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Person

James (Son of Zebedee)

An imagined, stylized portrait. No one knows what James (son of Zebedee) looked like. AI-generated

ManJAYMZ

One of Jesus's twelve disciples, a Galilean fisherman and John's brother; in Acts, King Herod Agrippa has him killed with the sword.

See Matthew 4:21, Mark 3:17, Acts 12:2.

A sword marks James (son of Zebedee) in the reading view: “he killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:2).

Mentioned in 18 verses across 4 books, first in Matthew 4:21. The verses below are the ones linked to this person (the Theographic dataset, with our sourced corrections).

How artists have pictured him

3 works from different centuries and traditions. Each shows how its time and place imagined James (son of Zebedee), not how he looked.

Saint James, Icon, Monastery of St John, Patmos; inscribed only “Saint James” — **12th–13th c.** · *Saint James*. Icon, Monastery of St John, Patmos; inscribed only “Saint James”Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Guido Reni, Saint James the Greater, Oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — **c. 1636–1638** · Guido Reni, *Saint James the Greater*. Oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, HoustonPublic domain · Wikimedia Commons

James Tissot, Saint James Major, Opaque watercolour, Brooklyn Museum — **1886–1894** · James Tissot, *Saint James Major*. Opaque watercolour, Brooklyn MuseumPublic domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Name: James
Gender: Male

Family

Parents

Siblings

John the Apostle

As the dataset records them from the biblical genealogies.

Often appears with

Named in the same verses most often. Sharing a verse doesn’t always mean they met.

John the Apostle18 verses
Simon Peter11 verses
Zebedee6 verses
Andrew4 verses
Jesus Christ4 verses
Phillip the Apostle1 verse
Elijah1 verse
Bartholomew1 verse

Places

Where the data places them (born, died, or an event they take part in) first; then places named in the same verses, which does not mean they were there.

Judeadied here; scene of “Herod kills James”
Sea of Galileescene of “Fishers of Men”
Capernaumscene of “Apostles Chosen”
Mount Hermonscene of “The Transfiguation”
Mount of Olivesscene of “Olivet Discourse”
Mount of Olives1 shared verse

In the Bible

The first 10 of 18 verses, in Bible order. Text from the Berean Standard Bible; verse numbers follow the KJV.

Matthew

Matthew 4:21
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,
Matthew 10:2
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Matthew 17:1
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Mark

Mark 1:19
Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets.
Mark 1:29
As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.
Mark 3:17
James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
Mark 5:37
And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
Mark 9:2
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
Mark 10:35
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
Mark 10:41
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

Show all 18 verses

Events

Events the dataset lists James (Son of Zebedee) as taking part in. Dates follow its Ussher–Jones reckoning (one of several traditional counts), not established history.

c. AD 27
Fishers of MenMatthew 4:18 – Luke 5:11 · at Sea of Galilee
c. AD 28
Apostles ChosenMatthew 10:2 – Luke 6:16 · at Capernaum
c. AD 29
The TransfiguationMatthew 17:1 – Luke 9:36 · at Mount Hermon
no date
Olivet DiscourseMatthew 24:1 – Luke 21:36 · at Mount of Olives
c. AD 40
Herod kills JamesActs 12:1–2 · at Judea

Dictionary

From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), as attached to this record by Theographic. The entry is for the name and can describe more than one person who bore it. Easton wrote in 1897, and some of his views are now debated.

Read Easton’s entry

The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter (Matt. 20:20; 27:56). With John and Peter he was present at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2), at the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37-43), and in the garden with our Lord (14:33). Because, probably, of their boldness and energy, he and John were called Boanerges, i.e., “sons of thunder.” He was the first martyr among the apostles, having been beheaded by King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1, 2), A.D. 44. (Comp. Matt. 4:21; 20:20-23).