Red-Letter Day
Apostles & Martyrs
October 28
also known as Simon the Zealot and Jude, Simon and Jude, Thaddaeus and Simon, Simon Cananaeus and Jude
Simon the Zealot and Jude (also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus) are commemorated together since at least the sixth century. Simon is identified in the Gospels by the surname 'Zealot' (or 'Canaanean'), suggesting either membership in a Jewish resistance movement or passionate temperament. Jude is distinguished from Judas Iscariot in John 14:22, where he asks the only recorded personal question attributed to him at the Last Supper. Eastern tradition holds that both evangelized Mesopotamia and Persia and were martyred on the same day, and Jude became the patron of desperate causes because his name's similarity to Judas caused him to be overlooked in prayer.
Traditionally, Simon and Jude are said to have preached together in Mesopotamia and Persia, performing miracles and converting multitudes before being martyred on the same day. Simon is typically said to have been crucified or sawn asunder (hence the saw as his emblem), while Jude was beaten to death with a club. Their joint feast on October 28 reflects the ancient conviction that they ministered and died as companions. Jude's identification as patron of desperate cases arose from the belief that, being easily confused with Judas Iscariot, he received fewer prayers than other apostles and therefore was especially eager to intercede for those who remembered him.
Simon appears in all four apostolic lists (Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13) with the surname 'Zealot' (ho Zelotes) or 'Canaanean' (from Aramaic qan'ana, meaning 'zealous'). Whether this indicates actual membership in the Zealot movement—the revolutionary faction that violently opposed Roman rule—or simply describes his passionate temperament has been debated since antiquity. The Synoptic Gospels provide no narrative material about Simon; his inclusion among the Twelve and his presence at Pentecost establish his apostolic status, but beyond this, the canonical record is silent.
Jude (also called Thaddaeus in Matthew and Mark, or Lebbaeus in some manuscripts) likewise appears in the apostolic lists without narrative detail in the Synoptics. In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, he poses the only personal question attributed to him: 'Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?' (John 14:22). When Jesus promises to manifest himself to those who love him, Jude's question provides the occasion for one of John's most intimate passages on abiding in Christ: 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him' (14:23).
The Epistle of Jude, traditionally attributed to this apostle (though some scholars identify the author as Jude the brother of James, the Lord's brother), is a brief but urgent letter warning against false teachers 'who have crept in unnoticed...and pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ' (Jude 4). The letter appeals to the memory of the Exodus, the rebellion of angels, and the judgment of Sodom as warnings against apostasy. Its closing doxology—'Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy' (Jude 24-25)—is counted among the most beautiful in the New Testament.
Grant, O God, that as your apostles Simon and Jude were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.