Sveti apostol Jakov, brat Gospodnji (Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord) – November 5
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On November 5 (October 23 according to the Julian calendar), the Serbian Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Apostle Jakov, who bears the title brat Gospodnji (Brother of the Lord) in the Church. He was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, composed the first Liturgy of the Church and left us an epistle that is still found in every Orthodox Bible today. In 2026, his feast falls on a Thursday.
Why He Is Called the Brother of the Lord
Jakov was a son of the righteous Josif (Joseph), the betrothed of the Presveta Bogorodica (Most Holy Theotokos). When Josif was near death, he divided his estate among his sons and wanted to leave a portion to Isus as well. The other brothers opposed this, because they did not regard Isus as their brother. Jakov, however, loved Isus with all his heart and declared that he would share his own portion with Him. That is why the Church still calls him the Brother of the Lord. According to tradition, he also accompanied the Holy Family on the flight into Egypt, when Herod sought the life of the newborn Child.
A Life of Prayer and Self-Denial
As soon as Jakov heard the teaching of Isus Hristos, he lived by it. According to the Ohridski prolog (Prologue from Ohrid) of Saint Nikolaj Velimirović, he never ate fat or oil, but lived on bread and water alone. He spent many nights in vigil and prayer and remained unmarried all his life. The Lord numbered him among the Seventy Apostles. After the Resurrection, Isus Hristos appeared to him personally, as the Apostle Pavle (Paul) testifies in the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
Even the Jews who did not believe in Isus admired his righteousness and called him Jakov Pravedni (James the Just).
The First Bishop of Jerusalem
For thirty years, Jakov led the Church in Jerusalem as bishop, in the city where Isus Hristos was crucified and rose from the dead. He brought many Jews and Greeks to the faith. At the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, it was he who made the decisive proposal on how the Gentiles should be received into the Church.
The Liturgy of Saint Jakov
At the Lord's instruction, Jakov composed the first Liturgy of the Church. It was very long for later generations, which is why Sveti Vasilije Veliki (Saint Basil the Great) and Sveti Jovan Zlatousti (Saint John Chrysostom) shortened it. The Liturgies we celebrate in our churches every Sunday therefore go back to him. On his feast day, the original Liturgija Svetog apostola Jakova (Liturgy of Saint James) is still celebrated in some churches and dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The Epistle of Saint Jakov
The New Testament contains the epistle that bears his name, the Poslanica Jakovljeva (Epistle of James). In it, he does not introduce himself as the Brother of the Lord, but humbly as a servant of God and of the Lord Isus Hristos. His epistle is short, but full of clear words. He calls the rich to humility, for their wealth passes away like the flower of the grass that withers when the sun rises. He reminds us that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith. And he writes the sentence that remains one of the best known in the whole Bible:
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
– James 2:26
The Sacrament of Holy Unction, Jeleosvećenje, is also founded on his words. If anyone is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, so that they may pray over him and anoint him with oil.
Those who wish to read the epistle themselves will find it in the Sveto pismo in Cyrillic script or the Sveto pismo in Latin script.
His Martyrdom
When Anan became high priest, he and other Jewish elders decided to kill Jakov as a preacher of Isus Hristos. At the feast of Passover, when many people had gathered in Jerusalem, they forced him to climb onto the roof of the Temple and speak against Isus before the people. Jakov, however, proclaimed Isus Hristos as the Son of God and the true Messiah, as the Risen One who reigns in eternal glory. In their rage, the priests and elders pushed him off the roof. Severely injured, he knelt down and prayed for his murderers: Lord, forgive them this sin, for they know not what they do. Then a man struck him dead with a fuller's club. Thus Jakov died a martyr around the year 63.
Three Apostles Named Jakov
In the church calendar we meet three saints of this name, who are often confused. Sveti apostol Jakov Zevedejev (James, son of Zebedee), the brother of Sveti Jovan Bogoslov, is celebrated on May 13. Sveti apostol Jakov Alfejev (James, son of Alphaeus), the brother of the Evangelist Matej, on October 22. November 5 is dedicated to the Brother of the Lord, the first Bishop of Jerusalem.
Customs and Folk Beliefs
Among the people, the day of Saint Jakov is a day of active love for one's neighbor, entirely in the spirit of his epistle. On this day one should help someone in need, whether with advice, with food or in any other way. Tradition says that the merciful apostle answers the prayer of everyone who shows Christian virtue on this day. One should also forgive on this day those who have spoken ill of them.
A Feast of Living Faith
Jakov was closer to Isus Hristos than almost any other person. And yet he did not call himself the Brother of the Lord, but a servant. His whole life was an explanation of his own sentence: faith is shown not in words, but in life. In fasting, in prayer at night, in service to his flock and finally in forgiving his murderers.
The troparion of his feast:
As a disciple of the Lord, O righteous one, you received the Gospel; as a martyr you possess what is imperishable; as the Brother of God, boldness; as a hierarch, intercession. Pray to Isus Hristos our God for the salvation of our souls.
Свети апостоле Јакове, моли Бога за нас.
Holy Apostle Jakov, pray to God for us.
For Prayer at Home
For all who honor the Holy Apostle Jakov and celebrate his feast in their own home. You will find a selection of icons, icons of Isus Hristos and of the Presveta Bogorodica, candles for prayer, Slava and church and Brojanice for daily prayer in our shop. How to place your icons at home with dignity is explained in our article Kućni ikonostas.
Sources
- Sveti Nikolaj Velimirović, Prologue from Ohrid – November 5 / October 23, Western American Diocese of the SOC: https://westsrbdio.org/november-5-october-23/
- Kurir – Vernici danas obeležavaju svetog apostola Jakova (life, martyrdom, customs): https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/drustvo/9821508/vernici-danas-obelezavaju-svetog-apostola-jakova
- Kurir – Verovanje na Svetog apostola Jakova: https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/drustvo/9470488/verovanje-na-svetog-apostola-jakova
- SPC – Praznična sabranja u Eparhiji pakračko-slavonskoj (Liturgy of Saint Jakov on November 5): http://www.spc.rs/sr/praznichna_sabranja_u_eparhiji_pakrachko_slavonskoj
- Novosti – Sveti apostol Jakov Alfejev (October 22): https://www.novosti.rs/drustvo/vesti/1662796/danas-obelezava-sveti-apostol-jakov-jednu-gresku-mnogi-prave-oko-ovog-dana
- Azbyka – Апостол от 70-ти Иаков, брат Господень по плоти, епископ Иерусалимский (life, troparion): https://azbyka.ru/days/sv-iakov-brat-gospoden-po-ploti
- OCA – Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord: https://www.oca.org/readings/daily/2023/10/23
- Faculty of Orthodox Theology Belgrade – Liturgija Svetog apostola Jakova: analiza tri srpska rukopisa: https://bfspc.bg.ac.rs/wp-content/uploads/pdf/std/2013/std-2013-10.pdf
