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To: CynicalBear
Actually, Jesus' brothers were Joseph's children from his previous marriage to a woman named Salome.

If one looks at an Orthodox icon of the Flight into Egypt done in full traditional style without Western influences, you will see St. Joseph the Betrothed depicted as an aged man (as also in icons of the Nativity), and besides him and, as one would expect, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and Our Lord Jesus Christ as an infant, a young man. That young man is St. James, titled Brother of the Lord, later the first Bishop of Jerusalem (you will recall his presidency at the Council of Jerusalem recorded in The Acts of the Apostles).

St. James is so titled, because alone among Jesus' foster brothers (a state for which the Greek αδελφός would be used), not only did he share the exile in Egypt, but also shared his inheritance from Joseph with Our Lord.

Now, for those of you who fancy that the word "only" occurs somewhere in St. Paul's exhortation to Timothy, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. . ." (possibly in place of the word "all", as that seems to be where it would go from the way self-proclaimed "Biblical Christians" seem to use that passage -- rusty though my Greek is, I am certain "only" is not a valid translation of πᾶσα), I cannot prove what I telling you, as the relevant events are not recorded in the canonical Scriptures.

The Church in this matter regards the testimony of the Proto-Evangelium of James as trustworthy as to the basic outline of the life of the Virgin Mary: her dedication to God by Joachim and Anna, her vow of virginity, her life in the Temple until reaching puberty, her betrothal to the aged Joseph as a way of protecting her vow once she could no longer live in the Temple due to ritual purity laws, St. James's sharing of the exile in Egypt. . .

(A note to my separated Latin brethren, the strapping young virile-looking St. Joseph, intent on a life of asexual chastity, depicted in Western art never lived. St. Joseph was an aged widower when he was betrothed to Mary. Nor was it helpful that St. Jerome seems to have forgotten or never learned the truth of the matter, and started the speculation that αδελφός might have been used in a loose sense to mean "kinsman", the criticism of which position various and sundry heretics use to bolster their denial of the Perpetual Virginity of the Theotokos.)

Quite frankly, when people use the Church's Scriptures to try vainly to disprove what the Church has always taught, I am strongly tempted to adopt the position of Tertullian, that those outside the Church have no right to use her books.

344 posted on 05/31/2011 8:35:12 PM PDT by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know. . .)
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To: The_Reader_David

***Quite frankly, when people use the Church’s Scriptures to try vainly to disprove what the Church has always taught, I am strongly tempted to adopt the position of Tertullian, that those outside the Church have no right to use her books.***

Are you suggesting that I have not right to use the Bible?


349 posted on 05/31/2011 10:36:47 PM PDT by irishtenor (Everything in moderation, however, too much whiskey is just enough... Mark Twain)
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