Collections of SaintsAn apostle traditionally connected with Thaddaeus and Judas son of James. He must be distinguished from Judas Iscariot.
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Matthew 10 names Thaddaeus, while Luke 6 names Judas son of James. Tradition reads these as the same apostle. He is not Judas Iscariot, who is separately named.
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John 14:22 explicitly names Judas who is not Iscariot. He asks why Jesus will reveal himself to the disciples rather than the world. Tradition connects this questioner with Jude Thaddaeus.
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Jesus’s answer in John 14:23–24 connects love with keeping his word. Jude’s question opens teaching about the presence of Father and Son. The text gives no further individual response from Jude.
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Acts 1:13 names Judas son of James. Later tradition pairs him with Simon on missions to Mesopotamia and Persia. Those routes belong to ecclesial memory, not a New Testament travel journal.
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Church tradition remembers Jude and Simon as martyrs. Their precise death methods and year cannot be established from the checked sources. A Vatican guide reports their relics at Saint Peter’s; their shared veneration is also reflected in the liturgical feast.
Vatican NewsDicastery for the Eastern ChurchesRead in context ↓Matthew 10 names Thaddaeus, while Luke 6 names Judas son of James. Tradition reads these as the same apostle. He is not Judas Iscariot, who is separately named.
USCCBUSCCBJohn 14:22 explicitly names Judas who is not Iscariot. He asks why Jesus will reveal himself to the disciples rather than the world. Tradition connects this questioner with Jude Thaddaeus.
USCCBThe Holy SeeJesus’s answer in John 14:23–24 connects love with keeping his word. Jude’s question opens teaching about the presence of Father and Son. The text gives no further individual response from Jude.
USCCBActs 1:13 names Judas son of James. Later tradition pairs him with Simon on missions to Mesopotamia and Persia. Those routes belong to ecclesial memory, not a New Testament travel journal.
USCCBVatican NewsChurch tradition remembers Jude and Simon as martyrs. Their precise death methods and year cannot be established from the checked sources. A Vatican guide reports their relics at Saint Peter’s; their shared veneration is also reflected in the liturgical feast.
Vatican NewsDicastery for the Eastern ChurchesThe apostolic lists use different names: Thaddaeus in Matthew/Mark, Judas son of James in Luke/Acts. Tradition connects them. Attribution of Jude’s letter does not prove that every figure named Judas is the same person.
These attributions follow site custodians, not biological testing of identity. The locations are a selection, not an inventory of all fragments.
The Altar of Saint Joseph in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches’ guide associates this altar’s location with relics of Simon and Jude Thaddaeus; the photograph shows the altar.
Fallaner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · 25 September 2020 · Resized and converted to WebP.The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches places Simon and Jude’s relics beneath the altar of Saint Joseph the Worker in Saint Peter’s left transept. The two are venerated together. Jude Thaddaeus is distinct from Judas Iscariot; this is not Judas Iscariot’s grave.
Dicastery for the Eastern ChurchesSources checked: 2 October 2026
View place →Sources checked: 2 October 2026
Artistic illustrationAn 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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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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Artistic illustrationAmong the Twelve chosen by Jesus, later handing him over to those arresting him. His story is read without confusing him with Jude Thaddaeus or judging his eternal fate.
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