When the stones rained down on him, we don’t know whathe said, but he had good examples to follow. And the legacy of his death remains with us even today. Among the “James trio” in the New Testament, James, son of Alphaeus (or James the “Less”), has the smallest profile. He receives no creditfor a single question, comment, or action during his years with Christ.He was simply one of the Twelve. This James never stood out for ridiculeor praise. James, son of Zebedee (the “Great”), and James, son of Joseph,both held far more prominent roles in the history of the times. James,son of Zebedee, was one of the famous Sons of Thunder among thedisciples. James, son of Joseph and the half-brother of Jesus, eventuallytook a significant leadership role in the church of Jerusalem. But James,son of Alphaeus, lived in the background of the story. At some point, tradition tells us, the apostles assigned themselvescertain areas of the world as destinations for outreach. Syria was theappointment of James the Less. During the early persecutions of Christians in Jerusalem, one of the popular escape destinations was Damascus in southern Syria. So much so that when Saul began to run out of believers

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Categories: Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs