem and Rome was Santiago de Compostela, which claimed to have the relics of St. James. Legends say that he preached in Spain, although the New Testament says that no apostle left Palestine before the Council of Jerusalem (49). Other legends say that the body of the saint was put into a boat which drifted to Spain. James' reputation as a military protector and iconography as a pilgrim originate with stories and miracles associated with this shrine.
Karen Rae Keck
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