“Scripture has mentioned the “brethern” of the Lord, but has also mentioned who their parents were. Simon, James, and Jude were sons of Mary Cleopas; while, the other James and John were sons of Zebedee.”
These three “Brethren”, as well as being His first cousins, were also His Apostles, of the Twelve: Simon, James (who later became known as Saint James the Less and James the Just), and Jude. Also the fourth brother, Joseph or Joses, who came to be known as Saint Joseph of Barsabas. These four were the sons of Saint Mary of Cleophas, whose husband was Saint Cleophas, aka Alphaeus, aka Clopas. Saint Cleophas was one of the brothers of Saint Joseph, our Lady’s husband, so these four brothers were Jesus’s first cousins by marriage. The fifth sibling, from this marriage, Saint Mary Salome, was married to Zebedee, and there are numerous passages throughout the Bible documenting their sons, second cousins of Our Lord, who were also His Apostles, of the Twelve: Saint John, the Beloved Disciple, aka Saint John the Evangelist, aka The Gospel of John, and Saint James the Greater. These two, in particular, were among Jesus’s favorites, closer in age to him, and were present with Him for many miracles and at significant times in His Ministry, along with Saint Peter, who was originally a fishing partner of these two brothers, sons of Zebedee and Mary Salome. You must read through the thread, “Jesus Had Siblings”, for many of these events and relationships, where we tie it all back for you. Really fascinating reading.
For those of you who claim to read the Scriptures, be sure to read ALL of them, not just certain passages that you try to pervert to new meanings. For in many, many places in Scriptures, the identities of “The Brethren” are revealed by inspired writers in the New Testament, and we go to those in great detail in the thread “Jesus Had Siblings?”, links given earlier on this same thread. Virtually eliminating any speculation or postulating about who ALL of these first and second cousins of Jesus were descended from. And eliminating any stories about their being sons of Joseph from a previous marriage, as the four “Brethren” (truly brothers to each other) were documented in fact to be his nephews, and include the two sons of his niece (James and John), hence great nephews, as related to you in the above paragraph. Not only Scriptures, but other historical documents and writers of the times as well, for those of you who try to make the Bible into fairytale stories who could have been imagined by just anyone.
In the thread are many links to the Church’s teaching on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary over the centuries, and the positions of Doctors of the Church and others relating to the virginity of Joseph, as well; though only the Perpetual Virginity of Mary is Church Dogma.
Happy reading!
