What's in a Name?

St. James

James, the brother of John the Evangelist, son of Zebedee, was called the Greater to distinguish him from the other apostle of the same name, surnamed the Less because he was the younger.  James the Greater was called from his fishing boats along with John, Peter, and Andrew to be one of the first four disciples chosen by Jesus.  He and John were called by Jesus, "Boanerges" or "Sons of Thunder", seemingly on account of an impetuous spirit and fiery temper.  In spite of this, these apostles were the very ones, together with Peter, to whom Our Lord turned on special occasions.  They were present at the Transfiguration and were with Jesus and the Garden of Gethsemane.

Where James preached and spread the Gospel after the Lord's ascensions we have no account from the writers of the first ages of Christianity.  According to the tradition of Spain from the seventh century, he made an evangelizing visit to that country and it is with this tradition that most of the legends of James and their impact upon the culture and history of the Western world begin.  Actually, all we know about him later is in Acts 12:2 where we are told that Herold Agrippa "killed James with the sword," making him the first of the disciples to suffer martyrdom.

Tradition tells us that James was buried in Spain and that his remains were discovered by Bishop Theodomirus in 840 during the Moorish occupation and became a rallying point for the Christian reconquest.  The great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela that was built at the spot became a pilgrimage goal of the Middle Ages, lesser in importance only to Jerusalem and Rome.  For eleven hundred years, July 25 has been one of the more important religious holidays in Spain, of which country he is the patron saint.

In order to support the funds for a hospice for fourteen "leprous maidens" on the outskirts of London, Edward I in the year 1290 granted to the leper-house the profits from a fair beginning on the eve of St. James Day, July 24.  This event, known at St. James' Fair, became one of the famous carnivals of medieval London.  The Fair continued for several centuries until Henry VIII cast his eyes upon the leper-house and thought what a suitable hunting-box it would make.  In an exchange of property Henry VIII acquired the old place and the "leprous maidens."  The leper-house he pulled down and the lepers he pensioned.  Than is how the "Court of St. James" began.

   -    Adapted from Morton.    In Search of London.    1951

(To this day, Ambassadors to the United Kingdom are appointed as "Ambassadors to the Court of St. James.")

The following remarks by the Right Reverend Charles Judson Child, Jr., Seventh Bishop of Atlanta, were taken from his sermon in St. James' Episcopal Church, Marietta, on The Feast of Pentecost, June 10, 1984.  The occasion was Bishop Child's visitation for the purpose of administering the Apostolic Rite of Confirmation.

"In 1983 on The Feast of St. James it was my good fortune to visit Santiago de Compostela in Spain and to offer your intentions at Mass which was held in the Ecumenical chapel of that great Church.  On that occasion I had dispensation from the Bishop of that Roman Catholic Diocese to enter into that Shrine and to offer special intentions for St. James' Episcopal Church in Marietta at that place where the relics of that great Saint are to be found.  Although they did not know much about Marietta, when I finished the service they knew that the Bishop of the Diocese in which Marietta is located had been to Santiago.  It was a glorious occasion and I want you to know that your intention was offered at Santiago de Compostela at a Mozarabic Rite which is celebrated only three times a year by permission of the Holy Father in Rome."

The name of the apostle James was first shouted in war in 834 A.D., when the Moors almost destroyed the Christian army at the Battle of Clavijo in northern Spain.  That night the Spanish King dreamed of Santiago and when dawn dame the apparition of the saint riding on a great white horse and carrying a flaming sword appeared in the clouds above the warring armies and led the Spanish to victory.

Thus, the people came to believe in his miraculous power -- they built the great shrine of Santiago de Compostela in his honor and they formed the Order of Santiago to expel the Moors from their homeland.  And when the reconquista was complete, they invaded America.  After that, St. James appeared over and over again in battles across the New World wherever the Spanish conquistadores fought the Indians.  A great cult in honor spread throughout the Americas, with even Indians adopting him into their native religions.

His most dramatic aspect among the Indians is the Santiago hobbyhorse dances of Spain and the Basque country, as well as to the Morris hobbyhorse dance of England, for they all trace their roots back to the Moorish Wars, when Santiago first appeared with his flaming sword to lead the Christians to victory.

The cultural history of the road to Santiago is a fascinating one.  After St. James' remains became a spiritual factor inspiring the Spanish to drive the Muslims from Spain, the bond of faith did not weaken.  The Romanesque period saw the heights of pilgrimage, and in 1130 the first travel guide was written by a French priest, Aymery de Picaud, describing the way from France to Santiago.  The benefits Spain derived from the pilgrimage road were immense.  Without it Spanish culture would not have been so heavily influenced by currents of thought that swept Europe during the Romanesque and Gothic ages.  Santiago tied Spain to the rest of Europe and pulled the Peninsula always away from the Muslim influence.

Today modern pilgrims find it easier to travel the ancient roads.  There is less danger now in meeting wild animals and wilder men along the way.  The great cathedral at Santiago de Compostela still draws the lover of art, music, and architecture, as do the string of cathedrals and churches along the route in Burgos, Leon, Puente de la Reina, Logrono that were once the physical links in a chain of spiritual energy that today seems hard to believe.  The entire city of Santiago de Compostela stands as a witness to those times.         

The pilgrimage to St. James' shrine at Santiago was, during the Middle Ages, one of the most powerful focuses of spirituality.  They went to Santiago to profess the faith received from the Apostles and for penitence and sacrifice.  The way to Santiago had also a characteristic note of being a powerful force for unity.  It formed at that time a tie which joined people together century after century, very different people with one religious ideal; and the warmth of their faith produced at the same time a deep dispersion of artistic forms and cultural manifestations which still are to be seen and which history verifies.  The pilgrim was spurred along as well on his way by the application of the Christian principles to his social life.

-  Pope Paul VI   1965