Saint James (James the Less)

Saint James in the Bible, one of the Twelve Apostles, called St. James the Less or St. James the Little. He was the son of Alphaeus; his mother, Mary, was one of those at the cross and tomb. The Western Church identifies him with Saint James , "the Lord's brother." Feast (with St. Philip): May 1.

James male forename, name of two saints.
St James the Great an Apostle, son of Zebedee and brother of John. He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I; afterwards, according to a Spanish tradition, his body was taken to Santiago de Compostela, which became a major pilgrimage centre. He is traditionally seen in Spanish iconography as leading the Christian Reconquest against the Moors. His emblems are a scallop shell and a pilgrim's hat, and his feast day is 25 July.
St James the Less also an Apostle; he is said to have been martyred by being beaten to death with a fuller's club. He may be identical with the James who was a leader of the early Christian Church at Jerusalem, also known as the Lord's brother. His emblem is a fuller's club, and his feast day (in the Eastern Church) is 9 October; (in the Western Church) is 1 May.

James, St, ‘the Less’. The title derives from the description of ‘James the less’ in Mk. 15: 40, but it is commonly applied to James, the son of Alphaeus (Mk. 3: 18 etc.), one of the Twelve Apostles, who is thus identified with the James of Mk. 15: 40. The epithet is probably attached to the Apostle only to distinguish him from St James ‘the Great’ (of the previous entry). Feast day in the E., 9 Oct.; in the W., with the Apostle St Philip, formerly 1 May and still so in the BCP; in the RC Church transferred to 11 May in 1955 and to 3 May in 1969.