Saint Simon and Saint Jude Thaddeus: the martyred apostles celebrated together

On 28 October the Church celebrates the joint liturgical memorial of Saint Simon the Zealot and Saint Jude Thaddeus. Here is why these two martyred apostles are remembered together

The calendar of Catholic Saints is rich in occasions to celebrate the life and sacrifice of exceptional individuals, who dedicated their existence to faith and the service of God. Among these saints, two figures stand out as examples of unconditional devotion and dedication to Christ: Saint Simon and Saint Jude Thaddeus. These two martyred apostlesare commemorated together, and their liturgical feast is an occasion to reflect on the strength of faith.

On 28 October, the Church honours and commemorates them both. This is because the two share many elements that make them similar and close to one another, despite their differences. For one thing, both were apostles, and as such friends of Jesus, perhaps even relatives, close to Him during the brief period of His life and in the final tragic events that accompanied His death. As apostles, they were direct witnesses to Jesus’ teachings and to His Resurrection, and were able to play a fundamental role in the spreading of the Gospel.

Together, Saint Simon the Apostle and Saint Jude the Apostle preached in Egypt and Mesopotamia, bringing the message of Christ among different and distant peoples.

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In addition to their role as apostles and their evangelical mission, Saint Simon and Saint Jude also shared the same fate: martyrdom. The former was subjected to a particularly atrocious death: his body was torn apart with a saw. This cruel act of martyrdom has remained in the collective memory and is reflected in the iconography depicting him with this tool. For this reason Saint Simon became the patron saint of lumberjacks and woodcutters. As for Saint Jude, the pagan priests incited the people against him, and they slaughtered him with stones, clubs and blows from a spear.

Saint Simon and Saint Thaddeus teach us that no matter how difficult the challenges we face in spreading the Gospel may be, our faith in Christ can give us the strength to persevere. Moreover, their communion in the experience of martyrdom reminds us of the importance of unity within the Church, a unity based on a shared faith in Jesus.

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Saint Simon the Cananaean

Saint Simon is also known as Simon the Cananaean (in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark) or Simon the Zealot (as Luke calls him). Both nicknames can be interpreted as zealous, but perhaps he was also a member of the Zealots, known for their religious fervour and as fierce opponents of the Roman occupation. Not much is known about his life, apart from the fact that he was an apostle. Over time, many nicknames have been attributed to him and his identity has been confused with that of other men. According to some traditions, he was even one of Jesus’ brothers. Other traditions regard him as the first bishop of Jerusalem.

His martyrdom is usually associated with that of Saint Jude Thaddeus and set in Persia, or in Samaria.

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This complexity and confusion surrounding the figure of Saint Simon the Zealot helps us understand how little personal history matters, especially in the environment of the early Christians, compared with the faith, commitment and testimony in Christ upheld by these men who laid the foundations of the Church.

Saint Jude Thaddeus the Apostle

Saint Jude Thaddeus, as he is referred to in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, is also known as Jude Lebbaeus or Jude of James (as Luke calls him). He should not be confused with Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Saint Jude Thaddeus was also one of the twelve apostles, often identified as the son of Joseph and Mary of Clopas, one of the three Marys, the three pious women who stood at the foot of the cross and witnessed Jesus’ agony, as well as a cousin of the Virgin Mary. Therefore, Saint Jude may have been Jesus’ cousin and the brother of James the Less. According to an ancient tradition, he had been the bridegroom at the wedding at Cana before meeting Jesus. In the New Testament there is an epistle attributed to him, consisting of 25 verses, the first of which reads: “Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, brother of James”.

His life is therefore also shrouded in mystery, but Christian tradition considers him above all an indefatigable preacher of the Gospel.

Saint Simon and Saint Jude Thaddeus also brought Christianity to Armenia, and the latter was the first Catholicos (patriarch) of the Armenian Church. In a mountainous area of Azerbaijan, at the place where Saint Jude Thaddeus is said to have died, stands the monastery of Saint Thaddeus, also called Kara Kilise or Qareh Kalisa, “the Black Church”, a pilgrimage site visited every year by thousands of devotees from all over the world.

Together with Saint Rita, Saint Philomena and Saint George the Wonderworker, Saint Jude Thaddeus is considered the patron saint of lost causes and protector of those without hope.

Simon and Jude: why are they celebrated together

The feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude Thaddeus is celebrated on 28 October to commemorate their shared martyrdom. After joining together to bring the message of Christ to Persia, in their work of evangelisation Saint Thaddeus and Saint Simon had to face widespread hostility, and above all that of two local magicians, Zaroes and Arfaxat, angered by their successes. When they arrived in the city of Suanir, in Colchis, they were arrested at the suggestion of the two magicians by the priests, who ordered them to offer sacrifices to the gods in the Temple of the Sun.

The two Saints not only refused, but drove out the demons that dwelled in the temple, causing terrifying howls and blasphemies, and unleashing the fury of the priests, who incited the people against them. The two were attacked with stones, spears and blows from clubs, and in the end Saint Thaddeus was killed by a blow from an axe or club to the head, Simon with a saw.