Friday, July 25, 2025

It is the 25th of July 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

It was a big night last night in Galicia (guh-lee-sha), Spain —the little corner in the Northwest of the country. There were fireworks after dark and feasting and today- a Friday this year, but on any 25th of July, the crowds will make their way from the festivities to the Archbasilica and Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela for a mass said in honor of its great saint.  

Which great saint is that? Santiago, of course. Who? Break that down- the “san” is for “saint” and so we are left with “Iago”- yes, like in Shakespeare’s Othello (and Aladdin… and one of the animated Gargoyles) and Iago is a Spanish variant of the name Jacob. In Latin, Jacob is Iacomus, and it was John Wycliffe who anglicized this as “James”. So James, is Jacob, is Iago, is San Iago, is Santiago (and later, San Diego- so Ron Burgundy was not correct in his translation).

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella is the cathedral that is not only the most famous of all European pilgrimages and paths, but a Cathedral (so an Archbishop sits there), and it is dedicated to one of the disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. So, let’s break down which James we are talking about- what he did, how he is remembered, and as for the pilgrimage site and his relics- let this be a teaser for this weekend’s show on Pilgrims, Paths and Peculiar Relics- a fun summer time weekend edition.

There are three big “James’s” in our English Bible- James the Greater, James the Lesser, and James the Just. We know the most about James the Greater from Scripture and tradition.

James the Lesser was the son of Alphaeus- and Matthew is called “son of Alphaeus” in Mark- but this “lesser” James is only listed and doesn’t get his own star turn.

James the Just- he’s the one that shows up in Acts 15- he is “the brother of the Lord”- “brother?” Like step-brother? Cousin? Metaphorical? I’ll let one of you send me a question about “the perpetual virginity” of Mary- James the Just is not one of the 12, but is a leader in Jerusalem and the likely author of the Epistle of James.

And so that leaves us with James the Greater- the great Santiago of Compostela fame. We know a good bit about him- he is one of the three “insiders” of the disciples, along with Peter and John (the brother of James). They leave their father's business for Jesus, and it seems their mother comes with them- she is Salome, who may have been the sister of the Virgin Mary.

You might remember Salome’s special plea to Jesus to let her two sons sit at his right hand in the kingdom (bless her heart), and James and John are called the “sons of thunder” by Jesus after they misconstrue his mission and suggest calling down fire on a Samaritan village.

In one of the sometimes overlooked, and poignant bits in the New Testament narrative is Jesus asking if James and John could drink the same cup that Jesus does- and their response is a naive but faithful “we can!” And we indeed read about James doing just that in Acts 12. King Herod arrests him, and James is put to death by the sword- the only non-disgraced of the 12 to have their death recorded in Scripture. This would lead to Peter’s arrest in turn, but the divine plan had more in store for him, and he is miraculously freed, unlike James.

It is in the post-canonical world that we hear that James, before being put to death, was preaching in the far west of the Roman Empire, modern-day Spain and Portugal, around the year 40. By 44, he is back in Jerusalem to die, but the legends have his remains being taken back to Compostela, where it would become, with Jerusalem and Rome, one of the major centers of Medieval pilgrimage, with just under half a million getting their certificates in 2024. On the way, or indeed in the iconography of James, you will see a scallop shell, associated with a medieval legend; they are often collected and used as dishes and tools on the way. It would also be a sign to others that you were on a pilgrimage.  

Fun fact- I love scallops. And if I’d like to eat some on my trip coming up to Germany with GTI at gtitours.org, I’ll be ordering Jakobsmuscheln- Jacob’s mussels- or the Jacob Shell- the “James Shell”- you could also order the “pilgermuscheln”- or “Pilgrim’s Mussel” and you’d get the scallops as well. SO, if you are so inclined, get your hot pan and some butter and garlic and make a feast for this, the 25th of July, the day we remember James the Greater- the disciple of Jesus, brother of John, and namesake for one of the more famous pilgrimage sites in the world.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Acts 2:

29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand

35 until I make your enemies

    a footstool for your feet.”’

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 25th of July 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who reminds you that today is also St. Christopher’s Day- a helper of Pilgrims, he was aligned with the feast of James. He is the sinner/saint Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who knows St. Daniel was a 5th-century Greek pole sitter- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.