Isn’t it a known fact that Jesus had a brother?
Naw. It was just a cousin, doncha know. After all, Joseph was told to not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born. This clearly means that Joseph never had sex with Mary.
I mean, how else can you interpret it? ;-)
And here is a fun exercise: Look at every verse in the new testament where Jesus is talking specifically about his mother. What do you think his attitude is?
Yes, he had brothers and sisters.....all born AFTER him..................
He had several brothers. But I’ve always thought it strange that Joseph just seems to disappears after Jesus is born. Other than being a witness that an angel visited him be apparently wasn’t a big part of the story.
Nothing in Scripture calls those "brothers" the son of Mary, or of Joseph for that matter. James and Joses are called the "brothers of the Lord" but they are also called "sons of Alphaeus".
As the Lutheran scholar Joachim Jeremias has noted, an obedient Jew can't absolve another Jew of his duty under the Law, so Jesus giving Mary over to John (not a blood relative) to be cared for was committing a serious sin -- as practically his last act on earth, no less! -- if he had living siblings.
Joseph had other sons before Mary (he was older, after all)
Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus, the "usual" way
Or, Jesus was an only child and Mary was "ever Virgin".
What difference does it make if he had half brothers?
I’ve never seen anywhere in the bible where it states that Mary remained a virgin following the birth of Jesus.
Seems pretty clear James was a half brother.
Galatians 1:18-19 New International Version (NIV)
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.
Galatians 1:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.
What difference does it make if he had half brothers?
I’ve never seen anywhere in the bible where it states that Mary remained a virgin following the birth of Jesus.
Seems pretty clear James was a half brother.
Galatians 1:18-19 New International Version (NIV)
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.
Galatians 1:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.
No. It is not a fact. It is a hypothetical statement which cannot be proven.
Then, and today, especially in Slavic countries including Russia, first cousins living under the same roof are referred to as brothers and sisters.
In addition to siblings of the same parents or of the same father, first cousins, half-brothers, half-sisters, brothers, and sisters were and are all referred to as brothers and sisters. However, among these, there is a line of succession as in first-born son of the first wife, etc. and this line establishes an ordering of the offspring that is understood usually without discussion because of social convention or of the will of the family head.
This is prevalent where close-knit families live under the same roof or on the same farm or land, very near to one another, and where is shared the same basic resources and structures such as water, kitchen, etc.
The term ‘cousin’ was and is reserved for cousins who live under another roof in a different setting with their own resources.
This is not to say Jesus had no blood brother by Joseph and Mary, it is to say that it is not proven. It is also to say there is evidence that references to ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ in scripture are contextual and not always literal. And as described above, there is evidence today that the usage of terms of relations are context driven.
When Jesus spoke from the Cross looking at his Mother, the scripture states “Woman, behold your son”. And then Jesus turns to the Disciple that he loved and says “Behold your Mother”.
No, the term brother was used to describe cousins.