La Transfiguración

 

JAMES THE GREATER – (died 44 A.D.) – James is known by many different names and titles, including James the Greater, Boanerges (a nickname given to James and John meaning “sons of thunder”), James the Major and James the Elder. He was so named to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus, who is known as James the Lesser.

James was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the brother of the Apostle John. Their father was named Zebedee. James and John were fishermen and were together, mending their nets, when Jesus called them to become His disciples (Matthew 4:21-22). James was the first apostle to be martyred. He would be put to death by King Herod who found that killing prominent Christians was a way to find favor with the Jews. The Bible tells us that James was beheaded in Jerusalem. However, a legend grew that James was buried in Compostela, Spain and that his body had been discovered there. This would make Compostela the third most visited site on the pilgrimage trail, after Jerusalem and Rome. The great connection of James with Spain would lead to James being appointed patron saint of that country.

1. Because Compostela was such a major pilgrimage site, James is often depicted as a pilgrim. He is shown with a wide brimmed hat, walking staff, coin purse and a scallop shell. Scallop shells were used by pilgrims to scoop water from streams to drink as they traveled on their way.

2. Another symbol of James is the sword, referring to how he was martyred.

JOHN – (1st century) - John was an apostle, as well as the author of five books of the Bible: John, I John, II John, III John and Revelation. He was the brother of James the Great. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved and the disciple to whom, at the crucifixion, Jesus entrusted his mother Mary.

During John’s ministry tradition tells us that several attempts were made on his life. One such attempt involved a poisoned chalice. Legends differ as to how it happened. One account tells how John’s enemies wished to kill him. They tested a poisoned drink on two servants, both who drank it and immediately died. When they gave the chalice to John, he drank from it and lived. He then quickly raised the two dead servants back to life. The second account says that, at the temple of Diana in Ephesus, John was challenged to drink from a poisoned chalice that already killed two servants. He not only drank from the cup and lived but proceeded to raise the two dead men back to life as well. The second attempt on John’s life came at the hand of Emperor Domitian. John was captured and thrown into a caldron of burning oil. Miraculously, John was not harmed by the burning oil.

Towards the end of his life, John would be exiled to the Island of Patmos where he saw visions of Heaven. These visions would be written down and become known as the book of Revelation. After his release from Patmos, John would retire to Ephesus, where apocryphal stories about his ministry there abound. John is usually portrayed as being a young, beardless man but is sometimes shown as a white-haired elder.

1. The main symbol for John is that of the eagle. The eagle soars high into the sky towards Heaven where it meditates on God. It then returns to earth, bringing with it understanding of Heavenly mysteries.

2. Other symbols for John, the chalice and snake and the cauldron and eagle, refer to his miraculous escapes from death.

3. As an evangelist, he is sometimes shown writing or holding a book or scroll.

PETER (SIMON PETER) – (died 64 A.D.) – Peter, the brother of Andrew, was a fisherman who was called by Jesus to be His disciple. Peter would be the first to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Peter would eventually deny knowing Jesus, as Jesus had prophesied, and the story of the rooster crowing three times after his denial is well known. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would propel Peter to the forefront of the early church, making him one of its main pillars. He, along with the Apostle Paul, are often referred to as the “Princes of the Apostles”. Peter would become the leader of the apostles, and would go on to be called the “first pope” because he was the first overseer of the universal church.

Peter wrote three books of the New Testament: I, II and III Peter, and there are many apocryphal books that claim his authorship. According to tradition, Peter made his way to Rome where, under Emperor Nero, Peter was martyred. Tradition tells us that Peter, in his humility, refused to be crucified the same way as Jesus. Instead, he was crucified upside down. The site of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is supposedly built on the very spot where Peter was martyred and buried. When portrayed as a man, Peter is often depicted as a man with short, cropped gray hair and a neatly rounded beard. This depiction of him was solidified by the 4th century. During the Middle Ages, Peter often wore papal garments.

When portrayed with the other apostles, Peter is almost always at its head.

1. Two crossed keys refer to the discourse that Jesus had with Peter. When Peter, then called Simon, told Jesus that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus commended his faith and changed his name to Peter, or Petros which, in the Greek, means “rock”. He then said, “upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not be able to prevail against it” (Matthew 16:13-19). Jesus goes on to give Peter the “keys to the kingdom” so that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever he looses on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. Sometimes the two crossed keys are gold and silver, which represent heaven and earth. When Peter is portrayed as a man, he is often holding one key in his hand.

2. Peter is symbolized by an upside down cross, representing his martyrdom. Sometimes the keys are shown with the upside down cross.

3. Another symbol of Peter is the rooster. It reminds us of the time that Peter denied Christ three times and then the rooster crowed (Matthew 26:69-75).

4. Fish and oars symbolize Peter’s original profession of being a fisherman.