THE PRIMACY OF PETER
By Giuseppe Monno Jesus Christ, the one and supreme Shepherd of his flock (John 10:11), willed to confer upon the Apostle Peter a primacy of authority and service above the other Apostles. Peter receives from God the Father a special revelation concerning the identity of Jesus. In the Gospel according to Matthew we read: “You […]
THE EVER-VIRGIN
JAMES, JOSEPH, SIMON AND JUDE by Giuseppe Monno THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JESUS AND JAMES, JOSEPH, SIMON AND JUDE ACCORDING TO THE GOSPELS The Synoptic Gospels refer several times to James, Joseph (also called Joses), Simon, and Jude as the “brothers” of Jesus: Matthew 13:55: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called […]
ST. MATTHEW AND ST. MARK
St. Matthew, whose Greek name means the Gift of Jehovah, and who was called Levi by St. Mark and St. Luke, the new title signifying * associated with,’ was of Hebrew birth, and by profession a publican or tax-gatherer. He is spoken of by St. Mark as the son of Alphaeus, from which some, with […]
THE FOUR EVANGELISTS
Earliest interpreters of a new religion, the four Evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John, occupy of necessity an exceptional position in the history of the Church, and, as a natural consequence, in that of Christian art. The symbols associated with them, some, such as the book, the ink-horn, the pen, or […]
ST. SIMON, ST. JUDE, AND ST. MATTHIAS
St. Simon, surnamed the Canaanite, or Zelotes, to distinguish him from Simon Peter and from Simeon, the second Bishop of Jerusalem, is generally associated in legend and in art with St. Jude, whose work in Judea he is said to have shared. Absolutely nothing is, however, known with any certainty of his life, beyond the […]
ST. THOMAS
There are few more touching stories in the Gospel narrative than that of St Thomas, the devoted disciple who longed to believe, yet could not ; who was ready to die for the Master even before he was fully convinced of His divinity, and was never afraid to reveal his want of faith by his […]
ST. PHILIP AND ST. BARTHOLOMEW
The allusions to St. Philip in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are few, but they are such as to call up a very vivid picture of his personality. Warm-hearted, impulsive, and full of zeal for the Master’s service, he was yet cautious and reserved, making sure of his ground before he committed […]
ST. JAMES THE ELDER
Although he is often referred to in the Gospels, and was evidently the constant companion of the Lord, little is known of the life of St. James the Elder, so called to distinguish him from the other disciple of the same name. He was the son of Zebedee, the fisherman, and the brother of St. […]
THE TWELVE APOSTLES IN CHRISTIAN ART
When they are represented all together, certain symbols often distinguish the Apostles from each other, but unfortunately there is no absolute uniformity in the distribution of these symbols, a fact leading to no little confusion. Chief amongst them is the Scroll bearing one of the clauses of the Creed named after the Apostles, each of […]
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
St. John, distinguished amongst the other Apostles as the Divine, the Theologian, and ‘the Disciple whom Jesus loved,’ was of Galilean birth, the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother to St. James the Elder, who was some years his senior. St. Jerome and other ecclesiastical writers assert that he was highly educated, but others […]