Brothers of Jesus - wikipedia Brothers of Jesus Part of a series on Jewish Christianity Figures Jesus John the Baptist Simon Peter Twelve Apostles James, brother of Jesus Simeon of Jerusalem Jude Paul Ancient groups Ebionites Elcesaites Nazarenes Pejoratives Judaizers Legalists Pauline Christianity Recent groups Hebrew Christian movement Messianic Judaism Saint Thomas Christians Adversity Split of Christianity and Judaism Paul and Judaism Marcionism Christian anti-semitism Constantine Writings Gospel of Matthew Epistle of James Clementine Didache Liturgy of St James Book of Elchasai Jewish -- Christian gospels Gospel of the Ebionites Gospel of the Hebrews Gospel of the Nazarenes Issues Aramaic of Jesus Yeshua ( name ) Council of Jerusalem Expounding of the Law Sabbath Quartodecimanism Noahide laws The New Testament describes James, Joseph ( Joses ), Judas ( Jude ), and Simon as brothers of Jesus ( Greek : ἀδελφοὶ, translit. adelphoi, lit. ' brothers ' ). Also mentioned, but not named, are sisters of Jesus. Some scholars argue that these brothers, especially James, held positions of special honor in the early Christian church. Catholic, Assyrian, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, as did the Protestant leaders Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Wesley and their respective movements ; John Calvin believed that it was possible that Mary remained a virgin but believed the scriptural evidence was inconclusive. Those who hold this belief reject the claim that Jesus had biological siblings and maintain that these brothers and sisters received this designation because of their close association with the nuclear family of Jesus, as either children of Joseph from a previous marriage, or as nephews of either Mary or Joseph. The literal translation of the words `` brother '' and `` sister '' is an objective problem, because of the very little number of quotations, and their polysemy in the family of Semitic languages In the 3rd century, biological relatives on account of their connection with the nuclear family of Jesus, without explicit reference to brothers or sisters, were called the desposyni, from the Greek δεσπόσυνοι, plural of δεσπόσυνος, meaning `` of or belonging to the master or lord ''. The term was used by Sextus Julius Africanus, a writer of the early 3rd century. Contents 1 Jesus ' brothers and sisters 2 As church leaders 3 Degree of consanguinity between Jesus and his brothers 3.1 Etymology 3.2 Relationship of Jesus ' brothers to Mary 4 Family trees and pedigrees 5 Rejection of Jesus 6 Absence of Jesus ' brothers 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 Further reading 10 External links Jesus ' brothers and sisters The Gospel of Mark 6 : 3 and the Gospel of Matthew 13 : 55 -- 56 state that James, Joses ( or Joseph ), Jude and Simon were the brothers of Jesus, the son of Mary. The same verses also mention unnamed sisters of Jesus. Mark 3 : 31 -- 32 tells about `` Jesus ' mother and brothers '' looking for Jesus. A verse in the Epistle to the Galatians 1 : 19 mentions seeing James, `` the Lord 's brother '', and none other of the apostles except Peter, when Paul went to Jerusalem after his conversion. The `` brothers of the Lord '' are also mentioned, alongside ( but separate from ) Cephas and the apostles in 1 Corinthians 9 : 5, in which it is mentioned that they had wives. Some scholars claim that Jesus ' relatives may have held positions of authority in the Jerusalem area until Trajan excluded Jews from the new city that he built on its ruins. That the brothers were children of both Mary and Joseph was held by some people of the early centuries ; The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church claimed that Tertullian ( c. 160 -- c. 225 ) was one of them. The 3rd - century Antidicomarianites ( `` opponents of Mary '' ) maintained that, when Joseph became Mary 's husband, he was a widower with six children, and that he had normal marital relations with Mary, but they later held that Jesus was not born of these relations. Bonosus was a bishop who in the late 4th century held that Mary had other children after Jesus, for which the other bishops of his province condemned him. Jovinian, and various Arian teachers such as Photinus held a similar view. When Helvidius proposed it, again in the late 4th century, Jerome, representing the general opinion of the Church, maintained that Mary remained always a virgin ; he held that those who were called the brothers and sisters of Jesus were actually children of Mary 's sister, another Mary, whom he considered the wife of Clopas. The terms `` brothers '' and `` sisters '' as used in this context are open to different interpretations, and have been argued to refer to children of Joseph by a previous marriage ( the view of Epiphanius of Salamis ), Mary 's sister 's children ( the view of Jerome ), or children of Clopas, who according to Hegesippus was Joseph 's brother, and of a woman who was not a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus ( a modern proposal ). As Church leaders Robert W. Funk, founder of the Jesus Seminar, says that according to the Gospel of Mark Jesus ' mother and brothers were at first skeptical of Jesus ' ministry but later became part of the Christian movement. James, `` the Lord 's brother '', presided over the Jerusalem church after the apostles dispersed and other kinsmen probably exercised some leadership among the Christians in the area until the emperor Hadrian built Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem and banished all Jews from there ( c. 135 ), after which point the Jerusalem Christians were entirely of Gentile origin. Traditionally it is believed the Jerusalem Christians waited out the Jewish -- Roman wars ( 66 -- 135 ) in Pella in the Decapolis. The Jerusalem Sanhedrin relocated to Jamnia sometime c. 70. According to The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, when Peter the Apostle left Jerusalem, it was James who became leader of the church in Jerusalem and was held in high regard by the Jewish Christians. Hegesippus reports that he was executed by the Sanhedrin in 62. Sextus Julius Africanus 's reference to `` desposyni '' ( blood relatives of Jesus related to his nuclear family ) is preserved in Eusebius of Caesarea 's Ecclesiastical History : For the relatives of our Lord according to the flesh, whether with the desire of boasting or simply wishing to state the fact, in either case truly, have handed down the following account... But as there had been kept in the archives up to that time the genealogies of the Hebrews as well as of those who traced their lineage back to proselytes, such as Achior the Ammonite and Ruth the Moabitess, and to those who were mingled with the Israelites and came out of Egypt with them, Herod, inasmuch as the lineage of the Israelites contributed nothing to his advantage, and since he was goaded with the consciousness of his own ignoble extraction, burned all the genealogical records, thinking that he might appear of noble origin if no one else were able, from the public registers, to trace back his lineage to the patriarchs or proselytes and to those mingled with them, who were called Georae. A few of the careful, however, having obtained private records of their own, either by remembering the names or by getting them in some other way from the registers, pride themselves on preserving the memory of their noble extraction. Among these are those already mentioned, called Desposyni, on account of their connection with the family of the Saviour. Coming from Nazara and Cochaba, villages of Judea, into other parts of the world, they drew the aforesaid genealogy from memory and from the book of daily records as faithfully as possible. Whether then the case stand thus or not no one could find a clearer explanation, according to my own opinion and that of every candid person. And let this suffice us, for, although we can urge no testimony in its support, we have nothing better or truer to offer. In any case the Gospel states the truth. '' And at the end of the same epistle he adds these words : `` Matthan, who was descended from Solomon, begat Jacob. And when Matthan was dead, Melchi, who was descended from Nathan begat Eli by the same woman. Eli and Jacob were thus uterine brothers. Eli having died childless, Jacob raised up seed to him, begetting Joseph, his own son by nature, but by law the son of Eli. Thus Joseph was the son of both. -- Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia Ecclesiae, 1 : 7 : 11, 1 : 7 : 13 -- 14 Eusebius has also preserved an extract from a work by Hegesippus ( c. 110 -- c. 180 ), who wrote five books ( now lost except for some quotations by Eusebius ) of Commentaries on the Acts of the Church. The extract refers to the period from the reign of Domitian ( 81 -- 96 ) to that of Trajan ( 98 -- 117 ), and includes the statement that two Desposyni brought before Domitian later became leaders of the churches : There still survived of the kindred of the Lord the grandsons of Judas, who according to the flesh was called his brother. These were informed against, as belonging to the family of David, and Evocatus brought them before Domitian Caesar : for that emperor dreaded the advent of Christ, as Herod had done. So he asked them whether they were of the family of David ; and they confessed they were. Next he asked them what property they had, or how much money they possessed. They both replied that they had only 9000 denaria between them, each of them owning half that sum ; but even this they said they did not possess in cash, but as the estimated value of some land, consisting of thirty - nine plethra only, out of which they had to pay the dues, and that they supported themselves by their own labour. And then they began to hold out their hands, exhibiting, as proof of their manual labour, the roughness of their skin, and the corns raised on their hands by constant work. Being then asked concerning Christ and His kingdom, what was its nature, and when and where it was to appear, they returned answer that it was not of this world, nor of the earth, but belonging to the sphere of heaven and angels, and would make its appearance at the end of time, when He shall come in glory, and judge living and dead, and render to every one according to the course of his life. Thereupon Domitian passed no condemnation upon them, but treated them with contempt, as too mean for notice, and let them go free. At the same time he issued a command, and put a stop to the persecution against the Church. When they were released they became leaders of the churches, as was natural in the case of those who were at once martyrs and of the kindred of the Lord. And, after the establishment of peace to the Church, their lives were prolonged to the reign of Trajan. -- Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia Ecclesiae, 3 : 20 Degree of consanguinity between Jesus and his brothers The New Testament names James the Just, Joses, Simon, and Jude as the brothers ( Greek adelphoi ) of Jesus ( Mark 6 : 3, Matthew 13 : 55, John 7 : 3, Acts 1 : 13, 1 Corinthians 9 : 5 ) Etymology The etymology of the word `` brother '' ( adelphos ) originally comes from `` of the same womb '' ( a-delphys ), although in New Testament usage, the Christian and Jewish meaning of `` brothers '' is wider, and is applied even to members of the same religious community. In the Bible, the Greek words adelphos and adelphe were not restricted to their literal meaning of a full brother or sister nor were their plurals. There are several views from an early date over whether the Greek term adelphos, applied in these accounts to people described as adelphoi of Jesus, means that they were full brothers, half brothers, stepbrothers, or cousins. Helvidius, quoting Tertullian in support of his view, claims that the adelphoi were children of Mary and Joseph born after Jesus ; yet Jerome replied that Tertullian did `` not belong to the Church '', and he argues that the adelphoi were Jesus 's cousins. Some scholars consider Helvidius ' view as the most natural inference from the New Testament. In support to this it is occasionally noted that James ( Jacob Iakobos ) as oldest of the brothers takes the name of Joseph 's father ( also James, Iakobos in the Solomonic genealogy of Jesus in Matthew ), when in Bible times the grandson occasionally gets the name of the grandfather. The term adelphos ( brother in general ) is distinct from anepsios ( cousin, nephew, niece ). Second - century Christian writer Hegesippus distinguishes between those who were anepsioi of Jesus and his adelphoi. However Jesus and his disciples ' native language was Aramaic ( as in Matthew 27 : 46 ; Mark 5 : 41 ), which could not distinguish between a blood brother or sister and a cousin. Aramaic, like Biblical Hebrew, does not contain a word for `` cousin ''. Aramaic and Hebrew inclined to use circumlocutions to point out blood relationships, calling some people `` brothers of Jesus '' would not have always implied the same biological mother. Scholars and theologians, who assert this view, point out that Jesus was called `` the son of Mary '' rather than `` a son of Mary '' in his hometown ( Mark 6 : 3 ). Relationship of Jesus ' brothers to Mary By the 3rd century, the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary had become well established ; important early Christian theologians such as Hippolytus ( 170 -- 235 ), Eusebius ( 260 / 265 -- 339 / 340 ) and Epiphanius ( c. 310 / 320 -- 403 ) defended it. The early church had not accepted that Mary had any children apart from Jesus. Eusebius and Epiphanius held that these men were Joseph 's sons from ( an unrecorded ) former marriage. Epiphanius adds that Joseph became the father of James and his three brothers ( Joses, Simeon, Judah ) and two sisters ( a Salome and a Mary ) or ( a Salome and an Anna ) with James being the elder sibling. James and his siblings were not children of Mary but were Joseph 's children from a previous marriage. Joseph 's first wife died ; many years later, at the age of eighty, `` he took Mary ( mother of Jesus ) ''. According to Epiphanius the Scriptures call them `` brothers of the Lord '' to confound their opponents. Origen ( 184 -- 254 ) also wrote that `` according to the Gospel of Peter the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary ''. The apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, written in the 5th century and framed as a biography of Joseph dictated by Jesus, describes how Joseph had with his first wife four sons and two daughters. His sons ' names were Judas, Justus, James, and Simon, and the names of the two daughters were Assia and Lydia. Years after his first wife died, he took Mary. Therefore, the brothers of Jesus would be the children of Joseph by his first wife. The Protoevangelium of James explicitly claims that Joseph was a widower, with children, at the time that Mary is entrusted to his care. The Catholic Encyclopedia, citing the texts contained in the apocryphal writings, writes that : When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others ; they lived forty - nine years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was James ( the Less, `` the Lord 's brother '' ). A year after his wife 's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Juda a respectable man to espouse Mary, then twelve to fourteen years of age. Joseph, who was at the time ninety years old, went up to Jerusalem among the candidates ; a miracle manifested the choice God had made of Joseph, and two years later the Annunciation took place. Jerome ( c. 347 -- 420 ), another important early theologian, also held the perpetual virginity doctrine, but argued that these adelphoi were sons of Mary 's sister, whom Jerome identified as Mary of Cleopas. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church mentions that a modern scholar, whom it does not identify, has proposed that these men were the sons of Clopas ( Joseph 's brother according to Hegesippus ) and of Mary, the wife of Cleopas ( not necessarily referring to Jesus ' mother 's sister ). According to the surviving fragments of the work Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord of the Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, who lived circa 70 -- 163 AD, `` Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus '' would be the mother of James the Just, Simon, Judas ( identified as Jude the Apostle ), and Joseph ( Joses ). Papias identifies this `` Mary '' as the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus, and thus as the maternal aunt of Jesus. The Anglican theologian J.B. Lightfoot dismissed Papias ' evidence as spurious. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, which was probably written in the seventh century, states that the brothers of Jesus were his cousins. Roman Catholic and Eastern Christianity maintained the doctrine of Early Christianity that Mary was a perpetual virgin ; early Protestant leaders, including founder of the Lutheran Churches, Martin Luther, and Reformed theologian Huldrych Zwingli, also held this view, as did John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism. Eine Christliche Lehrtafel ( A Christian Catechism ), issued by Anabaptist leader Balthasar Hubmaier, teaches the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary too. Roman Catholics, following Jerome, conclude that the adelphoi were Jesus ' cousins, while Eastern Orthodox, following Eusebius and Epiphanius, argue that they were Joseph 's children by his ( unrecorded ) first wife. But the Catholic Church only defined a doctrine that they are not biological children of Mary, their exact status, either as cousins or stepbrothers ( children of Joseph ), is not defined as a doctrine. Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists concur with this view. Other Christian denominations, such as Baptists, view the adelphoi as Jesus ' half - brothers or do not specify, since the accounts in the Gospels do not speak of Mary 's relationship to them but only to Jesus. Certain critical scholars of the Jesus Seminar say that the doctrine of perpetual virginity has obscured recognition that Jesus had full brothers and sisters. In the Hebrew - language Book of Genesis, all the other sons of Jacob are repeatedly called brothers of Joseph, although they were children of different mothers. Similarly, Abram ( of Terah ) called as a brother his nephew Lot. Also, the Second Book of Samuel describes Tamar as a sister both of Amnon and of Absalom, two of David 's sons by different mothers. Family trees and pedigrees Explanations of the true relationship of the ' brothers ' of Jesus within his immediate nuclear family fall primarily into three categories. The first, called `` the most natural inference '' of the Gospel text by the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, is that the brothers of Jesus were the children of his parents, Joseph and Mary : Mary Joseph Clopas another Mary Jesus James d. 62 Joses Simon sister sister Jude Simeon d. 107 ? ? Bishop Judah Kyriakos fl. c. 148 -- 49 Because of the conflict of this reconstruction with the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, several alternatives are common. Epiphanius made them children of Joseph by a former marriage : Mary Joseph earlier wife Jesus James Joses Simon Jude Other reconstructions would make them more distant relatives, the children of ' Mary, mother of James and Joses ' by Clophas, though these are linked to Mary and Joseph in different ways. St. Jerome would have this Mary be a sister of the Virgin Mary : Anne Joachim Joseph Mary another Mary Clopas Jesus James Joses Simon Jude A modern reconstruction would likewise make them cousins, but rather than having the two Marys be siblings, it would follow Hegesippus in making Clophas brother of Joseph : Jacob Mary Joseph Clopas another Mary Jesus James Joses Simon Jude Rejection of Jesus See also : Rejection of Jesus and But to bring a sword According to the Synoptic Gospels, and particularly the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was once teaching a large crowd near the home of his own family, and when this came to their attention, his family went to see him and `` they '' ( not specified ) said that Jesus was ``... out of his mind. '' Then he went home ; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ' He has gone out of his mind. ' -- Mark 3 : 20 -- 21 New Revised Standard Version. And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him ; for they were saying, ' He has lost His senses. ' -- Mark 3 : 20 -- 21 New American Standard Bible. In the narrative of the Synoptic Gospels, and of the Gospel of Thomas, when Jesus ' mother and adelphoi are outside the house that Jesus is teaching in, Jesus tells the crowd that whoever does what God wills would constitute his mother and adelphoi. According to Kilgallen, Jesus ' answer was a way of underlining that his life had changed to the degree that his family were far less important than those that he teaches about the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of John states that Jesus ' adelphoi did not believe in him, because he would not perform miracles with them at the Feast of Tabernacles. Some scholars have suggested that the portrayal in the Gospel of Mark of the initial rejection of Jesus by his family may be related to the tension between Paul of Tarsus and Jewish Christians, who -- according to them -- held Jesus ' family in high regard, for example at the Council of Jerusalem. Karl Keating says that in Jewish culture younger brothers ( blood siblings ) never rebuked, or even advised, their elders, for it was considered great disrespect to do so ; but in Mark 3 : 21, also in John 7 : 3 -- 4, Jesus ' brothers are shown doing that. Absence of Jesus ' brothers There are some events in scripture where brothers or sisters of Jesus are not shown, e.g. when Jesus was lost in the Temple and during his crucifixion. This is argued to support the view that `` brothers '' of Jesus are not blood brothers or siblings, although some reject this. Luke 2 : 41 -- 51 reports the visit of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old but does not mention any siblings. Robert Eisenman is of the belief that Luke sought to minimise the importance of Jesus ' family by whatever means possible, editing James and Jesus ' brothers out of the Gospel record. Keating argues that Mary and Joseph rushed without hesitation straight back to Jerusalem when they realized Jesus was lost, which they would surely have thought twice about doing if there were other children ( Jesus ' blood brothers or sisters ) to look after. The Gospel of John records the sayings of Jesus on the cross, i.e. the pair of commands `` Woman, behold your son ! '' and `` Behold, thy mother ! '' ( John 19 : 26 -- 27 ), then states that `` from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home ''. Since the era of the Church Fathers this statement has been used to reason that after the death of Jesus there was no other biological children to look after Mary, and she had to be entrusted to the disciple. Constantine Zalalas argues that it would have been against Jewish custom for Jesus to give his mother to the care of the disciple if Mary had other living sons, because the eldest son would always take responsibility for his mother. Karl Keating says `` It is hard to imagine why Jesus would have disregarded family ties and made this provision for his Mother if these four ( James, Joseph / Joses, Simon, Jude ) were also her sons ''. Pope John Paul II also says that the command `` Behold your son ! '' was the entrustment of the disciple to Mary in order to fill the maternal gap left by the death of her only son on the cross. Vincent Taylor points out difficulties in this interpretation of the text : it ignores both the fact that Jesus ' brothers opposed his claims, and the position of honour of John, the beloved disciple. References Jump up ^ Greek New Testament, Matthew 13 : 55 : `` οὐχ οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός ; οὐχ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγεται μαριὰμ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἰάκωβος καὶ ἰωσὴφ καὶ σίμων καὶ ἰούδας ; '' Jump up ^ Paul the Apostle refers to James as `` the Lord 's brother '' and as one of the `` pillars '' alongside Cephas and John Galatians 1 : 18 -- 19 ; 2 : 9 -- 10 Jump up ^ Calvin, John ( 2009 ). Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke -- Volume 2. Grand Rapids, MI : Christian Classics Ethereal Library. ASIN B002C1BMTI. ^ Jump up to : Cross, FL, ed. ( 2005 ), `` Brethren of the Lord '', The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, New York : Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ Giuseppe Ricciotti, Vita di Gesu Cristo, 3rd edition, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1962 : in Hebraic language there is no specific word for our `` cousin ''. Also, in Hebraic Bible the words `` brother '' and `` sister '' are frequently used referring to people with very different degree of kinship. ^ Jump up to : Africanus, Julius, The Epistle to Aristides, p. 242. Jump up ^ δεσπόσυνος. Liddell, Henry George ; Scott, Robert ; A Greek -- English Lexicon at the Perseus Project. ^ Jump up to : Cross, FL, ed. ( 2005 ), `` Jerusalem '', The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity ( Scarecrow Press 2012 ISBN 978 - 0 - 8108 - 7179 - 3 ), p. 31 Jump up ^ Brackney 2012, p. 57 Jump up ^ Painter, John ( 2004 ), Just James : The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition, University of South Carolina Press, p. 326. Jump up ^ Brown, Raymond Edward ; Achtemeier, Paul J ( 1978 ), Mary in the New Testament : A Collaborative Assessment by Protestant and Roman Catholic Scholars, Paulist Press, pp. 65 -- 68, ISBN 0 - 8091 - 2168 - 9. ^ Jump up to : of Salamis, Epiphanius. The Panarion Book I ( Sects 1 -- 46 ) Part 29 : 3 : 9 and 29 : 4 : 1. masseiana.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015. Jump up ^ of Caesarea, Eusebius, `` 11 '', Church History, Book III. Jump up ^ Funk 1998, pp. 527 -- 34. ^ Jump up to : Cross, FL, ed. ( 2005 ), `` James, St '', The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press. Jump up ^ of Cæsarea, Eusebius, `` Ecclesiastical history '', Bibliotheca Augustana, DE : HS Augsburg, 1. Jump up ^ of Cæsarea, Eusebius, `` Ecclesiastical history '', Bibliotheca Augustana, DE : HS Augsburg, 3. Jump up ^ Segal, Charles ( 1999 ), Tragedy and civilization : an interpretation of Sophocles, p. 184, word for ' brother, ' adelphos, from a - ( ' same, ' equivalent to homo - ) and delphys ( ' womb, ' equivalent to splanchna ). Jump up ^ `` Matthew 12 : 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother ''. biblehub.com. ^ Jump up to : Bethel ( 1907 ) Jump up ^ T.C. Lawler, Walter J. Burghardt, ed. ( 1951 ), Tertullian, Treatises on marriage and remarriage, p. 160 Jump up ^ Jerome ( c. 383 ), `` The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary -- Against Helvidius '', in Philip Schaff ; Henry Wace ; Kevin Knight, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6, Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley, Buffalo, New York : Christian Literature Publishing Co. ( retrieved from New Advent ) Jump up ^ Hastings ( 1927 ), `` Part 4 '', Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, p. 653, In later times, but still within the period covered by the Bible, the grandson often gets the name of the grandfather. Jump up ^ M. Miller ( 1953 ), `` Greek Kinship Terminology '', The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Cambridge University Press, 73 : 46 -- 52, doi : 10.2307 / 628235, JSTOR 628235 Jump up ^ 431. anepsios, Bible Hub Jump up ^ Shanks, Hershel ; Witherington III, Ben, The Brother of Jesus -- The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family, pp. 94 -- 95, retrieved 4 August 2014, There was indeed a word for cousin in Greek, anepsios, and it is never used of James or the other siblings of Jesus. It is interesting how the second - century Christian writer Hegesippus distinguishes ( page 95 ) between those who were cousins of Jesus ( anepsioi ), and James and Jude, who are called brothers of Jesus ( cited in the fourth - century historian Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 4.22. 4 ; see 2.23. 4, 3.20. 1 ). Jump up ^ Allen C. Myers, ed. ( 1987 ). `` Aramaic ''. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI : William B. Eerdmans. p. 72. ISBN 0 - 8028 - 2402 - 1. Jump up ^ Robert Schihl, `` The Perpetual Virginity of Mary '', A Biblical Apologetic of the Catholic Faith, retrieved from EWTN Jump up ^ John Saward ( 2002 ), Cradle of Redeeming Love : the Theology of the Christmas Mystery, San Francisco : Ignatius Press, p. 18, ISBN 0 - 89870 - 886 - 9 Jump up ^ Achille Camerlynck ( 1910 ), `` St. James the Less '', The Catholic Encyclopedia, 8, New York : Robert Appleton Company ( retrieved from New Advent ) Jump up ^ College, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus ; translated by Young Richard Kim, Calvin ( 2014 ). Ancoratus 60 : 1. Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America Press. p. 144. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8132 - 2591 - 3. Retrieved 22 September 2015. Jump up ^ Williams, translated by Frank ( 1994 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis : Books II and III ( Sects 47 -- 80, De Fide ). Leiden : E.J. Brill. p. 607. ISBN 9789004098985. Retrieved 18 September 2015. Jump up ^ Williams, translated by Frank ( 2013 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis ( Second, revised ed. ). Leiden ( u.a. ) : Brill. p. 36. ISBN 9789004228412. Retrieved 18 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : Origen, Commentary on Matthew, Newadvent.org, § 17. Jump up ^ Church Fathers : The History of Joseph the Carpenter. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Jump up ^ Infancy Gospel of James. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Jump up ^ P. Thomas, Joseph. Catholic Encyclopedia : St. Joseph. Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 7 December 2016. Jump up ^ Harrison, Everett F ( 1968 ), A Short Life of Christ, p. 58, In opposition to Helvidius, Jerome ( Hierony - mus, hence the name Hieronymian for his view ) insisted that the brethren were kinsmen, specifically first cousins, being sons of Mary 's sister, namely, that Mary who was the wife of Clopas. Jump up ^ Papias of Hierapolis. Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. Fragment X. Peter Kirby. Retrieved 10 September 2015. Jump up ^ Lightfoot, J.B. ( 1865 ). `` The Brethren of the Lord ''. philologos.org. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 31. The testimony of Papias is frequently quoted at the head of the patristic authorities, as favouring the view of Jerome. (... ). It is strange that able and intelligent critics should not have seen through a fabrication which is so manifestly spurious. (... ) ( T ) he passage was written by a mediaeval namesake of the Bishop of Hierapolis, Papias (... ) who lived in the 11th century. Jump up ^ `` Papias of Hierapolis ''. textexcavation.com. Archived from the original on 2015 - 11 - 16. Jump up ^ Jon Kennedy ; Jenny Schroedel ; John Schroedel ( 2010 ), Jesus and Mary, Adams Media, ISBN 9781572157491 Jump up ^ Martin Luther on Mary 's Perpetual Virginity, archived from the original on 2008 - 12 - 21. Jump up ^ Zwingli, Ulrich ( 1905 ), `` Eini Predigt von der ewig reinen Magd Maria '', in Egli, Emil ; Finsler, Georg ; Zwingli - Verein, Georg, Huldreich Zwinglis sämtliche Werke ( in German ), 1, Zürich : C.A. Schwetschke & Sohn, p. 385, retrieved 2008 - 07 - 01, I firmly believe that ( Mary ), according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin Jump up ^ Wesley, John ; Benson, Joseph ( 1812 ), The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, p. 112, I believe that He was made man, joining the human nature with the divine in one person ; being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought Him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin. Jump up ^ Yarnell, Malcolm B. ( 2013 ). The Anabaptists and Contemporary Baptists. B&H Publishing Group. p. 130. ISBN 9781433681745. Question 53 of the Kinderfragen posed, `` What do you believe about the Virgin Mary ? '' It parallesls questions 68 of the Lehrtafel, which solicited, `` What do you believe regarding Our Lady ? Both catechisms spoke of her perpetual virginity. The Kindergragen proclaimed `` that she was pure before the birth, during the birth, and after the birth, a humble maiden, '' while the Lehrtafel declared that `` she was a pure, chaste, and spotless Virgin before, during, and after the birth. '' Jump up ^ Jimmy Akin, Ossuary of James -- I : Burial Box of St. James Found ?, Catholic Answers, archived from the original on 2014 - 02 - 10 ^ Jump up to : Longenecker, Dwight ; Gustafson, David ( 2003 ). Mary. Gracewing Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 9780852445822. Jump up ^ Erasmus, Desiderius ( 1998 ). Disputatiuncula de Taedio, Pavore, Tristicia Iesu. University of Toronto Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780802043092. The Lutherans accepted the perpetual virginity of Mary, while rejecting the invocation of the saints. Jump up ^ Radano, John A. ( 30 April 2012 ). Celebrating a Century of Ecumenism : Exploring the Achievements of International Dialogue. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 9780802867056. Baptists do not find a scriptural basis for Catholic beliefs about her perpetual virginity, immaculate conception, and bodily assumption. Jump up ^ Witherington, Ben III, `` Jesus ' Extended Family '', Bible Review, 19 ( 3 ) : 30 -- 31, So James, according to this view, would be Jesus ' younger half - brother. Jump up ^ The Nelson Study Bible ( NKJV ), pp. 2102, 2156, James, the half brother of Jesus, traditionally called ' the Just ' (... ) Jude the brother of James and the half brother of the Lord Jesus. The term `` half brother '' is used to denote parentage, not genetics. In this view, the other brothers and sisters listed in the Gospel passages would have the same relationship to Jesus. However, some Protestants reject the term `` half brother '' because it is too specific ; the Gospel accounts refer to these relatives as brothers and sisters of Jesus, without specifying their parents, and refer to Mary only in relation to Jesus. Jump up ^ Funk 1998, pp. 51 -- 161. Jump up ^ For instance, in 16 of the 36 verses of the chapter Genesis 37. Jump up ^ For instance, in 8 of the 18 verses of the chapter ESV Jump up ^ 2 Samuel 13. Jump up ^ 2 Samuel 3 : 2 -- 3. Jump up ^ `` Jesus ' Family Tree '', Frontline, PBS Jump up ^ S. Shearer ( 1953 ). `` The ' Bretheren of the Lord ' ''. In Orchard, Orchard. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. § 673f. New York : Thomas Nelson & Sons. Jump up ^ Wilson, AN ( 1992 ), Jesus : A Life, New York : Norton & Co, p. 86,... it would not be surprising if other parts of the church, particularly the Gentiles, liked telling stories about Jesus as a man who had no sympathy or support from his family. Jump up ^ Butz, Jeffrey ( 2005 ), The brother of Jesus and the lost teachings of Christianity, Rochester, VT : Inner Traditions, p. 44,... by the time Mark was writing in the late 60s, the Gentile churches outside of Israel were beginning to resent the authority wielded by Jerusalem where James and the apostles were leaders, thus providing the motive for Mark 's anti-family stance... Jump up ^ Crosson, John Dominic ( 1973 ), `` Mark and the relatives of Jesus '', Novum Testamentum, 15. Jump up ^ Mack, Burton ( 1988 ), A myth of innocence : Mark and Christian origins, Philadelphia : Fortress. Jump up ^ Painter, John ( 1999 ), Just James : The brother of Jesus in history and tradition, Minneapolis : Fortress. ^ Jump up to : Karl Keating ( 1988 ), Catholicism and Fundamentalism : The Attack on `` Romanism '' by `` Bible Christians '', Ignatius Press, p. 284, ISBN 978 - 0 - 89870 - 177 - 7 Jump up ^ Robert Eisenman ( 2002 ), James, the Brother of Jesus '' ( Watkins ) Jump up ^ Burke, Raymond L. ; et al. ( 2008 ). Mariology : A Guide for Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons ISBN 978 - 1 - 57918 - 355 - 4 pp. 308 -- 309 Jump up ^ Mark Miravalle, 1993, Introduction to Mary, Queenship Publishing ISBN 978 - 1 - 882972 - 06 - 7, pp. 62 -- 63 Jump up ^ Fundamentals of Catholicism by Kenneth Baker 1983 ISBN 0 - 89870 - 019 - 1 pp. 334 -- 335 Jump up ^ Constantine Zalalas : Holy Theotokos : Apologetic Study Jump up ^ L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 30 April 1997, p. 11 Article at EWTN Jump up ^ Vincent Taylor, The Gospel According to St Mark, 1952, MacMillan, London. p. 248 Bibliography Bethel, Florentine ( 1907 ), `` The Brethren of the Lord '', The Catholic Encyclopedia, 2, New York : Robert Appleton Company ( retrieved from New advent ) Funk, Robert W ( 1998 ), The acts of Jesus : the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus, The Jesus Seminar, San Francisco : Harper, ISBN 9780060629786 Further reading Kilgallen, John J ( 1989 ), A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Paulist. Tabor, James D ( 2006 ), The Jesus Dynasty, Simon & Schuster. Aslan, Reza ( 2014 ), Zealot : The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, HarperCollins Publishers India, ISBN 978 - 9351360773 External links Jerome ( c. 383 ), `` The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary -- Against Helvidius '', in Philip Schaff ; Henry Wace ; Kevin Knight, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6, Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley, Buffalo, New York : Christian Literature Publishing Co. ( retrieved from New Advent ) Hunter, David G. ( Spring 1993 ). `` Helvidius, Jovinian, and the Virginity of Mary in Late Fourth - Century Rome ''. Journal of Early Christian Studies. Johns Hopkins University Press. 1 ( number 1 ) : 47 -- 71. doi : 10.1353 / earl. 0.0147. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 30. John J Rousseau, Rami Arav ( 1995 ), `` Jesus ' Family Tree '', Jesus and His World, Augsberg Fortress ( retrieved from PBS ) Jesus Historicity Chronology of Jesus Genealogy of Jesus Historical Jesus Quest for the historical Jesus portraits sources Josephus on Jesus Tacitus mention Mara bar Serapion letter Historicity Gospels race and appearance Life events Birth Nativity Mary Joseph Flight into Egypt Childhood Unknown years Baptism Temptation Apostles selecting Great Commission Ministry Sermon on the Mount Plain Prayers Lord 's Prayer Parables Miracles Transfiguration Homelessness Last Supper Passion arrest trial Crucifixion sayings on the cross Tomb Resurrection Ascension New Testament Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Gospel harmony Oral gospel traditions Life of Jesus in the New Testament Historical background of the New Testament New Testament places associated with Jesus Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament Culture Language of Jesus Bibliography Films Christianity Christ Christianity Christology Depictions of Jesus art Jesus in Christianity pre-existence incarnation Relics associated with Jesus Scholastic Lutheran Christology Second Coming Session of Christ Other views Brothers of Jesus Holy Family Jesuism Jesus in comparative mythology Christ myth theory Jesus in Islam Ahmadiyya Jesus in Scientology Judaism 's view of Jesus in the Talmud Master Jesus Religious perspectives on Jesus Criticism Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brothers_of_Jesus&oldid=841194607 '' Categories : Brothers of Jesus 1st - century Christianity Sibling groups Bible - related controversies Christianity in Jerusalem Christian terminology Family of Jesus Followers of Jesus Jesus and history People from Nazareth Hidden categories : Articles containing Ancient Greek - language text CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2016 Pages with Bible book errors Pages with numeric Bible version references Articles containing Greek - language text All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from July 2015 Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from September 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Português Română Русский 中文 7 more Edit links This page was last edited on 14 May 2018, at 15 : 14. 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Question: where does the bible talk about jesus brothers
Answer: Gospel of Mark 6:3