The controversy over the Virgin Mary having other children, the supposed brothers of Jesus, and the interpretation of the Catholic Church
In some passages of the Holy Scriptures the words appear: “brothers of Jesus”, and this has generated the interpretation that the Blessed Virgin Mary had other children. For those who only have the Bible, it seems evident that Our Lady had other children besides the Son of God, therefore, Jesus Christ had brothers and sisters (cf. Mt 13, 55-56).
However, we have Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church, which are the necessary foundations to understand the truths of the Catholic faith. Based on these foundations, let us see if it is true that the Virgin Mary had other children besides the incarnate Word of God.
What do the Tradition and Magisterium of the Church say about Jesus’ brothers?
The controversy regarding the statement that the Blessed Virgin Mary had other children, in addition to her Son Jesus Christ, is not new. On the contrary, in the fourth century, Saint Jerome was already fighting those who used the passage from Matthew and others to maintain that Our Lady had other children: “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary your mother? Aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas your brothers?” (Mt 13, 55).
Regarding this passage, Jerome teaches that the children of his maternal aunt, Mary of Cleophas, wife of Alphaeus and mother of Saint James and Joseph, are called Jesus’ brothers. The Tradition of the Church – from the apostles to the Holy Fathers – and later the Holy Doctors of the Church, affirm that the Virgin Mary had no other children, and that she remained a Virgin before, during and after giving birth to the Son of God.
The Magisterium of the Church, in line with the Tradition of the Church and the Holy Scriptures, affirmed the perpetual virginity of Our Lady as a dogma of faith, even in the time of the Holy Fathers. The perpetual virginity of the Most Holy Mary was proclaimed in 649, at the Lateran Council: If anyone, according to the Holy Fathers, does not confess that the holy and ever Virgin and Immaculate Mary is truly and truly the Mother of God, since she conceived in recent times without semen, of the Holy Spirit, God-Word himself (…), and who gave birth without corruption, her virginity remaining indissoluble even after birth, be anathema2.
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Considering that the Catholic Church proclaimed the perpetual virginity of Our Lady as a dogma of faith, it is necessary for us Catholics to believe in this truth. Therefore, if we do not believe in it, we must make an effort to believe, so that we can understand, as Saint Augustine taught: “Do not want to understand in order to believe, believe so that you can understand. If you don’t believe, you won’t understand”3.
What do the Holy Scriptures say about Jesus’ brothers?
In the Bible, there are several passages in which the “brothers of Jesus” are mentioned. Among these, we will take the following passage from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew: “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother? Aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas your brothers?” (Mt 13, 55). Continuing our study, we see that among the apostles there are two named James: “These are the names of the twelve apostles: the first, Simon, called Peter; then André, his brother. James, son of Zebedee, and John, his brother. Philip and Bartholomew. Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector. James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor” (Mt 10:2-4).
Matthew also tells us that among the women who followed Jesus is the mother of one of these and of Joseph: “Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee” (Mt. 27, 56). As we know that James, son of Zebedee, is John’s blood brother, then James, son of Alphaeus, is Joseph’s brother. Until now, the controversy remains, as we do not know that Mary is the mother of James and José. However, there is a passage that clarifies the issue.
Based on the texts above, we can see that Alphaeus, who was also called Cleophas, was the father of James and Joseph, the same people who are called “brothers of Jesus”. Their mother was called Maria, a very common name at that time. The difficulty in knowing who this is Mary is overcome in a passage from the Gospel according to Saint John, in which this Mary is next to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, at the time of the crucifixion: “Next to the cross of Jesus they stood their mother, his mother’s sister, Mary, wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25).
In this way, we see that Mary, mother of James and Joseph, was Our Lady’s sister, and that these supposed brothers of Jesus are, in fact, his cousins. For unbelievers, perhaps this explanation has not convinced them, and they ask about the other two brothers: Simon and Judas. But we will not waste time in further explanations, as, for those who do not have the Catholic faith, our arguments will probably not be useful.
The misunderstanding regarding the word “brothers”
After analyzing the issue of Jesus’ “brothers” from the point of view of Divine Revelation and the Magisterium of the Church, we saw that for us Catholics there is nothing to discuss. We believe that the Virgin Mary was the Mother of Jesus Christ and remained a virgin. Consequently, she could not be the mother of the Lord’s supposed brothers. But if Jesus had no blood brothers, why are James, Joseph, Simon and Jude called his brothers? The answer is much simpler than you might imagine.
In Hebrew, the language of the Jewish people, the word brother: א ח, which transliterated reads: ach, is used for various types of kinship. Because, in the Hebrew language, there are no specific words for cousin, cousin and other degrees of kinship. When the Bible was translated into Greek, the word “adelphos” was used, which literally means brother, and not “anepsios”, which means cousin. Later, the Bible was translated into the Latin “fratres”, which also means brother. The translations of the Bible into Greek and Latin were done this way so as not to lose originality, and were naturally understood by people, as they knew the Catholic faith and Jewish culture.
Therefore, let us try to know the Catholic faith, the Tradition and Magisterium of the Church, and at least a little about Jewish culture, before reading the Holy Scriptures. Let us always remember that the Sacred Magisterium teaches us that the Bible is only the Word of God if united to Tradition: “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture constitute a single sacred deposit of the Word of God”4. This way, the Bible will not be a “stumbling block” for us (1 Pet 2:7) and we will certainly avoid interpretations contrary to the Catholic faith.
References:
1 SAINT JERONIMUS. Against Helvidium, 14. In SAINT THOMAS AQUINIUS. Catena Aurea.
2 DS 255, 649.
3 SAINT AUGUSTINE. Serm. 118, 1.
4 VATICAN COUNCIL II. Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 10.