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 Opening of the Holy Door in St Peter's Jesus and the Eleven (Right Panel) Scott 1134 (1999) October 28 is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two of the Apostles and early followers of Jesus Christ. There are no stamps specifically identifying Saints Simon and Jude. However, the 11 Disciples and the Virgin Mary are depicted in a group scene from Pentecost located on the second panel of the bronze Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, as shown above on the right.  Statue of Saint Simon the Zealot Helsinki Cathedral, Finland From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain One must take care to distinguish today's Saint Simon from Saint Peter, who is also referred to as Simon Peter. In the Gospels, Saint Simon is called "Simon the Canaanite" (Mark 3:18 and Matthew 10:4) or "Simon the Zealot" (Luke 6:15 and in Acts 1:13). His description as "the Zealot" be be due to his zeal for following the Messiah, or may denote his membership in a radical Jewish sect. There are no Gospel citations identified with Simon, other than being referenced in a list of Apostles. After Pentecost, it is generally suggested that Simon evangelized in Edessa and/or Egypt, later meeting up with Jude in Mesopotamia. The pair then travelled to Persia where they were martyred, although exactly where is uncertain. Once account has Simon the Zealot being sawed in half.  Statue of St. Jude (Thaddeus) by Lorenzo Ottoni Nave of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome Photo by Jastrow From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license Saint Jude is also called Thaddeus (in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew). Saint Jude is cited in the gospel of John as asking Jesus at the Last Supper, “How is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus’s reply is that if a person loves him, he “will keep my word and my Father will love him and will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the words which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:22-24)Care must also be taken when referring to Saint Jude, since he was often confused with his evil contemporary, the betrayer Judas Iscariot. For centuries, petitioning Saint Jude was considered a "last resort" and taken only when all other saints had failed to answer one’s prayers. Thus, Saint Jude became the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. Saint Jude’s symbol is a club, believed to be the instrument used in his martyrdom. Saint Simon’s symbol is a fish and/or a boat, because, as a cousin of the Zebedee family, he was a fisherman. Their relics were translated to Rome in the 8th or 9th centuries, and are entombed inside Saint Peter's Basilica, resting in a crypt beneath the main altar of St. Joseph. Some relics are also said to be located in Toulouse, France. REFERENCES: |
