Apostle 2nd century

Hieromartyr Simeon Kinsman of the Lord, Bishop of Jerusalem

died c. 107

Also known as Simeon of Jerusalem · son of Cleopas · second Bishop of Jerusalem

A kinsman of the Lord and son of Cleopas who succeeded the Apostle James as second bishop of Jerusalem; he was crucified in extreme old age under the emperor Trajan.

Feast Day

April 27

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Commemorated as

The Holy Apostle and Hieromartyr Simeon, Kinsman of the Lord, Bishop of Jerusalem

Life

Simeon, a kinsman of the Lord and son of Cleopas (Clopas), succeeded the Apostle James the Just as the second bishop of the Church of Jerusalem. According to the early historian Hegesippus, whose account is preserved by Eusebius, Clopas was a brother of Joseph, making Simeon a cousin of the Saviour. He was chosen for the Jerusalem throne by the surviving apostles, disciples, and kinsmen of the Lord after the martyrdom of James and the destruction of Jerusalem.

Simeon governed the Jerusalem church for many years and, in extreme old age, was crucified under the emperor Trajan, accused both of descent from the royal line of David and of being a Christian. The tradition records that he endured many days of torture before his death, dying as a martyr at an advanced age commonly given as about one hundred and twenty years. He is commemorated on April 27.

Timeline 2 moments Read Hide

after AD 62/70 Election as bishop of Jerusalem After the martyrdom of James and the fall of Jerusalem, the apostles, disciples, and relatives of the Lord came together and judged Simeon, the son of Clopas, worthy to succeed to the episcopal throne of Jerusalem.
c. 107 Accusation and martyrdom under Trajan In the reign of Trajan, Simeon was accused before the governor of Palestine (named in Eusebius as Atticus) as a descendant of David and as a Christian. After many days of torture he was crucified, dying at a very great age.

Contributions & Legacy

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Kinsman of the Lord and successor of James

Hegesippus, the second-century chronicler quoted by Eusebius of Caesarea, records that after the martyrdom of James the Just and the conquest of Jerusalem, those of the apostles and disciples still living, together with the kinsmen of the Lord according to the flesh, assembled to choose a successor. They named Simeon, the son of Clopas, whom Hegesippus identifies as a cousin of the Saviour, since Clopas was a brother of Joseph. He thus became the second bishop of the mother church of Jerusalem.

Martyrdom in extreme old age

The tradition relates that Simeon led the Jerusalem community through the difficult decades after the destruction of the Temple. In the reign of Trajan he was denounced on two counts: as one of the royal house of David, whose line the emperors regarded with suspicion, and as a Christian. The governor Atticus, by Eusebius's account, had him tortured over many days, and Simeon, though of very great age, bore the suffering with constancy before being crucified. The Orthodox calendar honors him as both apostle and hieromartyr.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints