I am not so sure. Why would you think men related directly to Jesus would hesitate to claim that?
You, in fact, see the same thing with John the Baptist.
Even though Jesus was his cousin, you never see John mentioning that.
Yes, that is true. However, it appears that John did not know Jesus, even by sight, in the human sense. If they were related, they must have been distant cousins who probably did not meet until Christ's ministry began. John may not even had been aware of this relationship.
Regards
However, I believe that it is just as reasonable ... that those related to Jesus ... would be hesitant to be seen as claiming any legitimacy ... based upon that relatedness.
I am not so sure. Why would you think men related directly to Jesus would hesitate to claim that?
For one ... christians are exhorted to humility.
Now, I realize that we don't often see a lot of humility on these threads, ... but I am encouraged to think that the early christians may have done somewhat better.
You, in fact, see the same thing with John the Baptist.
Even though Jesus was his cousin, you never see John mentioning that.
Yes, that is true. However, it appears that John did not know Jesus, even by sight, in the human sense. If they were related, they must have been distant cousins who probably did not meet until Christ's ministry began. John may not even had been aware of this relationship.
You are aware that their mothers visited with one another ?
I think that it's fairly certain that Jesus and John spent some time together as children ... perhaps on those treks to the feasts in Jerusalem.