Jude
was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
He is generally identified with Thaddeus,
and is also variously called Jude of James,
Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus.
He is sometimes identified with Jude, "brother" of
Jesus, but is clearly distinguished from
Judas Iscariot, another disciple and later
the betrayer of Jesus.
The Armenian Apostolic Church honours Thaddeus
along with Saint Bartholomew as its patron saints. In the Roman Catholic Church
he is the patron
saint of desperate cases and lost causes. He is also the patron saint
of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, the most popular football team
in Brazil.
Saint Jude's attribute is a club. He is also often shown in icons with
a flame around his head. This represents his presence at Pentecost,
when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles. Another common
attribute is Jude holding an image of Jesus Christ, in the image of
Edessa. In some instances he may be shown with a scroll or a book (the
Epistle of Jude) or holding a carpenter's rule.
Jude is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot another disciple
and later the betrayer of Jesus. Both "Jude" and "Judas" are
translations of the name ?????? in the Greek original New Testament,
which in turn is a Greek variant of Judah, a name which was common
among Jews at the time.
" Jude of James" is only mentioned twice
in the New Testament: in the lists of apostles in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13.The
name by which Luke calls the Apostle, "Jude of James" is
ambiguous as to the relationship of Jude to this James. Though such
a construction sometimes connotated a relationship of father and son,
it has been traditionally interpreted as "Jude, brother of James,"[Lk.
6:16] though Protestants (for instance, the New International Version
translation) usually identify him as "Jude son of James".
The Gospel of John also once mentions a disciple called "Judas
not Iscariot."[Jn. 14:22] This is often accepted to be the same
person as the apostle Jude, though some scholars see the identification
as uncertain.
In some Latin manuscripts of Matthew 10:3, he is called Judas the Zealot.
Possible Identity with Thaddeus
In the comparable apostle-lists of Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, Jude
is omitted, but there is a Thaddeus (or in some manuscripts of Matthew
10:3, "Lebbaeus who was surnamed Thaddaeus") listed in his
place. This has led many Christians since early times to harmonize
the lists by positing a "Jude Thaddeus", known by either
name.
Some Biblical scholars reject this theory,
holding that Jude and Thaddeus did not represent the same person.Scholars
have proposed alternate
theories to explain the discrepancy: an unrecorded replacement of one
for the other during the ministry of Jesus because of apostasy or death;the
possibility that "twelve" was a symbolic number and an
estimation; or simply that the names were not recorded perfectly
by the early church.
However, some conservative Christian writers argue that, because the
name "Judas" was so tarnished by Judas Iscariot, it was reasonable
for Mark and Matthew to refer to him by his alternate name.
Thaddeus the apostle is generally seen as a different person from Thaddeus
of Edessa, one of the Seventy Disciples
Possible Identity with Jude brother of Jesus
Opinion is divided on whether Jude the apostle is the same as Jude,
brother of Jesus, who is mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-57,
and is the traditional author of the Epistle of Jude. Some Catholics
believe the two Judes are the same person, while Protestants do
not.
Tradition
and Legend
Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel
in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also said to
have visited
Beirut and Edessa, though the emissary of latter mission is also
identified as Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the Seventy. Jude is reported as suffering
martyrdom together with Simon the Zealot in Persia. The 14th century
writer Nicephorus Callistus makes Jude the bridegroom at the wedding
at Cana.
The legend reports that St. Jude was born into
a Jewish family in Paneas, a town in Galilee later rebuilt by the Romans and
renamed Caesarea
Philippi. In all probability he spoke both Greek and Aramaic, like
almost all of his contemporaries in that area, and was a farmer by
trade. According to the legend, St. Jude was a son of Clopas and
his wife Mary, a sister of the Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that Jude's
father, Clopas, was murdered because of his forthright and outspoken
devotion to the risen Christ. After Mary's death, miracles were attributed
to her intercession.
Although Saint Gregory the Illuminator is credited as the "Apostle
to the Armenians", when he baptized King Tiridates III of Armenia
in 301, converting the Armenians, the Apostles Jude and Bartholomew
are traditionally believed to have been the first to bring Christianity
to Armenia, and are therefore venerated as the patron saints of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. Linked to this tradition is the Saint
Thaddeus Monastery (now in Northern Iran) and Saint Bartholomew Monastery
(now
in southeastern Turkey) which were both constructed in what was then
Armenia..
Death and remains
St.
Thaddeus, St. Sandukht and other Christians in
Sanatruk's prisonSymbol of his martyrdom
According to the Armenian tradition, Saint Jude
suffered martyrdom about AD 65 in Beirut, Lebanon together with the apostle Simon
the
Zealot, with whom he is usually connected. Their acts and martyrdom
were recorded in an Acts of Simon and Jude that was among the collection
of passions and legends traditionally associated with the legendary
Abdias, bishop of Babylon, and said to have been translated into Latin
by his disciple Tropaeus Africanus, according to the Golden Legend
account of the saints. Saints Simon and Jude are venerated
together in the Roman Catholic Church on October 28.
Sometime after his death, Saint Jude's
body was brought from Beirut, Lebanon to Rome and placed in a crypt
in St. Peter's Basilica which
is visited by many devotees. According to popular tradition, the remains
of St. Jude were preserved in an Armenian monastery on an island in
the northern part of Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan at least until mid-15th
century. Later legend either denounce remains as being preserved there
or moved to yet more desolate stronghold in the Pamir mountains. Recent
discovery of the ruins of what could be that monastery may put an end
to the dispute.
Iconography of Saint Jude
St. Jude is traditionally depicted carrying the
image of Jesus in his hand or close to his chest, betokening the legend of the
Image of Edessa,
recorded in apocryphal correspondence between Jesus and Abgarus which
is reproduced in Eusebius' History Ecclesiastica, I, xiii. According
to it, King Abgar of Edessa (a city located in what is now southeast
Turkey) sent a letter to Jesus to cure him of an illness that afflicts
him, and sent the envoy Hannan, the keeper of the archives, offering
his own home city to Jesus as a safe dwelling place. The envoy painted
a likeness of Jesus with choice paints, or impressed with Abgar's great
faith, Jesus pressed his face into a cloth and gave it to Hannan to
take to Abgar with his answer. Upon seeing Jesus' image, the king placed
it with great honor in one of his palatial houses. After Christ had
ascended to heaven, St. Jude was sent to King Abgar by the Apostle
St. Thomas. The king was cured and astonished. He converted to Christianity
along with most of the people under his rule. Additionally, St. Jude
is often depicted with a flame above his head. This represents his
presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other
apostles.
Veneration Procession in Lima, Peru
The Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) began working
in present day Armenia soon after their founding in 1216. There was a substantial
devotion to St. Jude in this area at that time, by both Roman Catholic
and Orthodox Christians. This lasted until persecution drove Christians
from the area in the 1700s. Devotion to Saint Jude began again in earnest
in the 1800s, starting in Italy and Spain, spreading to South America,
and finally to the U.S. (starting in the area around Chicago) owing
to the influence of the Claretians and the Dominicans in the 1920s.
Novena prayers to St. Jude helped people, especially newly arrived
immigrants from Europe, deal with the pressures caused by the Great
Depression, World War II, and the changing workplace and family life.
Saint Jude is the patron saint of the Chicago Police
Department and of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (a popular football (soccer) team
in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). His other patronages include desperate situations
and hospitals. One of his namesakes is St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, which has helped many children with
terminal illnesses and their families since its founding in 1962. His
feast day is October 28 (Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Church)
and June 19 (Eastern Orthodox Church). A common Roman Catholic prayer
is:
“ Most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend
of Jesus, the Church honours and invokes you universally, as the patron
of hopeless cases,
of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make
use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible
and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this
great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities,
tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that
I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed Saint
Jude, to be mindful of this great favour, to always honour you as my special
and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. ”
Alternative prayers are :
“ May the sacred heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved
and preserved now and forever. Sacred heart of Jesus have mercy on
us, Saint Jude worker of
Miracles pray for us, Saint Jude helper and keeper of hopeless pray for us, Thank
you Saint Jude ”
and
“ Saint Jude, Hope of the Hopeless, Pray for me ”
.
To encourage devotion to St. Jude, it
is common to acknowledge in writing favours received. "Thank you
for favours granted". He is
frequently thanked in the personals column of many daily newspapers
such as the Daily Telegraph, Private Eye and other newspapers. A simple
such as above and here "Thank you St.Jude for favours granted" is
all that is required.
