Born in the Persian city of Elapa (Vilat), of Christian parents, raised in the Christian faith and married to a Christian woman. Emperor Izdigerd fell in love with him for his talent and intelligence and made him a nobleman at his court. Flattered, James offered a sacrifice to the idols worshipped by the emperor. Hearing of this, his mother and wife wrote him a letter in which they mourned him as an apostate and called on him to repent and return to Christ. James repented bitterly and confessed his faith in Christ before the emperor. The emperor ordered that his body be cut off part by part. And so they did: first they cut off his fingers, then his toes, then his legs, arms, shoulders and finally his head. A scent like that of cypress came from his wounds. Saint James suffered around the year 400.

Saint James of Rostov. The Venerable Seventeen Martyrs of India. Venerable Roman the Wonderworker. Venerable Pinufry. Venerable Nathanael. Christmas Fast.