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St. James the Apostle

St. 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
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Santiago el Apóstol
  • The feast day of St. James the Apostle is celebrated on July 25th.

Examples

  • Many pilgrims travel the Camino de Santiago in honor of St. James the Apostle.

  • According to tradition, St. James the Apostle was the first of Jesus's disciples to be martyred.

  • Many people admire St. James the Apostle for his faith.

  • Did St. James the Apostle write the Epistle of James?

  • According to tradition, St. James the Apostle was the first of Jesus's disciples to be martyred.

  • Many pilgrims travel the Camino de Santiago in honor of St. James the Apostle.

  • The feast day of St. James the Apostle is celebrated on July 25th.

Synonyms

Saint James the Apostle
vsSt. James the Apostle
6.7

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

uses a shortened honorific instead of the full form
Saint James
vsSt. 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

adds the explicit church role and uses an abbreviation
St. James
vsSt. 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

gives the full church title rather than the short form

Surface Forms

Morphology

St. + James + the + Apostle

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'St.' (Saint) + 'James' (a personal name) + 'the Apostle' (a disciple chosen by Jesus) directly signals a specific saintly disciple. A B1 learner who knows these constituents and basic religious vocabulary can infer it refers to one of Jesus' disciples, though deeper historical/scriptural details would require extra background knowledge.

Etymology

St. James the Apostle is the name of James, one of Jesus's twelve followers and often called an apostle ('one sent to teach'). One popular story says he travelled far and was killed, and people later believed his tomb was in the Spanish town of Santiago, so pilgrims still walk long routes there to honour him.