Zebedaeus | |
|---|---|
 Hans von Kulmbach,Mary Salome and Zebedee with their Sons James the Greater and John the Evangelist, c. 1511 | |
| Fisherman, Righteous | |
| Born | 1st century BC |
| Residence | Capernaum |
| Died | 1st century AD |
| Honored in | Catholic Church |
| Feast | 15 March |
Zebedee (/ˈzɛbɪdiː/ZEB-id-ee;Ancient Greek:Ζεβεδαῖος,romanized: Zebedaîos;[1]Hebrew:זְבַדְיָה,romanized: Zəḇaḏyâ), according to all fourCanonical Gospels, was the father ofJames andJohn, twoapostles ofJesus. The gospels also suggest that he was the husband ofSalome; whereasMark15:40 names the women present at thecrucifixion as "Mary Magdalene, andMary the mother ofJames and ofJoses, and Salome," the parallel passage inMatthew 27:56 has "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." TheCatholic Encyclopedia concludes that the Salome of Mark 15:40 is probably identical with the mother of the sons of Zebedee in Matthew.[2]
Zebedee was presumably a fisherman, "probably of some means."[3] Although named several times in the gospels, the only times he actually appears are inMatthew 4:21-22 andMark 1:19–20, where he is left in the boat after Jesus called James and John. Mark's note that Zebedee was left with the "hired men" implies the family had some wealth.[4] Zebedee lived at or nearBethsaida.[3]
The name given in the Gospels,Ζεβεδαῖος, is probably a transliteration of the Hebrew nameZəḇaḏyâ according toSpiros Zodhiates (The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary), or the truncated versionZabdî (זַבְדִּי), saysBDB Theological Dictionary, and so means "Yahweh (or the Lord) has bestowed".[5] Other popular interpretations of the name are: "abundant" (Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary) or "my gift" (Smith's Bible Dictionary).[6]
Zebedaeus is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. His feast day is 15 March.[7][8]
Media related toZebedee (New Testament figure) at Wikimedia Commons