A Brief Biography of St. Jude
A Brief Biography of St. Jude
St Jude Thaddeus (Thaddeus being his surname) was one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ.
He is believed to be the brother of St. James the Lesser, and a relative of Jesus. St. Simon and he are known
as the "humble Apostles," because in the Litany of the Saints they are tenth and eleventh in listing
respectively; they are directly above Judas Iscariot.
He is a relatively minor figure in the Gospels. The one major story (not included in the Gospels)
that he is a major player in is the legend of the Mandylion
(the medal with the image of Christ he is holding). According to Tradition, the King of Edessa was
stricken with a deadly disease. He wrote to Jesus, asking for help. Jesus, not being
able to go, pressed a cloth against His face, and sent it to the king in the care of St. Jude. The king
was healed, and became a Christian. Tradition says that after Pentecost
he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia, and eventually
ended up in Armenia. The nobles there did not like his influence with the king (who he had
healed), and killed him by knocking him out with a club, and then beheading him. His relics
are under the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. He is credited with writing the Epistle of Jude. He is
the patron of desperate causes, and his feast day is celebrated jointly with St.
Simon on October 28th.
