Collections of SaintsAn apostle consistently named among the Twelve, with very few known individual episodes. His identity must be distinguished from other men named James.
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Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15 name James son of Alphaeus. His father’s name distinguishes him from James son of Zebedee. These sources do not provide an individual calling scene.
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His membership places James within the group chosen to be with Jesus and be sent out. The Gospels give no individual dialogue for him. That gap is retained rather than filled with invented speech.
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Acts 1:13 again names James son of Alphaeus in the apostolic community. This is a textual trace of his continuing membership; the book does not narrate his individual missionary travels.
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James son of Alphaeus, James called lesser or younger, and James the Lord’s brother are often connected in tradition. Benedict XVI’s catechesis acknowledges the identity debate. Jerusalem leadership and the Letter of James cannot automatically become this apostle’s certain biography.
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Santi XII Apostoli’s altarpiece depicts James thrown from the Temple and struck. This is a tradition connected with overlapping James identities, not established detail about Alphaeus’s son. The basilica reports relics of James the Lesser alongside Philip in its crypt.
Basilica Santi XII ApostoliBasilica Santi XII ApostoliThe Holy SeeRead in context ↓Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15 name James son of Alphaeus. His father’s name distinguishes him from James son of Zebedee. These sources do not provide an individual calling scene.
USCCBUSCCBHis membership places James within the group chosen to be with Jesus and be sent out. The Gospels give no individual dialogue for him. That gap is retained rather than filled with invented speech.
USCCBActs 1:13 again names James son of Alphaeus in the apostolic community. This is a textual trace of his continuing membership; the book does not narrate his individual missionary travels.
USCCBJames son of Alphaeus, James called lesser or younger, and James the Lord’s brother are often connected in tradition. Benedict XVI’s catechesis acknowledges the identity debate. Jerusalem leadership and the Letter of James cannot automatically become this apostle’s certain biography.
The Holy SeeSanti XII Apostoli’s altarpiece depicts James thrown from the Temple and struck. This is a tradition connected with overlapping James identities, not established detail about Alphaeus’s son. The basilica reports relics of James the Lesser alongside Philip in its crypt.
Basilica Santi XII ApostoliBasilica Santi XII ApostoliThe Holy SeeBenedict XVI notes that identifying James son of Alphaeus with James the Lord’s brother is disputed. The latter’s death in AD 62 is therefore not automatically assigned to this apostle.
These attributions follow site custodians, not biological testing of identity. The locations are a selection, not an inventory of all fragments.
The façade of the Basilica of Santi XII Apostoli in Rome. Its crypt is the devotional location for relics attributed to Philip and James son of Alphaeus.
Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · Photo source · 17 July 2015 · Resized and converted to WebP.The basilica reports that its crypt contains some bones attributed to Philip and James the Lesser. Its custodian describes excavations in 1873 and reinstallation on 1 May 1879. The basilica’s name does not mean that it holds the remains of all twelve apostles.
Basilica Santi XII ApostoliSources checked: 2 October 2026
View place →Sources checked: 2 October 2026
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Artistic illustrationAn apostle traditionally connected with Thaddaeus and Judas son of James. He must be distinguished from Judas Iscariot.
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Artistic illustrationOne of the Twelve with a nickname associated with zeal. Few details of his individual life survive in the New Testament.
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