Brothers of Jesus

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This article is about the persons described as Jesus' brothers. For the Catholic religious congregation, see Little Brothers of Jesus.
"Adelphoi," the Greek word for "siblings" or specifically "brothers," redirects here. For siblings, including brothers, in general, see Sibling and Brother.
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The brothers of Jesus or the adelphoi (Greek: ἀδελφοί, translit. adelphoí, lit. "of the same womb")[1][Notes 1] are named in the New Testament as James, Joses (a form of Joseph), Simon, Jude,[2] and unnamed sisters are mentioned in Mark and Matthew.[3] They may have been: (1) the sons of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, (2) sons of Mary the wife of Cleophas and sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus; or (3) sons of Joseph by a former marriage. While option 1 is described as the "most natural inference" from the New Testament, those who uphold the perpetual virginity of Mary reject the idea of biological brethren and maintain that the brothers and sisters were either cousins of Jesus (option 2, the position of the Catholic Church) or children of Joseph from a previous marriage (option 3, the Eastern Orthodox Churches).[4] The Lutheran Churches have accepted both option 2 and option 3 as being valid explanations for the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.[5]

Etymology

According to context, the Greek plural noun ἀδελφοί (adelphoi), from a- ('same') and delphys ('womb'),[1] may mean physical brothers, physical brothers and sisters, figurative brothers, or figurative brothers and sisters.[6] Adelphoi sometimes means more than a blood brother, e.g., Gen 29:12; Rom 9:3 (kinsman); Matt 5:22-23 (neighbor); Mark 6:17-18 (step-brother). In such instances the context must determine the meaning.[7] Adelphoi is distinct from anepsios, meaning cousin, nephew, niece, and this word is never used to describe James and the other siblings of Jesus.[8] Although neither Hebrew nor Aramaic had a word for "cousin", both customarily spoke of a cousin as a "son of an uncle" (Heb. ben dod; Aram. bar dad)[7] and the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, never translates either expression as "brother" or "sister".[7]

The Vulgate renders with the Latin word frater (e.g. Mark 6:3), which, even in classical Latin, can also mean "maternal cousin" or "paternal cousin".[9]

Adelphoi (brethren) of Jesus

James the Just, sixteenth century Russian icon

Mark 6:3 names James, Joses, Judas (conventionally known in English as Jude) and Simon as the brothers of Jesus, and Matthew 13:55, which probably used Mark as its source, gives the same names in different order, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.[10] "Joseph" is simply the longer form of "Joses", and so it appears that James was the eldest and Joses/Joseph the next, but as Matthew has reversed the order of the last two it is uncertain who was the youngest.[11] Unnamed sisters are mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:56 and may be implied in Mark 3:35 and Matthew 12:46, but their number is unknown.[3]

The gospels indicate a rift between Jesus and his brothers in the early part of his ministry (see

Acts 1:14 with the Eleven (i.e., the remaining disciples after the betrayal by Judas Iscariot): "These all (the Eleven) were persevering in prayer along with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."[13]

In

Galatians 1:19 Paul tells how he went to Jerusalem a few years after his conversion and met Cephas (Peter) but no other apostles, only "James, the brother of the Lord";[19] Paul's Greek leaves it unclear whether he includes, or does not include, James among the apostles.[20] He goes on to describe a second visit fourteen years later when he met the "pillars of the Church", James and Peter and John; James is mentioned first and seems to be the primary leader among these three.[14] In chapter 2 he describes how he and Peter were later in Antioch and in the habit of dining with gentile Christians in breach of Jewish torah, until "certain people from James" came and Peter withdrew, "fearing those who belong to the circumcision."[21] The 1st century historian Josephus tells how he was martyred by the Jews in 62 CE on charges of breaking the Jewish Law.[17]

Paul records in 1 Corinthians that the other brothers of Jesus (that is, other than James, who is portrayed as rooted in Jerusalem) travelled as evangelists, and that they were married ("Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas (Peter)?" -

1 Corinthians 9:5).[22] The 3rd century Apostolic Father Eusebius left a list of 12 bishops of the early church, of whom two, Joseph/Joses and Jude, may be the brothers of Jesus.[23] The number of sisters and their names are not specified in the New Testament, but the apocryphal 3rd century Gospel of Philip mentions a Mary, and Salome, who appears in the late 2nd century Gospel of James, is arguably the other sister.[24]

The author of the epistle of James introduces himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ".[25] He does not identify himself as the brother of Jesus or an apostle or a leader of the church in any way,[17] but one recent study characterises this letter as "the most Jewish text in the New Testament".[26] The epistle of Jude identifies its author as "Jude...the brother of James", but today there is widespread, although not unanimous, support for the view that it was composed in the early part of the 2nd century by an unknown author borrowing the name of the brother of Jesus.[27] Hegesippus mentions a Simon or Simeon (the names are equivalent) who became leader of the Jerusalem church after the death of James, but makes this Simon a son of Clopas, the brother of Joseph.[28]

Of the "brothers," however, no direct relationship to Mary or Joseph is ever indicated. Only Jesus is referred to as "son of Mary," "the son of Mary," or "son of Joseph." Only Jesus is the subject of the [[Old Testament messianic prophecies quoted in the New Testament |Old Testament messianic prophecies]] and only of him is the genealogy proposed.[29]

Relationship to Jesus

Martyrdom of St. Simeon (Menologion of Basil II, 10th century)

The 19th century scholar J.B. Lightfoot identified three possible positions on the relationship to Jesus of those called his brothers and sisters by reference to their 4th century advocates, namely the Helvidian (after Helvidius, who wrote c. 380), the Epiphanian (after Epiphanius of Salamis, 315-403), and the Hieronymian (after Jerome, 349-419/20).[30] A fourth position, not mentioned by Lightfoot, is that the adelphoi were full-blooded brothers and sisters of Jesus.[30]

Full blood-brothers and sisters of Jesus

This position rejects the

Jewish Christian sect, who rejected both the incarnation and divinity of Jesus. It is also arguably the position presupposed by Mark, John, and Paul, who do not mention the virginal conception of Jesus. [30]

Half-brothers and sisters of Jesus (Helvidian view)

The view of Helvidius was that the adelphoi were half siblings of Jesus born to Mary and Joseph after the firstborn Jesus.[31] This is the most common Protestant position,[31] and is taken today by a large number of scholars, including a few who identify as Roman Catholic.[32] The following hypothetical family tree is from Jesus and His World book written by John J Rousseau and Rami Arav: [33][34]

Mary
JosephClopasanother Mary
JesusJames
d. 62		JosesSimonsistersisterJudeSimeon
successor to James as head
of the Jerusalem Church
d. 106
?
?
Bishop Judah Kyriakos
fl. c. 148–49

Stepbrothers of Jesus (Epiphanian view)

The Epiphanian view, named after its main proponent, the fourth-century bishop

Eusebius, the “brothers” and “sisters” mentioned in the New Testament are sons of Joseph from a previous marriage, and hence stepbrothers of Jesus; this is still the official position of the Eastern Orthodox churches.[35]

Mary
Josephearlier wife
JesusJamesJosesSimonJude

Cousins of Jesus (Hieronymian view)

The Hieronymian view was put forward in the 4th century by

Roman Catholic church continues to teach that the adelphoi were cousins of Jesus.[38] The following family tree is from Richard Bauckham, "Jude and the Relatives of James":[39]

AnneJoachim
Mary
another MaryClopas
JesusJames the LessJosesSimonJude

Jerome's argument produces the unlikely result of two sisters both named Mary.[39] A modern variant eliminates this by identifying Clopas as the brother of Joseph, thereby making the two Marys sisters-in-law; in this version Jesus' cousin Simon is identified with Symeon the second leader of the church in Jerusalem.[39][40] The following family tree is from Richard Bauckham, "Jude and the Relatives of James":[41]

Jacob
Mary
JosephClopasanother Mary
JesusJames the Less
 
 		Joses
 
 		Simon
second bishop
of Jerusalem		Jude
 
 

Development of the tradition

Kiev

From the 2nd century onward the developing emphasis on ascetism and celibacy as the superior form of Christian practice, together with an emphasis on the chastity of Mary, led to the idea that she had been a virgin not only before, but during and after, the birth of Christ.

Protoevangelium of James;[44] this depicts Mary as a life-long virgin, Joseph as an old man who marries her without physical desire, and the brothers of Jesus as Joseph's sons by an earlier marriage.[45]

By the 3rd century, the doctrine of the

James and his three brothers (Joses, Simeon, Judah) and two sisters (a Salome and a Mary or a Salome and an Anna)[50] 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.[51][52] Origen (184–254) also wrote "according to the Gospel of Peter the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary".[53]

The History of Joseph the Carpenter, probably written in Egypt in the 5th century and heavily indebted to the Protoevangelium of James, depicts Joseph as an old widower with children from a previous marriage, thus clarifying the New Testament references to Jesus' brothers.[54]

According to the surviving fragments of the work Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord of the

J.B. Lightfoot dismissed Papias' evidence as spurious.[56][57]

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, which was probably written in the seventh century, states the brothers of Jesus were his cousins.[58]

Anabaptist leader Balthasar Hubmaier, teaches the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary too.[62] The Catholic Church, following Jerome, conclude that the adelphoi were Jesus' cousins, while Eastern Orthodox Church, following Eusebius and Epiphanius, argue they were Joseph's children from a previous marriage. Lutherans have accepted both views as being valid explanations of the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, while Anglicans and Methodists concur with the latter view.[63][64][5]

Other Christian denominations, such as some Baptist groups,[65] view the adelphoi as Jesus' half-brothers or do not specify,[63] since the accounts in the Gospels do not speak of Mary's relationship to them but only to Jesus.[66][67]

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. 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 Luke sought to minimise the importance of Jesus' family by whatever means possible, editing James and Jesus' brothers out of the Gospel record.[68] The Catholic apologist Keating argues 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.[69]

The

John Paul II also says 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.[74] 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.[75]

Desposyni - descendants of Jesus' family

Eusebius of Caesarea, medieval Armenian Manuscript from Isfahan, Persia

The early Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus (died c. 240), in his "Genealogy of the Holy Gospels", referred to "relatives of our Lord according to the flesh" whom he called desposyni, meaning "from the Lord's family".[76]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Greek singular noun adelphos, from a- ("same", equivalent to homo-) and delphys ("womb," equivalent to splanchna).

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Segal 1999, p. 184.
  2. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 237.
  3. ^ a b Bauckham 2015, p. 8.
  4. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 237-238.
  5. ^ a b Futrell, Rich (27 April 2013). "What are We to Make of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary?". Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  6. ^ Strauss 2009, p. 134.
  7. ^ a b c Edwards 2020, p. 159.
  8. ^ Shanks & Witherington 2003, p. 94.
  9. ^ Article "Frater" in Karl Ernst Georges, Oreste Badellino, Ferruccio Calonghi, Dizionario Latino-Italiano, Rosenberg & Sellier.
  10. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 6,8.
  11. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 7.
  12. ^ deSilva 2012, p. 34,37.
  13. ^ a b deSilva 2012, p. 37.
  14. ^ a b Boring 2012, p. 435.
  15. ^ Schreiner 2011, p. 110.
  16. ^ Painter 2001, p. 11.
  17. ^ a b c Hagner 2012, p. 780.
  18. ^ a b Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 857.
  19. ^ deSilva 2018, p. 101.
  20. ^ Matera 2007, p. 66.
  21. ^ Matera 2007, p. 84.
  22. ^ Butz 2005, p. 67.
  23. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 76.
  24. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 39.
  25. ^ McKnight 2011, p. 13.
  26. ^ Lockett 2011, p. 9.
  27. ^ Boring 2012, p. 450.
  28. ^ Bauckham 2008, p. 72.
  29. ^ Frédéric Manns, Trenta domande (e Trenta Risposte) su Maria e la Nascita Di Gesù, Milano, Vita e Pensiero, 2007, p. 31.
  30. ^ a b c Painter 2001, p. 12.
  31. ^ a b Butz 2005, p. 27.
  32. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 19.
  33. ^ Rousseau, John J; Arav, Rami. "Jesus' Family Tree". www.pbs.org. PBS. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  34. ^ Rousseau & Arav 1995, p. passim.
  35. ^ Butz 2005, p. 26-27.
  36. ^ Kelly 1975, p. 106.
  37. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 238.
  38. ^ Butz 2005, p. 26.
  39. ^ a b c Bauckham 2015, p. 21.
  40. ^ Roberto Reggi, I fratelli di Gesù, EDB, Bologna, 2010.
  41. ^ Bauckham 2015, p. 22.
  42. ^ Bromiley 1995, p. 271.
  43. ^ Boisclair 2007, p. 1465.
  44. ^ Lohse 1966, p. 200.
  45. ^ Hurtado 2005, p. 448.
  46. ^ Foster 2008, p. 117.
  47. ^ Brackney 2012, p. 31.
  48. ^ Brackney 2012, p. 57.
  49. ^ of Rome, Hippolytus. Against Beron and Helix: Fragment VIII. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  50. ISBN 978-0-8132-2591-3. Retrieved 22 September 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  51. ISBN 9789004098985
    . Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  52. ISBN 9789004228412
    . Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  53. ^ a b Origen, Commentary on Matthew, Newadvent, § 17.
  54. ^ Ehrman & Plese 2011, p. 157.
  55. ^ of Hierapolis, Papias. "Fragment X". Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. Peter Kirby. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  56. Lightfoot, J.B. (1865). "The Brethren of the Lord". Philo logos. Archived from the original
    on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2016. 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.
  57. ^ "Papias of Hierapolis". Text excavation. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015.
  58. ISBN 978-1-57215749-1[permanent dead link
    ]
  59. ^ Martin Luther on Mary's Perpetual Virginity, archived from the original on 21 December 2008.
  60. ^ Zwingli, Ulrich (1905), "Eini Predigt von der ewig reinen Magd Maria", in Egli, Emil; Finsler, Georg; Zwingli-Verein, Georg (eds.), Huldreich Zwinglis sämtliche Werke (in German), vol. 1, Zürich: C. A. Schwetschke & Sohn, p. 385, retrieved 1 July 2008, 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
  61. ^ Wesley, John (1812), Benson, Joseph (ed.), 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.
  62. ISBN 978-1-43368174-5
    . 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."
  63. ^
    ISBN 9780852445822
    .
  64. ISBN 9780802043092
    . The Lutherans accepted the perpetual virginity of Mary, while rejecting the invocation of the saints.
  65. ISBN 9780802867056
    . Baptists do not find a scriptural basis for Catholic beliefs about her perpetual virginity, immaculate conception, and bodily assumption.
  66. ^ Witherington, Ben III, "Jesus' Extended Family", Bible Review, 19 (3): 30–31, So James, according to this view, would be Jesus' younger half-brother.
  67. ^ 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[by whom?] 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.
  68. ^ Eisenman, Robert (2002), James, the Brother of Jesus, Watkins.
  69. ^
    ISBN 978-0-89870-177-7
  70. ISBN 978-1-57918-355-4
    pp. 308–309
  71. ISBN 978-1-882972-06-7
    , pp. 62–63
  72. ISBN 0-89870-019-1
    pp. 334–35
  73. ^ Zalalas, Constantine, Holy Theotokos: Apologetic Study.
  74. ^ L'Osservatore Romano, weekly ed. in English, 30 April 1997, p. 11 Article at EWTN Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  75. ^ Taylor, Vincent (1952), The Gospel According to St Mark, London: MacMillan, p. 248
  76. ^ Rosik & Wojciechowska 2021, p. 108.

Bibliography

External links
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