St. Jude Orthodox Saint History and Name Day Information

Written by Greek Boston in Ancient Greek History, Greek Orthodox Religious Information Comments Off on St. Jude Orthodox Saint History and Name Day Information

When it comes to the history of the Orthodox Church, the saints play an important role. After all, the apostles are the ones who began to preach about the good news of Christ after Ascension, which took place after the Resurrection. It is considered an honor to be named after one of these saints, and a person’s name day is celebrated each year.  In some Orthodox Christian countries, like Greece, more attention is paid to celebrating their name day than their own birthday.

Saint Jude, also referred to as the Apostle Jude of Jude the Apostle, is one of these saints. Some also refer to him as Thaddaeus or Jude Thaddaeus.  His name day is celebrated on June 19th. Here’s more information about this Saint:

Early Life of Saint Jude

Not to be confused with Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, Saint Jude was also one of the original twelve. Jude was brothers with Saint James, and they were both sons of Saint Joseph, he was Mary the Theotokos’s husband. Some sources think of Saint Jude as one of Jesus’s brother’s, but the church usually refers to him as Saint Joseph’s son. He was born in Galilee, which was in Judaea of the Holy Roman Empire. His exact birthdate isn’t known but he was alive as the same time as Christ during the 1st Century A.D.He is mentioned in the Gospels as well as the Book of Acts.

Later Years of Saint Jude

Although he became on of the Apostles, he is usually referred to as the Brother of James. Even though Jude came to believe in Christ, he didn’t at first. He is referred to as the Brother of James because James believed that Christ was the Messiah before Jude did. Nevertheless, when he did believe, he became one of the Apostles. He is also one of those who was ultimately martyred. He preached the gospel in several places, such as Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Idumea, Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Armenia. Eventually, he was captured by pagans and put to death.

Hymns With Saint Jude

There are several hymns during the Orthodox Christian service that involve Saint Jude. Here they are:

Troparion (Tone 1) 

Divinely we praise you, O Jude, as a faithful witness,

Knowing you to be the brother of Christ.

You trampled on delusion,

And so preserved the faith.

Today as we celebrate your holy memory,

By your intercessions we receive remission of sins.

Kontakion (Tone 2)

You were chosen as a disciple for your firmness of mind:

An unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ,

You proclaimed His word to the Gentiles,

Telling them to believe in one Godhead.

You were glorified by Him, receiving the grace of healing,

Healing the ills of all who came to you,

O most praised Apostle Jude!

Saint Jude’s name day is on June 19th of each year. Visit the  Name Day page for more information about other Orthodox Christian name days.

Sources:

Orthodox Wiki – Apostle Jude – Also source for image above

Wikipedia – Jude the Apostle

Categorized in: Ancient Greek History, Greek Orthodox Religious Information

This post was written by Greek Boston