People From the Bible

Thaddeus (or Thaddaeus) is one of the more unique and obscure figures among Jesus Christ’s disciples in the New Testament. Though we know little about him from the Bible or tradition, we do know that he went by a few names, specifically Thaddeus, Lebbaeus, and Judas of James.

In the first book of the New Testament, we find the Gospel story from the perspective of Matthew. He was a Jewish tax collector from Capernaum in the first century AD, and he was likely despised by fellow Jews for choosing that profession.

Two of Jesus’ 12 disciples were named James. While more is known about James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, let’s see what there is to know about the other James, known as James the son of Alphaeus—also sometimes referred to as “James the Lesser.”