Vicar's News - 26 October 2025

Fr Ian
9 minutes ago
1 min read

St Simon & St Jude

Today’s Simon is not Simon Peter but rather “Simon the Cananean” (in Matthew and Mark's gospels) and “Simon the Zealot” (in St Luke's Gospel and in the Acts of the Apoltles). Both names mean the same thing. “Cananean” does not refer to the Land of Canaan but is a translation of an Aramaic word meaning “zealous.” As a zealot, Simon would have been very committed to his Jewish identity and would have been firmly opposed to Roman oppression and taxation.

Jude is referred to as “Judas son of James” (in Luke and Acts) and “Thaddeus” (in Matthew and Mark). The only other reference that is certain about Jude comes from John’s Gospel during the Last Supper in which Jude is referred to as “Judas, not the Iscariot…”.