Does Mary have a sister?

[PCR99]

In John 19:25 it states “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”

Does Mary have a sister? I thought that she was an only child and that Sts. Ann and Joachim were infertile for many many years before having her. Any ideas?

Also, who is Mary the wife of Clopas?

Thanks,
PCR

 

[Toni]

PCR99:

In John 19:25 it states “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”
Thanks,
PCR

"Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister according to St. Katherine Emerich’s books which are sometimes controversial she said Mary had other sisters.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

The sister(s) of Mary may be analogous to the brothers of Jesus; close relatives not necessarily the daughters of Sts Anne & Joachim. There is no absolute definition of these relationships with Mary.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Joseph Bilodeau:

The sister(s) of Mary may be analogous to the brothers of Jesus; close relatives not necessarily the daughters of Sts Anne & Joachim. There is no absolute definition of these relationships with Mary.

To look at this correctly one would need to read this in the original language to see what word was used and then find out what that word means.

It could very well be like the “brothers” of Jesus.

 

[cardenio]

Do you guys realize how many Marys there were? Mary of This, Mary son of Him, Mary of There, Mary of… pooh, there are about five million of them. Could have been a sister of a cousin of a friend of a daughter of (all who were named Mary)?

 

[Nan_S]

PCR99:

In John 19:25 it states “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”

Does Mary have a sister? I thought that she was an only child and that Sts. Ann and Joachim were infertile for many many years before having her. Any ideas?

Also, who is Mary the wife of Clopas?

Thanks,
PCR

See Karl Keating’s tract “Brethren of the Lord”.

Mary was a common name, but having two women in the same family with exactly the same name until they had husbands is pushing things a little too far. The second-century historian Hegesippus explains that Clopas was the brother of Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. Mary (wife of Clopas) and Mary (mother of Jesus), were actually sisters-in-law. In middle-eastern extended family understanding, which still prevails today, sisters-in-law were virtually indistinguishable from blood sisters.

 

[Zooey]

cardenio:

Do you guys realize how many Marys there were? Mary of This, Mary son of Him, Mary of There, Mary of… pooh, there are about five million of them. Could have been a sister of a cousin of a friend of a daughter of (all who were named Mary)?

We tend to forget that in Bible times, the name ‘Mary’ had a completely different meaning… It comes from ‘mara’ for bitter; the Jews had been living as a conquered people under the Romans, but also before that, had not been a truly free people. So they probably used the name as an expression of sadness for their people, & their country.
After 2000 years of Mary=the mother of Jesus, we can’t possibly imagine thinking that way.
Also, remember that there were fewer names to choose from…Even as recently as 16th/17th Century England, the phrase, “every Tom, Dick,& Harry” came into use, because the vast, vast majority of men in the country had one of these 3 names.
And yes, there was a looser definition of brother & sister than we have now…So there could be a lot of Mary’s, evn in one family…