In this post, I will show the teaching that Jesus's four brothers (Matt. 13:55, Mk. 6:3) were His half-siblings is false.
Firstly, only Jesus is called the son of Joseph and Mary. (Matt. 13:55, Mk. 6:3)
Secondly, the Koine Greek word
"ἀδελφός'' (sing. adelphos, brother;pl.
ἀδελφοί/adelphoi, brothers) has the following definitions: "fellow-countryman," "disciple/follower," "one of the same faith," and "kinsman/kinswoman, or relative," e.g., sibling, cousin, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt, etc. In the plural, it regularly refers to men and women.
In
Matt. 13:55 and
Mk. 6:3,
Joseph, Simon, James, and Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) are called Jesus's
“ἀδελφοί” (adelphoi, brothers). The context shows that its applicable definition is "kinsman, or relative." In
Gal. 1:19, Paul refers to James of the twelve apostles, and calls him Jesus's
"ἀδελφός" (adelphos, brother), and the context shows that its applicable definition is "kinsman, or relative" as well. Therefore, we can deduce that the James in
Matt. 13:55 and
Mk. 6:3, and James in Gal. 1:19, were the same person. Of the two James of the twelve apostles, only
James of Alphaeus, and at least one brother of his, apostle
Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) of Alphaeus, corresponds with
Matt. 13:55 and
Mk. 6:3. (Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18;15:40, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13)
Now, compare the above with the scriptural and early Church Father writings below:
Two scenes surrounding the same event:
I. "When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James, and Salome (the mother of the sons of Zebedee), bought spices, that they might come and anoint him." (Mk. 16:1)
II. Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and
Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles." (Lk. 24:10)
Three accounts of the same scene:
I. "Mary Magdalene,
Mary (Mary of Clopas/Cleophas) the mother of James (the Less) and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee [Salome]" (Matt. 27:56)
II. "Mary Magdalene,
Mary (Mary of Clopas/Cleophas) the mother of James the Less and Joseph, and Salome (the mother of the sons of Zebedee)" (Mk. 15:40)
III. "His Mother (Mary of Joseph),
His Mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopas/Cleophas (the mother of James the Less and Joseph), and Mary Magdalene" (Jn. 19:25)
I. "
Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus [Clopas], who was
the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus (Jude/Judas), and of one Joseph." (Papias of Hierapolis [
c. 60–130 AD],
Fragments of Papias, Frag. 10, see Jn. 19:25)
II. "[...]
James, who is
called the brother of the Lord [...] as appears to me,
the son of Mary sister of the mother of our Lord [...] after
ordained by the apostles
bishop of Jerusalem,
wrote a single epistle, which is reckoned
among the seven Catholic epistles" (see Jud. 1:1) and "[...] Mary who is described as the mother of James the Less was the wife of Alphaeus and sister of Mary the Lord's mother" (Jerome of Stridon [c. 347–420 CE],
De Viris Illustribus,
De Perpetua Uirginitate Beatae Mariae, see Jn. 19:25)
III. Eusebius of Caesarea [c. 260–340 AD] relates the following in his
Historia Ecclesiastica:
“
James, the brother of the Lord, was "[...]
the author of the first of the so-called catholic epistles" and that while it is disputed, "as is the case likewise with the epistle that bears the name of Jude, which is also one of the seven so-called catholic epistles," it is known they have been "[...] read publicly in very many churches." (Bk. I, ch. 23, see Jud. 1:1)
"
James […]
surnamed the Just [...]
bishop of the church of Jerusalem. This James
was called the brother of the Lord" and "
Paul also makes mention of the same James the Just, where he writes, 'Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.'" (Bk. II, ch. 1)
"[...] those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord [...] with those that were related to the Lord according to the flesh ... pronounced
Symeon [Simon], the son of Clopas [...] to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He
was a cousin, as they say,
of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that
Clopas was a brother of Joseph." (Bk. III, ch. 11)
"Josephus, at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings, where he says, 'These things happened to the Jews to avenge
James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus, that is called the Christ.'" (Bk. II, ch. 23)
"[...] the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" (Flavius Josephus [c. 37-100 CE], Antiquitates Iudaicae, Bk. XX, ch. 9)
"[...]
James the Just bishop of Jerusalem" and "[...] but
there were two Jameses:
one called the Just [...] thrown from the pinnacle of the temple [...] and beaten to death with a club by a fuller, and another who was beheaded." (Bk. II, ch. 1) (Clement of Alexandria [c. 150–215 AD], Hypotyposes, Bk. VII, see Ac. 12:1-2)
"[...]
James the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church [...]
called the Just [...]" (Bk. II, ch. 23) and "after James the Just had suffered martyrdom [...]
Symeon [Simon], the son of the Lord's uncle, Clopas, was appointed the next bishop [...] because
he was a cousin of the Lord." (Bk. III, ch. 22) (Hegesippus [c. 110-180 AD], Hypomnemata)
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Summary
The scriptural verses and crossover agreement between all my sources (early Christian Church Fathers), even if not every surname is listed by each individual source, collectively prove the following:
for free online, but I own them if you have any questions about them.