The parish church of Nayland is named after the Apostle James. St. James, – Yakob in Hebrew – was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman of the Lake of Galilee. James is styled “the Greater” to distinguish him from the other Apostle, James “the Less”, who was probably shorter of stature.

Little is known of early life of St. James. He was the brother of John, “the beloved disciple”, and as the name of James almost always occurs before that of his brother (except in Luke VIII v 51 and Luke IX v.28, Acts I v.13 in the Greek text) seems to imply that James was probably the elder of the two. His father, Zebedee, lived in or near Bethsaida or perhaps in Capharnaum. His mother, Salome, was the daughter of a priest and one of the pious women who afterwards followed Christ and “ministered unto him of their substance” (Matthew XXVII v.55, Mark X v.40, and XVI v.1, Luke VIII v.51 and XXIII v.55 to XXIV v.1).

James' parents seem to have been people of means employing boatmen or hired men who became James’ constant companions. The sons of Zebedee f“forthwith left their nets and father, and followed him” (Matthew IV v.22), and became “fishers of men”. St. James was afterwards, together with the other eleven, called to the Apostleship (Matthew X vs.1-4, Mark III vs.13-19; Luke VII vs.12-16, Acts I v.13). James and his younger brother didn't received the technical training of the rabbinical schools (Acts IV v.13). In this sense they were unlearned and without any official position among the Jews. According to their parents' social rank they must have been men of ordinary education in the common walks of Jewish life. They had frequent opportunity of coming in contact with Greek life and language, which were already widely spread along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. St. John was personally known to the high-priest (John XVIII v.16); and must have had sufficient money to provide for the Mother of Jesus (John XIX v.27).

In the past it had been considered that James’ mother was a sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary and that James the Greater and John were first cousins of Jesus. This fact may explain the discipleship of the two brothers plus Salome’s request and their own claim to the first position in His Kingdom, and Jesus' commendation of the Blessed Virgin to her nephew. But the relationship of St. James to Jesus remains doubtful.

When John the Baptist proclaimed the Kingdom of the Messiah, St. Andrew first finds his brother – St. Peter – and afterwards St. John was directed to “the Lamb of God” and became a disciple (John I, vs.35 & 41). In the gospel, John – according to his habitual and characteristic silence and reserve – doesn't name himself and seeks out his brother James to join the other three.

The call of St. James to the discipleship of the Messiah is reported in three identical passages (Matthew IV vs.18-22; Mark I v.19 and Luke V vs.1-11). The two sons of Zebedee, as well as Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew with whom they were in partnership (Luke V v10), were called by Jesus while they were sailing upon the Sea of Galilee where all four, along with Zebedee and his hired servants, were engaged in their ordinary occupation of fishing. In all three references the names of Peter and Andrew, James and John form the predominant and chosen group (Mark XIII v.3) – especially Peter, James, and John. These three Apostles alone were admitted to be present at the miracle of the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark V v.37, Luke VIII v. 51), and again at the Transfiguration (Mark IX v.1, Matthew XVII v.1, Luke IX v.28), and during the Agony in Gethsemane (Matthew XVI: v.37 and Mark XIV v. 33).

It is worth noting that James is never mentioned in the Gospel of St. John; the author observes a humble reserve not only with regard to himself, but also about the members of his family.

St. James was something of a firebrand. Several incidents scattered through the synoptic gospels suggest that James and John had that particular character as indicated by the name “Boanerges” –sons of thunder – an epithet given to them by Jesus himself (Mark III v.17). They were burning and impetuous in their evangelical zeal and severe in temper. The two brothers showed their fiery temperament against “a certain man casting out devils” in the name of Christ. John, answering, said: “We – referring to James and himself – forbade him, because he followeth not with us” (Luke IX v.49). When the Samaritans refused to receive Christ, James and John said: “Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?” (Luke IX vs.54 and 49).

• The martyrdom of St. James

On the brothers’ final journey to Jerusalem, their mother Salome came to Jesus saying: “Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy Kingdom” (Matthew XX v.21). The brothers, still ignorant of the spiritual nature of the Messianic Kingdom, joined with their mother in this eager ambition (Mark X v.37). On their assertion that they are willing to drink the chalice that He drinks and to be baptized with the baptism of His sufferings, Jesus assured them that they will share His sufferings (Mark V vs.38-39).

Only fourteen years after this prophecy in AD44, James was martyred by Herod Agrippa I, son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great, who reigned at that time as a Romano puppet ‘king’ over a wider dominion than that of his grandfather. His main objective was to please the Jews in every way, and he showed great regard for Mosaic Law and Jewish customs. In pursuance of this policy, on the occasion of the Passover of AD44 he perpetrated many cruelties upon Christ's church whose rapid growth had incensed the Jews. The zealous temper of James and his leading rôle in the Jewish Christian communities probably led Agrippa to choose him as the first victim. “He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.” (Acts XII vs.1-2). According to tradition, the accuser who led James to his judgement, moved by his confession, became a Christian himself and they were beheaded together.

• The legend of St. James in Spain

There is a tradition asserting that James the Greater preached the Gospel in Spain. According to this tradition, following the crucifixion of Jesus the disciples journeyed west across the Mediterranean to spread the gospel throughout the Roman empire. Legend has it that James landed on the shores of Spain. In this version James had little success making converts, until one day, deep in prayer, a vision of the Virgin Mary standing beside a marble pillar appeared to James. She handed him a small wooden figurine of herself and a column of jasper-wood with which to start building a church in her name. The following year James commenced building a chapel, the very first dedicated to the Virgin Mary who thereafter in that country was called La Virgen de Pilar. Afterwards James returned to Jerusalem where he was executed by Herod Agrippa.

A group of James’ followers took his body back to Spain. Witnessing many miracles performed by his disciples, a local queen was converted to Christianity and permitted St. James’ body to be buried on Spanish soil. His body was miraculously translated to Iria Flavia in the northwest of Spain and later to Compostela. The site of his grave was lost for 800 years until In the 9th century when a hermit was lead to the gravesite by a star. King Alfonse II decared St. James patron saint of his kingdom and a church in his name was built at Santiago de Compostellar (St. James in the Field of the Star).

During the Middle Ages Compostela became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in the world. The vow of making a pilgrimage to Compostela to honour the Sepulchre of St. James is still reserved to the pope who alone can dispense it from his own or ordinary right. In the twelfth century the Order of Knights of St. James of Compostela was founded.

With regard to this tradition several difficulties are apparent: James suffered martyrdom in AD 44 (Acts XII v.2), and, according to the tradition of the early Church, and Greek historians at this time James had never left Jerusalem. Also St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans written in AD58 expressed his intention to visit Spain (Romans XV v.24) shortly afterwards he mentions that he did not “build upon another man's foundation” (Romans XV v.20).

Although the tradition that James founded an Apostolic see in Spain was current in AD700, no mention of such tradition is to be found in early writings nor in the early church councils; the first certain mention we find in the ninth century.