Expert: Fr. Michael - 7/9/2006

Question
In today's gospel we have Jesus returning to his home town and teaching in the synagogue. The people ask how this is possible considering his local background and they refer specifically  to his brothers and sisters by name. The text if taken at its face value clearly states that Jesus had sibblings. How is this treated in Catholic beliefs.?

Answer
       Probably you are going to a New Order parish that uses that abominable "New American Bible."  The problem is one of "translation" and history.

       Some try to allege, erroneously, that Christ had natural brothers, in an attempt to contradict the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This error on their part arises from their ignorance about the vocabulary used in the New Testament.  St. Jerome, who was fluent in all three biblical languages, refuted this error over 1600 years ago.

       The word used in St. Mark 6:3, stating that Christ is "the brother of James and Joseph and Jude and Simon," is "adelphos."  It is known from St. Matthew's Gospel (27:56) that the four "brothers" mentioned in the quoted passage from St. Mark were not natural brothers of Christ, but rather cousins.  James and Joseph are called sons of Alphaeus in Luke 6:16.  Moreover, James, Joseph, Simon and Jude are never called "the son of Mary," as Christ is (Matthew 13:55).

       That is just one proof that "adelphos" cannot be taken invariably as meaning "natural brother" -- and certainly not in this context.  There is no question that in Greek, both classical Greek and Koine (biblical) Greek,
"adelphos" can mean either a natural brother, or a relative but not a natural brother, or even a spiritual brother (as Christians among themselves).

       In Hebrew, cousins of the first and second order were called "ab" (brother) and "aboth" (sister), so that Christ was said to have many brothers and sisters, although in the strict sense, he had none.