Did Jesus have a brother?

a reply to: windword

There's no reason to believe that Mary was Josephs' first wife.

That's a good point. Another thing I would be interested in seeing if there are verses discussing that one way or another. I suppose then what we can say [as a real or fictional story] is that Jesus was the eldest child of Mary's, and not necessarily of their entire family unit.

Anu nor Odin never had a full blooded brother no!

a reply to: windword

Sorry, but its really not. I mentions us and some of our afflictions and blesssings, but its main message is about the death of Jesus and what it did for us. Its all about glorifying him.

Yes, "brothers" of Jesus are mentioned in the NT. They are NOT blood brothers however. This is just one of the many insults against The Blessed Mother of God. The one "Full Of Grace." A perpetual virgin. The new Eve. The Ark of the Covenant. Everyone's mother, given to us by Jesus at Calvary.

Putting aside the long held Tradition of Jesus' Church, The Catholic Church, maybe common sense and logic will prevail instead. These "brothers" that are mentioned...if I showed you elsewhere in scripture, the named parents of these brothers...who are NOT Mary or Joseph, would you then believe they are not actual blood siblings?

More common sense? If Jesus had siblings, it would not have been John that Jesus had care for her, after He died. It's because He was an "only son".








a reply to: kevinp2300

a reply to: Ignatian

gosh the catholic church is scary....

a reply to: Ignatian

The one "Full Of Grace." A perpetual virgin. The new Eve.

So Jesus is down with incest? Jesus is called the Last Adam....what is wrong with you...

a reply to: ServantOfTheLamb

God seems to be down with incest. How else would you explain a family of 8 people repopulating the entire world? Let's ignore the wide range of ethnicities that supposedly came from this one family in a couple thousand years. If the flood is true, we're all products of incest.

You may be a servant, but by your tone, and by your words, you certainly don't sound like a servant of The Lamb of God that I worship. Who do you serve exactly?

How has what you've said to me done ANYthing to build up the kingdom of God?

"Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"If anyone says, I love God, but detests his brother, he is a liar"



a reply to: ServantOfTheLamb

a reply to: Ignatian

A perpetual virgin.

Matthew 1:25 NIV
But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Strongly implying her and Joseph started having sex after Jesus was born.

These "brothers" that are mentioned...if I showed you elsewhere in scripture, the named parents of these brothers...who are NOT Mary or Joseph, would you then believe they are not actual blood siblings?

I would be interested in seeing that.

and to see how it contrasts to the argument made here. Not too long. Giver her a read:

Who was James?

The Bible explicitly states this James is the son of "another Mary". Wonder why the author ignores that. One James was the son of Zebedee, the other the son of Alpheus.

In the NT, Jesus told us to call one another "brothers". This doesn't mean we all have the same biological mothers.

"Until we meet again, God bless you". Does this mean, after we meet again, you are cursed?

"She had no children until the day she died". Does this mean she had children after she died?






a reply to: Lucid Lunacy

a reply to: Ignatian
Author of what ignored what? The page I linked? It said there were 4 different James in the NT. The author addresses that.

In the NT, Jesus told us to call one another "brothers". This doesn't mean we all have the same biological mothers.

That's an incredibly weak argument. Especially compared to the one presented in that page.

Try harder. Or not. I don't care.

Your own obscure source says 2 of the James are obscure, aka unknown. I also gave you the parentage of the two well-known James. They're not blood brothers of Jesus. Got any others?



a reply to: Lucid Lunacy

a reply to: Ignatian

There are several of us on ATS who have come from a place where we would have defended our Religious Belief system with our very lives. But, in our search for truth, beyond the current canon of scripture, seriously examining history, looking into who Jesus really was, and what Jesus believed and taught compared to what our Churches believed and taught we realized that the doctrines we believed, just didnt add up to a lot of accepted church doctrine.

So, Im going through the process of looking at all the dogma and sorting out, truth from lies. And the serious differences between doctrine and truth has demanded that all dogma be questioned. ATS provides a safe environment to hash out this stuff, and hopefully also help those who are kinda searching too, because my own theory is, they wouldnt be on ATS if they were not seeking truth.

And I think some of us try to connect with others who are also asking the same questions.

I have found some of the archives on ATS helpful, where the discussions surrounding the oldest of scriptures found in the dead sea scrolls and the Nag Hammadi texts, and the writing of Josephus, and I could go on, and others can add even more important issues, but the bottom line is we found our Religious Belief systems not only lacking in truth, they were down right BS.

It doesnt mean we have left our faith in Jesus, it means, we are taking responsibility for finding out the truth of what that means.

Good post, I can understand where you're coming from for sure. If you don't mind me asking, what are some examples of doctrines that you used to believe in the past, that you now believe "don't ad up to accepted church doctrine"?

This "sorting the truth from lies". How do you discern this? Who or What is your final authority? Your conscience? Your feelings, logic and reason? I'm curious about your thoughts on this, as I've been through several dark nights of my soul, in the past. A prolonged doubt, a constant second guessing of the doctrine. So, I've been where you are.

But not anymore. Thanks for your thoughts.

a reply to: misskat1

a reply to: Ignatian

One of the biggest problems I have had is the teachings of Paul, compared to the teachings of Jesus. Comparing the life of Paul with the life of Christ. And I would have to say, taking a look at all the information from several disciplines, like history, archaeology, the dead sea scrolls, and looking at the History of the Bible itself in its current form has made me reevaluate everything I have believed in a logical and reasonable manner. You really cant rely on feelings. But, I do let my conscience help me sort the truth from fiction. And I think God will reveal Himself to those who are seeking Him. So, I think part of who we think God is, is fashioned from our definition of Him, I have my opinion about it, based on my experience with who He has revealed Himself to me to be.

I think we are all on a path to figure this out, we need to be gentler on each other, and see in each other a reflection of Gods love. The only thing we all agree on, is that God is Love. And we all know that that is all that really matters.
I am truly glad you have found the peace that comes with having it figured out. It takes a lot of courage to question what we are taught, and look beyond what is comfortable. I havent gotten there yet. It took me a long time to overcome my fear of leaving the safety of the Church and believing everything they taught.

Thanks for your response. I agree, a kinder, gentler interaction as a whole would be nice, and seeing God in everyone is a great start.

We all agree, God is love. I like that.

2 biblical characters I happen to relate with on a personal level are Saul/Paul and Mary Magdalene. Both sinners who underwent a radical conversion. Well, I see alot of discussion about your thoughts on Paul, I rarely enter into them though, because I just don't find it all that important. It's all about Jesus for me. Everything revolves around Jesus. Know Him, love Him, serve Him. Get to know Jesus, you will fall in agape love with Jesus, then serving Him is a natural outcome. A 3-part conversion actually.

He isn't here though...that's why He left us a Church.

I fell in agape love with Jesus by getting to know Him. Because of that, I fell in love with His Church. I have to clarify for you though, I am nowhere near having it "figured out". Not even close. Nobody will either. That's why it's a mystery. A Glorious Mystery.






a reply to: misskat1

a reply to: Ignatian

I dont doubt that Paul had a spiritual experience that brought him to Jesus. Because, I had an experience too. And at first I interpreted the experience through the Religious Programming from my youth. Hebrews tells us we must cleanse our conscienceness by the washing of the water of the word." Which is the Word of God. We have to read or Hear the Word of God to undue false Religious Programming. The truth will set you free. I think you would agree with that statement?

Anyway, I think Paul interpreted his experience through his Roman Programming. And since he wrote a lot of the new testament, it mattered a lot to me to only look at how his teachings measured up to Jesus and His teachings. So, Im trying to let the Holy Spirit lead me and guide me to all truth. And, I dont think the current Cannon of Scripture is the only Word of God. So, Ive expanded my search to include outside historical information about what Jesus really taught about the sabbath, Holy days, and the Jewish faith that He practiced until His death.

I think we are both looking for the same thing, we just have different paths.

a reply to: kevinp2300

He had eight brothers and sisters. James was the next oldest to Jesus and he was four years younger than Jesus.

Here is Jesus' family:

Joseph (died when Jesus was 14)
Mary

Jesus
James
Miriam
Joseph
Simon
Martha
Jude
Amos (died as a young child)
Ruth (born shortly after Joseph's death)