Home People James son of Zebedee James was the son of Zebedee and brother to the apostle John. Together with Peter and John, he belonged to Jesus' innermost circle and witnessed the Transfiguration and Gethsemane. Jesus called the brothers 'sons of thunder' because of their zeal. James became the first apostle to suffer martyrdom.
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Key events Jesus called James and John while they were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending nets. They left everything and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, Gk Καὶ προβὰς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄλλους δύο ἀδελφούς, Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ Ζεβεδαίου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν καταρτίζοντας τὰ δίκτυα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς.
22 and at once they left the boat and their father and followed him. Gk οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες τὸ πλοῖον καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.
Jesus gave James and John the nickname 'Boanerges', which means sons of thunder, because of their zealous temperament.
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Gk καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Ἰακώβου (καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ⸀ὀνόματα Βοανηργές, ὅ ἐστιν Υἱοὶ Βροντῆς),
James was one of three who saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain, along with Moses and Elijah.
1 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother and led them up a high mountain by themselves. Gk Καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατʼ ἰδίαν.
2 There he was transfigured before them: his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. Gk καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔλαμψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ⸀ἐγένετο λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς.
When a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven, but Jesus rebuked them.
54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?" Gk ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ ⸀μαθηταὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης εἶπαν· Κύριε, θέλεις εἴπωμεν πῦρ καταβῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀναλῶσαι ⸀αὐτούς;
55 But he turned and rebuked them. Gk στραφεὶς δὲ ἐπετίμησεν ⸀αὐτοῖς.
King Herod Agrippa had James executed by the sword—the first apostle to suffer martyrdom.
1 About that time King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to do them harm. Gk Κατʼ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας.
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death by the sword. Gk ἀνεῖλεν δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρῃ.