KNOW THE JAMES WE ARE CELEBRATING TODAY.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
SS PHILIP AND JAMES, AP. (FEAST)
Psalm. 19: 2-5 (R. 5a)
Gospel. John 14: 6-14
TOPIC FOR REFLECTION
SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES
In our today's reflection, let us gather ourselves into a mini online theological class of EXEGESIS.
Exegesis simply means a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text like the Bible.
I want us to examine who is Philip and who is James in the Bible.
Meanwhile, let us begin with the 12 Apostles.
Below are the names of the 12 Disciples of Christ according to Matthew 10:2-4.
1. First, Simon, who is called Peter,
2. and Andrew his brother;
3. James the son of Zebedee,
4. and John his brother;
5. Philip and
6. Bartholomew;
7. Thomas and
8. Matthew the tax collector;
9. James the son of Alphaeus, and
10. Thaddaeus;
11. Simon the Zealot, and
12. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
From the list above, we could see that there are two people called James among the Apostles.
***James the son of Zebedee also known as James the Great, the brother of John, and James the Son of Alphaeus also known as the Less.
More so, today is a combined feast of Sts. James and Philip, while July 25th is the feast of another James.
The question comes, which James are we celebrating today, and which one is for July 25th?
Today we celebrate along with Philip, St. James the Less, while St. James the Great is celebrated on the 25th of July.
Therefore, according to Biblical Scholars, there are about five different James that was mentioned in the Bible on different occasions. Two of them called James are among the Apostles of Jesus.
The following James(es) are found in the New Testament:
1. JAMES THE GREAT. He is the son of Zebedee, brother of John the Apostle. One of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus, together with his brother John. If you recall those who are always with Jesus as His inner circle, it is this James, together with Simon Peter and John his brother.
Always remember that James and John, the sons of Zebedee are Jesus' cousins.
2. JAMES SON OF ALPHAEUS. He is one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus, but almost nothing is known about him.
3. JAMES THE LESS. (Mark 15:40), He is the son of Mary, the mother of James, and the brother of Jose. It's unclear whether he is to be identified as James, son of Alphaeus, or James, brother of Jesus, and also called James the Younger.
4. JAMES, the father of Jude the Apostle (also called Jude Thaddeus, Jude of James), is mentioned in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1: 13.
5. JAMES, the brother of Jude (the otherwise unknown author of the Epistle of Jude) mentioned in Jude 1:1.
(Sources: all the above information is from Wikipedia)
WHO IS PHILIP?
He was one of the first earlier disciples of John the Baptist. It was Philip who first introduced Nathanael (sometimes identified as Bartholomew) to Jesus. According to sources, Philip was among those who attended the wedding in Cana. Of the four Gospels, Philip figures most prominently in the Gospel of John. Jesus asks Philip how to feed the 5,000 people.
Meanwhile, there are arguments that Philip the disciple of Jesus is the same person as the Philip in Acts 6 who was chosen as one of the Seven to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem, while some scholars say he is not the same person.
Meanwhile, in my opinion, this Philip was one of the Apostles Jesus commissioned to go out and make disciples of all nations, then how can he suddenly become a deacon? I guess the Philip in Acts 6 was another Philip.
It's like a Bishop descending low to become a deacon. An Apostle is a bishop, while he is to ordain a deacon.
WHY IS STs. JAMES AND PHILIP CELEBRATED TOGETHER?
In summary, Sts. Philip and James the Less. These two apostles are celebrated on the same day because their relics were brought to Rome together and buried in the church of the Twelve Apostles in the sixth century.
My dear brethren, let us be proud of our faith, no knowledge is a waste.
Peace ✌️ be with you.
Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.
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