Saint Jude the Apostle | |
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Apostle Jude by Anthony van Dyck
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Apostle and Martyr | |
Born | 1st century AD Galilee, Judaea, Roman Empire |
Died | 1st century AD Persia, or Ararat, Armenia |
Venerated in |
Eastern Orthodox Churches, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Church of the East, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Aglipayan Church Islam |
Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
Major shrine | Saint Peter's, Rome, Reims, Toulouse, France |
Feast | October 28 (Western Christianity) June 19 (Eastern Christianity) |
Attributes | Axe, club, boat, oar, medallion |
Patronage | Armenia; lost causes; desperate situations; hospitals; St. Petersburg, Florida; Cotta; the Chicago Police Department; Clube de Regatas do Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lucena, Quezon, Sibalom, Antique, and Trece Mártires, Cavite, the Philippines; and Sinajana in Guam |
Jude, also known as Judas Thaddaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is sometimes identified with Jude, the brother of Jesus, but is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus prior to his crucifixion. Judas Thaddaeus became known as Jude after early translators of the New Testament from Greek into English sought to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and subsequently abbreviated his forename. Most versions of the New Testament in languages other than English and French refer to Judas and Jude by the same name.
The Armenian Apostolic Church honors Thaddeus along with Saint Bartholomew as its patron saints. In the Roman Catholic Church, he is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.
Saint Jude's attribute is a club. He is also often shown in icons with a flame around his head. This represents his presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles. Another common attribute is Jude holding an image of Jesus Christ, known as the Image of Edessa. In some instances, he may be shown with a scroll or a book (the Epistle of Jude) or holding a carpenter's rule.