- Zebedee (/ˈzɛbɪdiː/ ZEB-id-ee; Ancient Greek: Ζεβεδαῖος, romanized: Zebedaîos; Hebrew: זְבַדְיָה, romanized: Zəḇaḏyâ), according to all four Canonical Gospels, was the father of James and John, two apostles of Jesus. The gospels also suggest that he was the husband of Salome; whereas Mark 15:40 names the women present at the crucifixion as “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and of Joses, and Salome,” the parallel passage in Matthew 27:56 has “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.” The Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that the Salome of Mark 15:40 is probably identical with the mother of the sons of Zebedee in Matthew.