Did Jesus have a half brother?

Answer 1

The "brothers & sister" of Jesus, were really His cousins. Proof: St. James, the "brother of Jesus," is identified in the Gospels, as the "son of Alpheus."

In addition, in St. John's Gospel, Jesus Gave His Blessed Mother over to St. John's care, while He was Dying on the Cross. That meant there were no other children to care for His Mother.

Jesus' cousins were: Sts. James, Jude Thaddeus, & Simeon. There were also a few others who were not Apostles, & had even doubted Our Lord's Ministry.

Another perspective: The half-brothers of Jesus were named James, Joses, Simon and Judas (Matthew 13:55).

Answer

These were the names of Jesus' half brothers : Justus, Simeon, James, and Judas - History of Joseph the Carpenter.

They were the sons of widower Joseph, Justus and Simeon being his adult sons with his first wife, and James the Less and Judas being his children sons, fostered from their father, his widowed nephew Alphaeus - History of Joseph the Carpenter, Nativity Gospels and History Gospels of the Virgin Mary.

Justus was known as Joseph, and Judas was known as Joses - Nativity Gospels and History Gospels of the Virgin Mary.

In not knowing the family relationships and that Joses was the dubbed name or nickname for Judas, many transcribers have incompetently placed Joses in the place where Joseph or Justus is named - Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3; and have incompetently placed Joseph where Joses is named at Mark 15:40 and 15:47.

Mary(of Clopas) the second wife of Alphaeus is identified at Mark 15:40 and 15:47, being the (step) mother of James the Less and Judas, she not being the stepmother of James and Joseph (Justus).

All the sons of Joseph, revered Jesus - Blessed Matthew's Infancy Gospel of Mary - with James and Judas chosen by Jesus to be in the Twelve disciples.

Answer 2

Most Protestant sects say yes; Roman Catholics usually say no.

There are several passages in The Bible that refer to Jesus' "brothers". Roman Catholics, who believe that not only was Mary a virgin at the time of Jesus' birth, but that she remained a virgin her entire life, explain this away by saying the word used in the original was occasionally used to mean "cousins" (which is true, though it's not the most common usage). Most Protestants, who don't think the Bible says anything in particular about Mary's continued virginity post-Bethlehem, take the word more or less at face value to mean "(half)-brothers".

Answer 3

There are passages in the New Testament, particularly in the gospels, that refer to the biological brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Matthew 12:26-27 (New International Version) says, "While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothersstood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.'" This incident is retold in the gospels of Mark and Luke.

Another passage, Matthew 13:54-56 (New International Version) says, "Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?' they said. 'Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?'"

Finally, Acts 1:14 says, "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."

Roman Catholic AnswerNo, all indications, both from Scripture and Tradition, make it obvious that Jesus had no brothers or sisters:

from A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, by Dave Armstrong, Sophia Institute Press, © 2003

Pope Paul IV, in his Constitution, Cum Quorumdam Hominum, of 1555, expressed the constant teaching of the Catholic Church concerning both the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and the perpetual virginity of Mary:

We question and admonish all those who . . . have asserted, taught, and believed . . . that our Lord . . . was not conceived from the Holy Spirit according to the flesh in the womb of the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, but, as other men, from the see of Joseph . . . or that the same Blessed Virgin Mary is not truly the mother of God and did not retrain her virginity intact before the birth, in the birth, and perpetually after the birth. (In Neuner and Dupuis, The Christian Faith, 217. See CCC, pars 484-486, 496-498, 502-506, 510, 723 (for the virgin birth); pars 499-501, 507, 510, 721 (for the perpetual virginity of Mary))

The Greek word for brother in the New Testament is adelphos. The well-known Protestant linguistic reference An Expository Dictionary of the New Testament Words defines it as follows:

1. Male children of the same parents . . .

2. Male descendants of the same parents, Acts 7:23, 26; Hebrews 7:5 . . .

4. People of the same nationality, Acts 3:17, 22; Romans 9:3 . . .

5. Any man, a neighbor, Luke 10:29; Matthew 5:22, 7:3;

6. Persons united by a common interest, Matthew 5:47;

7. Persons united by a common calling, Revelation 22:9;

8. Mankind, Matthew 25:40; Hebrews 2:17;

9. The disciples, and so, by implication, all believers, Matthew 28:10; John 20:17;

10. Believers, apart from sex, Matthew 23:8; Acts 1:15; Romans 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Revelation 19:10 (the word sisters is used of believers, only in 1 Timothy 5:2) . . . . (Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New testament Words, Vol. 1, 154-155.)

It Is evident, therefore, from the range of possible definitions of adelphos, that Jesus' "brothers" need not necessarily be siblings of Jesus on linguistic grounds, as many commentators, learned and unlearned, seem to assume uncritically. Be examining the use of adelphos and related words in Hebrew, and by comparing Scripture with Scripture ("exegesis"), one can determine that most sensible explanation of all the biblical date taken collectively. Many examples prove that adelphos has a very wide variety of meanings:

In the King James Version, Jacob is called the "brother" of his Uncle Laban (Gen. 29:15; 29:10). The same thing occurs with regard to Lot and Abraham (Gen. 14:14; 11:26-27). The Revised Standard Version uses "kinsman" at 29:15 and 14:14.

Use of brother or brethren for mere kinsmen: Deuteronomy 23:7; 2 Samuel 1:26; 1 Kings 9:14, 20:32; 2 Kings 10:13-14; Jeremiah 24:9; Amos 1:9).

In Luke 2:41-51, ... it is fairly obvious that Jesus is the only child....

Jesus himself uses brethren in the larger sense: Matthew 23:8, 23:1; 12:49-50.

The term Firstborn means pre-eminent and nowhere assumes later siblings, etc.

Another answerSeveral references are made to Jesus' brothers and sisters, for example, Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, Mark 3:31 Matthew 13:55, Matthew 13:56, John 7:1-10, Acts 1:14 and Galatians 1:19. Some Roman Catholics claim that these 'brothers and sisters' were, in fact, his cousins but the Greek words used are reserved for siblings and not cousins. Another theory is that Joseph had a previous family, and that these brothers were stepbrothers, but there is no evidence for this at all.

Biblically several of Jesus' siblings are even named:

Matthew 13:55:

"Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?"

Matthew 27:56:

"Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children."

Mark 3:31:

"There came then His Brethren and His Mother, and standing without, sent unto Him calling Him."

Mark 6:3:

"Is not this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, the Brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him."

Mark 15:40:

"There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;"

Mark 16:1:

"And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the Mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him."

Galatians 1:19:

"But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother."

So, from just these references (there are others too) we know that Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters.

Therefore non-Catholics believe in the virginity of Mary until Christ's birth, but then she began a normal loving sexual relationship with her husband, Joseph.

Finally, Acts 1:14 says, "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."

Another answerJesus' half-brothers and sisters were by natural descent through His earthly-father Joseph and His mother Mary. These siblings are only half-brothers since Joseph was not a participant in His conception.

The passage below mentions the names of four of these half-brothers:

Matthew 13:55:

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? It must also in this connection be made clear that as there were other people present when this was said, including disciples, that these four were clearly intended in the context as being referred to as actual physical relations of Jesus, not spiritual brethren. It is also mentioned in several places that Jesus also had sisters (half-sisters): 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

Also, Jesus calls all who truly follow Him His 'brethren', both brothers and sisters. These are obviously of a great number down through the ages.

Answer 4

Jesus did have half brothers, named James, Joses, Simon and Judas (Matthew 13:55).

(And at least one half sister, named Salome.)

Answer 5

Yes the Bible does refer to his siblings.