Jude of Alphaeus (Thaddaeus), the Apostle

From Wiki Maria Valtorta
Drawing of Jude by Lorenzo Ferri according to the indications of Maria Valtorta. Source: documentary collection of the Fondation Héritière de Maria Valtorta.

Jude is Galilean by his mother, Mary, daughter of Clopas, and Judean by his father Alphaeus, the elder brother of Saint Joseph. He is the youngest of the four cousins of Jesus, to whom he also bears a resemblance.[1] They are the same age, with Jesus slightly younger. These two childhood and youth companions had the same teacher: The Virgin Mary.[2]        

According to Maria Valtorta:
"Jude Thaddaeus is a handsome man, in the fullness of masculine beauty. Tall, strong, and well-proportioned, dark-haired, as Saint Joseph was when young, olive-skinned without being sallow, eyes that have something in common with those of Jesus, as they are of a bluish hue, almost periwinkle. His beard, square-shaped, is dark brown, his hair wavy, less curly than Jesus', and dark like his beard."[3]
He has an aristocratic face, with "kingly features"[4], bearing a dignity that always commands respect.[5] His character is fiery and stern.[6] Furthermore, Maria Valtorta specifies:
"(He has a) dominating face, with a gaze that so well recalls, by eye color and expression, that of Jesus: a true crowd leader. Yet, beneath his involuntary royal majesty, one sees the feeling of a heart full of compunction."[7]
The Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, recalls him thus:
"Always noble and loyal. The lineage of David was visible in him."[8]
He becomes the 9th apostle of Jesus, breaking away from his father Alphaeus.[9] Welcoming him, Jesus unites his destiny with that of Simon the Zealot:
"Come, Simon who had no son. Come Jude, who loses your father for my love. I unite you in the same destiny."[10]
This perfect agreement between the two is confirmed.[11] Tradition gives them jointly as evangelizers of Persia where they suffer martyrdom.

Jude cannot stand his namesake Judas, "with an unreasoned repulsion that had arisen from their very first meeting.[12]-[13] This leads to regular altercations that Jesus must temper.

Jesus predicts Jude’s destiny as a fiery evangelizer:
"Jude has a whole temperament. He will do very well where it is a question of overthrowing paganism."[14]
And later:
"Your name is Jude, and you are like our great Jude (Judah): a giant. You are the protector. Your actions are like the lion and the roaring lion cub. You will expose the impious who will recoil before you, and the wicked will be terrified."[15]
This prediction refers to Judah, the son of Jacob, whose tribe has the lion for its emblem[16] and to Judas Maccabeus, the liberator of the Jewish people.[17]

This temperament of Jude likely earned him the nickname Thaddaeus which Maria Valtorta commonly uses. Thaddaeus, in Aramaic, means "courageous". Jude and Judas are pronounced the same in Hebrew: Yehuda, which sometimes causes confusion. This name thus distinguishes him from Judas, his namesake.    

Jude witnesses the Last Supper[18], the Resurrection[19]-[20], the Ascension[21], and Pentecost.[22], but not the Passion, because he flees during the arrest of Jesus.[23]

His name

Jude (ג'וד) or Judas (Yehuda) and its feminine form Judith come from the Hebrew “yehudi” meaning Judean, Jew.[24]  

Historical reference: Judah, son of Jacob. Judas Maccabeus, the liberator of the Jewish people. This name proximity between Jude and Judas causes some ambiguities.[25]  

Jude is also called Thaddaeus (from Aramaic Thaddai, full of heart) or Lebbai (from Hebrew Libbay, courageous or cordial) in certain manuscripts, including the Codex Bezae. ("cordial or courageous", meaning close to "full of heart") This name distinguished him from Judas, his namesake.

Where is he mentioned in the work?

The childhood of Mary: EMV 14 The Nativity cycle: EMV 35

The youth of Jesus: EMV 38 EMV 39

Preparation for Public Life: EMV 44

Calling of the first apostles: EMV 51 EMV 52 EMV 56

Beginning of the apostolate in Galilee: EMV 57

Choosing the last apostles: EMV 90 EMV 91 EMV 92 EMV 93 EMV 95 EMV 96 EMV 97

The last shepherds: EMV 98 EMV 99 EMV 100 EMV 101 EMV 102 EMV 103 EMV 104 EMV 105 EMV 105 EMV 106 EMV 108 EMV 109

In Judea before the common life: EMV 110 EMV 111 EMV 112 EMV 114 EMV 116 EMV 117 EMV 118

Teachings on the Ten Commandments: EMV 119 EMV 120 EMV 121 EMV 122 EMV 123 EMV 124 EMV 125 EMV 126 EMV 127 EMV 128 EMV 129 EMV 130 EMV 131 EMV 132

End-of-year festivals: EMV 133 EMV 134 EMV 135 EMV 136 EMV 137 EMV 138 EMV 139 EMV 140 EMV 141 EMV 142

The Samaritan woman: EMV 143 EMV 144 EMV 145 EMV 146 EMV 147 EMV 149 The female apostolate: EMV 151 EMV 153 EMV 154 EMV 155 EMV 157 EMV 158 In Galilee, the choosing of apostles: EMV 160 EMV 162 EMV 164 EMV 165 EMV 166

The Sermon on the Mount: EMV 169 EMV 170 EMV 171 EMV 172 EMV 173 EMV 174 EMV 176

Apostolate in Galilee: EMV 177 EMV 178 EMV 179 EMV 180 EMV 181 EMV 182 EMV 183 EMV 184 EMV 186

The second Easter journey: EMV 187 EMV 188 EMV 189 EMV 190 EMV 191 EMV 192 EMV 193 EMV 194 EMV 195 EMV 196 EMV 197 EMV 198 EMV 199 EMV 200 EMV 201 EMV 202 EMV 203

Apostolate in Judea: EMV 205 EMV 206 EMV 206 EMV 207 EMV 208 EMV 210 EMV 211 EMV 212 EMV 212 EMV 214 EMV 215

Apostolate in Philistia: EMV 216 EMV 217 EMV 218 EMV 219 EMV 220 EMV 221 EMV 222 EMV 223 EMV 224 EMV 225

The conversion of Mary Magdalene: EMV 228 EMV 230 EMV 232 EMV 233 EMV 235 EMV 237 EMV 238 EMV 239 EMV 240 EMV 241 EMV 242 EMV 243 EMV 244 EMV 245 EMV 246 EMV 247 EMV 248 EMV 249 EMV 250 EMV 251 EMV 252 EMV 253 EMV 254 EMV 255

Sending of apostles and disciples on mission: EMV 256 EMV 257 EMV 258 EMV 260 EMV 261 EMV 262 EMV 265 EMV 268 EMV 269 EMV 271 EMV 272 EMV 273 EMV 274 EMV 275 EMV 276 EMV 277 EMV 278 EMV 279 EMV 280

Perea, Gilead, and Trachonitis: EMV 281 EMV 282 EMV 284 EMV 285 EMV 286 EMV 287 EMV 288 EMV 289 EMV 290 EMV 292 EMV 293 EMV 294 EMV 296 EMV 297 EMV 298 EMV 299 EMV 300 EMV 301 EMV 302

End-of-year festivals in Nazareth: EMV 304 EMV 307 EMV 312

The journey of the disciples to Antioch: EMV 313 EMV 314 EMV 315 EMV 316 EMV 317 EMV 318 EMV 319 EMV 320 EMV 321 EMV 322 EMV 323 EMV 324 EMV 325 EMV 326

Phoenicia and Upper Galilee: EMV 327 EMV 328 EMV 329 EMV 330 EMV 331 EMV 332 EMV 333 EMV 334 EMV 335 EMV 336 EMV 337 EMV 338 EMV 339 EMV 340 EMV 341 EMV 342 EMV 343 EMV 344 EMV 345 EMV 346 EMV 347

The Transfiguration and the Bread of Heaven: EMV 348 EMV 349 EMV 350 EMV 351 EMV 352 EMV 353 EMV 354 EMV 355 EMV 356 EMV 357 EMV 358 EMV 359 EMV 360 EMV 361 EMV 362 EMV 363

The penultimate Passover: EMV 364 EMV 365 EMV 366 EMV 367 EMV 368 EMV 369 EMV 370 EMV 371 EMV 372 EMV 374 EMV 375 EMV 376 EMV 377 EMV 378

In Judea: EMV 379 EMV 380 EMV 381 EMV 382 EMV 383 EMV 384 EMV 385.

Farewells in Judea: EMV 386 EMV 387 EMV 388 EMV 389 EMV 390 EMV 391 EMV 392 EMV 393 EMV 394 EMV 398 EMV 399 EMV 402 EMV 403

Plain of Sharon: EMV 404 EMV 405 EMV 406 EMV 407 EMV 408 EMV 410 EMV 411 EMV 412

Pentecost, Decapolis, and Plain of Esdraelon: EMV 413 EMV 414 EMV 415 EMV 416 EMV 417 EMV 418 EMV 419 EMV 420 EMV 421 EMV 422 EMV 423 EMV 424 EMV 425 EMV 426 EMV 427 EMV 428 EMV 429 EMV 430 EMV 431 EMV 432

Summer in Nazareth: EMV 433 EMV 435 EMV 436 EMV 440 EMV 441 EMV 443 EMV 444 EMV 445 EMV 446 EMV 447 EMV 448 EMV 449 EMV 450 EMV 451 EMV 452 EMV 453 EMV 454 EMV 455 EMV 456 EMV 457 EMV 458 EMV 459 EMV 460 EMV 461 EMV 462 EMV 463 EMV 465

In Syro-Phoenicia: EMV 466 EMV 467 EMV 469 EMV 470 EMV 471 EMV 475 EMV 473 EMV 473 EMV 474 EMV 475 EMV 476 EMV 477 EMV 481 EMV 482

The Feast of Tabernacles: EMV 488 EMV 489 EMV 490

In Moab and Judea: EMV 497 EMV 498 EMV 499 EMV 507 EMV 508 EMV 509 EMV 510 EMV 511 EMV 515 EMV 519 EMV 520 EMV 522 EMV 525

The Feast of Dedication: EMV 527 EMV 528 EMV 529 EMV 532 EMV 534 EMV 536

The resurrection of Lazarus: EMV 547 EMV 548

The exile in Samaria: EMV 551 EMV 552 EMV 553 EMV 554 EMV 555 EMV 566 EMV 571 EMV 574 EMV 575

The return to Jerusalem: EMV 576 EMV 577 EMV 578 EMV 582 EMV 584 EMV 586

Holy Week: EMV 590 EMV 593 EMV 594 EMV 595 EMV 597 EMV 598 EMV 599

The Passion: EMV 600 EMV 602

Easter Sunday: EMV 621 EMV 626

From Resurrection to Ascension: EMV 628 EMV 629 EMV 630 EMV 631 EMV 634 EMV 635 EMV 636 EMV 638

The apostolic times: EMV 639 EMV 640 EMV 641 EMV 643 EMV 649

Learn more about this character

Excerpts from the Dictionary of Gospel Characters, according to Maria Valtorta (Mgr René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise, Jean-François Lavère, Salvator Editions, 2012):
Saint Jude is celebrated on October 28th with Saint Simon and on June 19th in the East.          

In company with Simon the zealot, he preaches the Gospel in Palestine, Syria, Libya, then in Persia where they die as martyrs around 80. Jude's tomb is located in the Black Church (Ghara Kelisa), a very ancient Armenian church, near the city of Maku in northern Iran. Even today an important pilgrimage takes place there. But another tradition places his tomb in Edessa, today in Turkey.  

Some of his relics are said to have been brought from Babylon in the 8th century and given to Charlemagne by Pope Leo III. They are currently believed to be at Saint-Sernin in Toulouse.    

Jerome of Stridon, the author of the Vulgate, says of Jude that he was "trinomius," because he bore three names: Jude, Thaddaeus or Lebbai. This last nickname has in Hebrew a meaning close to the Aramaic Thaddaeus (courageous).        

Origen and Tertullian attribute the Epistle of Saint Jude to him and identify him as a "brother of the Lord."  

Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the Catena Aurea[26] refers to the Venerable Bede[27] to affirm that Thaddaeus and Jude are one and the same person, that he was brother of James (the minor), cousin of Jesus, and author of the epistle that bears his name. This epistle was once suspected due to its references to two Old Testament apocrypha: the Book of Enoch and the Assumption of Moses.[28]      

In Acts 1:13, the mention "Jude of James" is generally translated as "son of James." Maria Valtorta, following the previous tradition, favors the translation "brother of James".[29]

Eusebius of Caesarea (4th century), citing Hegesippus, reports the appearance of Jude's grandsons, the Lord's brother, before Emperor Domitian (81-96) during the first large-scale persecution of Christians.[30] Facing the poverty of these two individuals, the emperor releases them. How Jude, said to be celibate by Maria Valtorta, had offspring is unclear. Either he married late (but tradition mentions no name), or he adopted the children of his elder brother Joseph. In any case, by the end of the first century, no other survivor of the Alphaeus lineage, Jesus’ uncle’s line, remained.

Still according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Abgar, king of Edessa, wrote to Jesus whose fame had reached him. Thaddaeus was sent to him and baptized him with his entourage.[31]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ EMV 253
  2. ↑ EMV 38.7-9
  3. ↑ EMV 51.1
  4. ↑ EMV 525.4
  5. ↑ EMV 536.2
  6. ↑ EMV 575.19
  7. ↑ EMV 639.1
  8. ↑ EMV 649.6
  9. ↑ EMV 56.5
  10. ↑ EMV 56.7
  11. ↑ EMV 435.5
  12. ↑ EMV 410.3
  13. ↑ EMV 498.3
  14. ↑ EMV 258.4
  15. ↑ EMV 600.11
  16. ↑ Genesis 49:8-10
  17. ↑ 1 Maccabees 2:66
  18. ↑ EMV 600
  19. ↑ EMV 627
  20. ↑ EMV 629
  21. ↑ EMV 638.16-23
  22. ↑ EMV 640
  23. ↑ EMV 602
  24. ↑ Hebrew Alphabet on croixsens.net
  25. ↑ EMV 465.9, see note 5 on the site
  26. ↑ Saint Thomas Aquinas, commentary of the Gospel according to Saint Mark - Chapter III, verse 13-19..
  27. ↑ "Thaddaeus is the one whom Saint Luke, in his Gospel (Luke 6), and in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1), designates under the name Jude, brother of James. Indeed, he was brother of James, who was himself brother, that is cousin, of the Lord, as he writes in his Epistle".
  28. ↑ It is thought to be the last apostle to have written, with the exception of Saint John.
  29. ↑ The Osty Bible (1973) notes in its footnote on Luke 6:16 "Judas (son or brother) of James". The Chouraqui Bible (2003) does the same ("Iehouda de Ia'acob - Jude, son or brother of James. Matthew and Mark here call him Thaddaeus (Thaddaeus)). Jerome of Stridon, author of the Vulgate, mentions his relation to James, son of Alphaeus, using the expression "Jude of James" without precision ("Iudam Iacobi" (Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13).
  30. ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, chapters 19 and 20. Source also cited by Daniel-Rops in "Jesus in His Time": "Later, when Emperor Domitian (81-96), informed of the prophecy promising a descendant of David who would abase the mighty and thrones before him, summoned the last representatives of the royal lineage of Israel, the poor peasants brought to him – two grandsons of Jude the apostle – appeared so humble, so harmless that he spared their lives and sent them back to their hoes." (p. 109.)
  31. ↑ Ib°, Book I, chapter 13, § 11.
Retrieved from "https://valtortaen.mywikis.eu/w139/index.php?title=Judas_of_Alphaeus_(Thaddeus)_the_Apostle&oldid=12335"