Thaddeus

Thaddeus was born to a Jewish family in Panias Galilee near where Jesus grew up. He was a farmer by trade, his mother was a cousin of Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his father was a brother of Joseph and James the Less. In 37 AD, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he traveled with Simon Zealot throughout Mesopotamia, Libya, Turkey, and Persia. With Simon, he helped create the Armenian Apostolic Church and is known as the patron saint of desperate causes and lost cases.

Though disputed, he may have authored the book of Jude, a letter to the Eastern churches who were under persecution around 60 AD. It was a warning against pseudo-teachers who were spreading false ideas about the early Christian faith. He encouraged followers of Jesus to persevere in the face of harsh circumstances, to keep the faith, and to stay in the love of God.

Along with Simon Zealot, he was decapitated with an ax in Beirut, Lebanon in 65 AD. That is why, in early pictures of him, he is shown holding an ax. Later, his body was brought back to Rome and placed in a crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica.