Simon of Alphaeus
Simon (or Symeon) is the second of the sons of Mary of Clopas and Alphaeus, the brother of Saint Joseph. He is one of the "brothers" of Jesus.[1]-[2] He is married to Salome with whom he has several children.[3] His youngest, Alphaeus, aged eight, is healed by Jesus.[4]
He begins with doubt that his cousin Jesus is the Messiah. Under the influence of his father and his elder brother Joseph, he keeps his distance from the one he considers a fanatic. His Heart is not closed however. After the death of his father Alphaeus, he draws closer to Jesus.[5] He even defends him when Jesus is attacked in the synagogue of Nazareth.[6]-[7] But his impressionable character makes him indecisive. He is even receptive for a time to the ambiguous words of Judas.
He only truly converts starting from the healing of his son. Grace progresses slowly: Simon must overcome his shyness.
Jesus prophesies that after the Passion, he will know how to walk on the right path, increasingly confident, up to the point of confessing him through martyrdom.[8]
His name
Simon, like Symeon (Chimon- Shim'ôn), means "he who hears". Historical reference: the second son of Jacob who was held hostage by his brother Joseph who became the steward of Pharaoh.
Where is he mentioned in the work?
EMV 14 EMV 35 EMV 39 EMV 44
EMV 105 EMV 105 EMV 106 EMV 150 EMV 162 EMV 164
EMV 245 EMV 246 EMV 253 EMV 264 EMV 269 EMV 281
EMV 303 EMV 307 EMV 308 EMV 309 EMV 313 EMV 336 EMV 349 EMV 350
EMV 435 EMV 437 EMV 439 EMV 440 EMV 442 EMV 459 EMV 460 EMV 461 EMV 462 EMV 477 EMV 478 EMV 490 EMV 491
EMV 562 EMV 590 EMV 596 EMV 599
Learn more about this character
Extracts from the Dictionary of Gospel Characters, Salton Maria Valtorta (Mgr René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise, Jean-François Lavère, Salvator Editions, 2012):Saint Symeon (Simon) is celebrated on February 18.Salton Eusebius of Caesarea, quoting Hegesippus, states he was the brother of James the Lesser. He succeeded him as bishop of Jerusalem in 62[9]
In 68, he ordered the community to take refuge in Pella, shortly before the capture of Jerusalem. He did not return to Jerusalem until after the city’s destruction in 70. There he converted many Jews.
He had to combat two emerging heresies: that of the Nazarenes who invented a gospel and that of the Ebionites who denied the divinity of the Christ.
He died crucified, under the reign of Trajan, by governor Atticus in 106/107, at the age of 120 years[10] He was about forty during Jesus’ public life. Maria Valtorta gives him around fifty.[11], but she estimates his age by his appearance.
Notes and references
- ↑ Mark 6:3
- ↑ Matthew 13:55.
- ↑ EMV 313
- ↑ EMV 308
- ↑ EMV 105
- ↑ Luke 4:16-30
- ↑ EMV 106
- ↑ EMV 105
- ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 11: "After the martyrdom of James and the subsequent capture of Jerusalem, it is told that the Apostles and the Lord’s Disciples who were still alive gathered, coming from everywhere, and reunited with the Lord’s relatives in the flesh – indeed, several were still alive at the time – and all together deliberated on who should be deemed worthy of James's succession and unanimously decided that Symeon, son of Clopas mentioned in the Gospel book, was worthy of this Church's seat: he was, it is said, the Savior’s cousin. Hegesippus recounts that Clopas was Joseph’s brother" (EH – Book III, 11) – "Symeon was second, after the Lord’s brother, to hold charge of the Jerusalem Church at that time" (EH – Book III, 22) – "The same Hegesippus also exposes the beginnings of his time’s heresies with these words: “After James the Just was martyred, like the Lord and for the same reason, the son of his uncle, Symeon, son of Clopas, was appointed bishop: all preferred him as second bishop because he was a cousin of the Lord.” (EH – Book IV, 22:4).
- ↑ Ib°, III, 32, 4.6: "Under [Trajan (98 – 117)] there was a persecution raised Against us [...] During this persecution, Symeon, son of Clopas, whom we noted as having been made the second bishop of the Jerusalem Church, completed his life by martyrdom, according to what we have learned. [...] He was tortured in various ways for several days and, after profoundly astonishing the judge and those around him, he suffered a death similar to the Lord’s Passion. [...] Thus he bore witness, aged one hundred and twenty years, under the reign of Trajan Caesar and the consul Atticus (Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, between 109 and 112)" (EH – Book III, 32, 1-6).
- ↑ EMV 105