James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder) — the collective nickname Boanerges (sons of thunder) applied to James and John suggests an intensity or volatility of character that the Gospels occasionally confirm: they ask to call down fire on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54) and request the seats of honor beside Jesus in the kingdom (Mark 10:35–37). The nickname is affectionate but also diagnostic — Jesus sees who they are with clarity and names it. The pair will form part of the inner three (with Peter) who are present at the transfiguration and in Gethsemane.

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