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Saint James the Apostle

Saint James the Apostle

6.7
One of Jesus's twelve followers, brother of John, traditionally said to have written the New Testament letter James
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Santiago el Apóstol
  • Saint James the Apostle is said to have written the Epistle of James in the New Testament.

Examples

  • Many pilgrims travel to Spain to visit the shrine of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

  • The painting depicts Saint James the Apostle standing beside his brother John.

  • Many people visit the shrine of Saint James the Apostle each year.

  • Did Saint James the Apostle write the Epistle of James?

  • Saint James the Apostle is traditionally believed to be the author of the Epistle of James found in the New Testament.

  • Pilgrims from all over the world flock to the shrine dedicated to Saint James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

  • Art historians often study the depictions of Saint James the Apostle in religious paintings alongside his brother John.

Synonyms

James
vsSaint James the Apostle
  • Literature
5.5

A short book in the Bible that teaches about faith and good actions

focuses on the person only, not on the book
St. James the Apostle
vsSaint James the Apostle
7.5

One of Jesus's twelve followers who is John's brother and traditionally said to have written the New Testament letter James

is the same person but written with a different formal title
Saint James
vsSaint James the Apostle
5.0

A follower of Jesus who is the brother of John and who is believed to have written the letter James

uses a shorter, less formal written name
St. James
vsSaint James the Apostle
6.4

A New Testament follower of Jesus who is John’s brother and is said to have written the letter James

is the same but often appears in abbreviated written form

Surface Forms

Morphology

saint + James + the + Apostle

The phrase is compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'saint' (holy person), the name 'James', and 'apostle' (a disciple of Jesus) can directly infer this refers to a holy person named James who was an apostle. This naming convention (title + name + role) is common across languages, so the overall meaning is immediately derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Saint James the Apostle was one of Jesus's first followers; he left his fishing nets to follow Jesus and became one of the twelve 'apostles'. People later called him a 'saint' and remembered him in places like Santiago de Compostela, so the name refers to that specific apostle in the New Testament.