Is James the brother of Jesus?

[Tom_Tokarski]

A fundamentalist friend insists that Joseph and Mary had other children besides Jesus.
but to me this is a belief contrary to Catholc faith (because Mary is a virgin), and really not substantiated in Scripture.

My friend points to Galatians 1:18-19, where Paul refers to Jame’s as the “Lord’s brother.”

Do you have an answer to this?

Thank you.

Tom Tokarski 3-11-09

ps- Your service is new to me; I don’t quite know how to access posts, and participate

 

[Leonie_Ambrose]

Tom,

The following links should assist you in better understanding the Catholic Church’s teaching on Mary’s perpetual virginity. (For assistance learning how to best use the Forums, please see the Forum FAQs and Help Forum.) If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please contact Catholic Answers directly.

Recommended Reading:
Doesn’t Scripture imply that Mary had children other than Jesus?
Did Jesus have brothers?
Perpetual Virginity: Why is this important?
Mary: Ever Virgin

Why should any doctrine not explicitly referred to in the Bible, be listened to?
How do you respond to “Everything you need to know is in the Bible”?
How can we know a doctrine is true if it’s not in the Bible?
How do we know that the Protoevangelium of James is credible?

Does Church Tradtion exist only to interpret Scripture?
Non-Canonical Writings…
Oral Traditions not found in the Bible