Jem's Name Day

25th July

©BSS 2005

Jem, the name has a description or meaning which is from the Hebrew, 'Jacob' or 'heel-grabber'

Jem has a Name day of 25th July, please check our history page to find out how this was derived

This description represents the Male usage of the name.

This name is a variant of the original name James

There is also an alternative celebration date of 1st May for this Name day and represents different religious interpretations or different festival days for Saints

St James is a patron saint of the following:


Soldiers	Cavalry	Vets	Furriers
Spain	Guatemala	Nicaragua	The dying. (St Jame the Lesser)

Symbols are often associated with Saints, it often helped in the middle ages when people were unable to read thus James has the following symbols associated


A pilgrim's staff	A pilgrim's hat	A pilgrim's cloak	A pilgrim's wallet
A pilgrim's purse	A pilgrim's cockleshell	A white horse and white flag.	A windmill (St Jame the Lesser)
A halbert (weapon)(St Jame the Lesser)	Three stones; bread.(St Jame the Lesser)

Historically Famous Jems

While Jacob is one of the Old Testament heroes whose very name - 'heel-grabber' - tells us that he was not very saintly, there are two James in the New Testament - the Greater and the Lesser - who became saints and apostles. James the Greater is perhaps more familiar, being the brother of John, son of Zebedee, and one of the inner circle of disciples. Some believe that James and John may even have been cousins of Jesus, if Salome, _ their mother, was Mary's sister. James and John, together with Peter, were the disciples who Jesus called to witness his Transfiguration and to be with him during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that James was the first of the Twelve to be martyred - he was executed by King Herod Agrippa I in 44. The legend is that his body was miraculously transferred to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The great cathedral there became, with Jerusalem and Rome, one of the main centres of pilgrimage, so that James' symbol, the cockleshell, became the badge of all pilgrims.

St James the Lesser is so called because he was younger than James, son of Zebedee; no slur on his saintliness is intended. Although he was not one of the three who were closest to Jesus, many people think he was the James - 'the Lord's brother' - mentioned several times in the New Testament. Whatever the case, it was he who became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem after the Resurrection. He was stoned to death in about 62