Home
 Opening of the Holy Door in St Peter's Jesus and the Eleven (Right Panel) Scott 1134 (1999) October 28 is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two of the Apostles and early followers of Jesus Christ. There are no stamps specifically identifying Saints Simon and Jude. However, the 11 Disciples and the Virgin Mary are depicted in a group scene from Pentecost located on the second panel of the bronze Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, as shown above.  Statue of Saint Simon the Zealot Helsinki Cathedral, Finland From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain One must take care to distinguish today's Saint Simon from Saint Peter, who is also referred to as Simon Peter. In the Gospels, Saint Simon is called "Simon the Canaanite" or "Simon the Zealot" (after the strict Jewish sect, who encouraged Judeans to rise against Roman occupation at the time of the First Jewish War, 69-70, after which Roman armies destroyed the Temple). There are no Gospel citations identified with Simon. He is referenced in a list of Apostles in the Gospel of Luke (6:14-16) as “Simon who was called the Zealot,” and a similar list in Acts (1:13). After Pentecost, it is generally suggested that Simon evangelized in Edessa and/or Egypt, later meeting up with Jude in Mesopotamia. The pair then travelled to Persia where they were martyred, although exactly where is uncertain. Their relics were translated to Rome in the 8th or 9th centuries. Some relics are said to be located in Toulouse, France.  Statue of St. Jude (Thaddeus) by Lorenzo Ottoni Nave of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome Photo by Jastrow From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license Saint Jude is also called Thaddeus (in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew). Saint Jude is cited in the gospel of John as asking Jesus at the Last Supper, “How is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus’s reply is that if a person loves him, he “will keep my word and my Father will love him and will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the words which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:22-24). St Jude’s symbol is a club, believed to be the instrument used in his martyrdom. St. Simon’s symbol is a fish and/or a boat, because, as a cousin of the Zebedee family, he was a fisherman. St. Jude is often termed the ‘saint of hopeless causes' because his name was seldom invoked in Christianity’s early years for fear of confusing him with Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. REFERENCES: |
