James

James, the son of Alphaeus, was one of the twelve apostles, named in each list of the Twelve (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). To distinguish him from the more prominent James son of Zebedee, he is often identified with "James the less" (Mark 15:40), whose mother Mary stood by the cross. Scripture records no individual words or deeds of his, but his place among the Twelve marks him as one of the foundation stones of the church (Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 21:14) — a reminder that many faithful servants labor in quietness, known to God if not to history.