Who were the "brothers" of Jesus?

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I understand that the “brothers” of Jesus were not really his brothers, but who exactly were they? I tried to search on internet, but I found different answers to this question.
 
Brant pitre has great video on this. Go to YouTube type in the brothers of jesus brant pitre ( catholic productions) ( sorry I would have linked it but not sure how on my phone) the vid is 17 mins long hope that helps
 
I have a sister-in-law from Thailand. There is no word for cousin. Cousins are referred to as sisters and brothers. This was the way the “brothers of Jesus” was explained to me. In many cultures, unlike the Western cultures like the United States, there is no word for cousin.
 
Read the Book of Tobit. In it, you see that a man married his “sister” - who was a woman from the same tribe of the twelve tribes of Israel. However, brother and sister also applied to those of one’s town or area, i.e. Nazareth or Galilee.

Also, here is a clear and concise article from Catholic Exchange which lays it out for us.

 
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Miguel2 said:
but I found different answers to this question.
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In the earliest years of the Church, it was taught that Joseph was a widower when he married Mary and that Jesus’ “brothers and sisters” were Joseph’s children from his first marriage. The “cousins” theory came later.
 
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Mt 12,50
 
St. Jerome says that St. Joseph was a virgin and remained so all his life.
 
I think that what @BartholomewB is referencing is the Protoevangelium of James, which I believe is the earliest document we know of (likely mid-second century) asserting the perpetual virginity of Mary.

It narrates the story of Mary, saying that when she reached puberty the High Priest debated what to do with her, when an angel told him :
Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be.
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(Protoevangelium of James, 8)

Of course, this is an apocrypha and not Church teaching. But it is, at the very least, witness to the fact that such traditions about Joseph existed in the early Church.
 
I’ve heard of the Protoevangelium of James (it’s the source for a lot of feasts & hymnography) but it’s still apocryphal. St. Jerome lived in Palestine so maybe he had access to sources that are now lost re St. Joseph.
 
Do you know what information Jerome had, on which he based that statement about Joseph’s lifelong virginity? From what I’ve read, he was the first to propose the “cousins” theory, challenging the long-held belief about an earlier marriage.
 
I know he wrote about it to either Rufinius or Helvidius (the heretic that denied the Perpetual Virginity of Our Lady). My books are packed away so I can’t check.
 
Thank you, @OddBird, but you give me more credit than I deserve. I haven’t done any research of my own. I was simply quoting what I read in one of Richard Bauckham’s books.
 
Thank you. I read about it in The 33 Doctors of the Church from TAN Books. You’d love the chapter on St. Jerome.
 
Other saints also stated that St Joseph was a perpetual virgin. St Francis de sales, St Peter Julian Eymard, St Bede, St Stanislaus Papcznski, St Augustine, St Bernadine of Siena, St John Henry Newman and St Thomas Acquinas to name but a few. (All these are from pg 129-134 of Consecration to Joseph by Fr Donald Calloway). There are relevant references and quotes. My point is just that it’s not just St Jerome who believes it so.
 
It is not uncommon for even unrelated people to refer to close friends as family. I am “Aunt” to my best friend’s kids. My best friend’s mom, I refer to as “Mamma”. My son has best friends who have called each other brother from childhood.
 
Miguel2 said:
I understand that the “brothers” of Jesus were not really his brothers, but who exactly were they? I tried to search on internet, but I found different answers to this question.
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Why would you doubt that the gospel writers were faithfully presenting Jesus familial relationships? Its a bit odd that you would dismiss the gospel writers in favor of a Google search.
 
Hodos said:
Why would you doubt that the gospel writers were faithfully presenting Jesus familial relationships?
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I don’t think anyone disputes that the Gospel writers were correct. What is disputed is the interpretation of one or more translations of what the Gospel writers actually wrote, taking into account the vagaries of how relationships are described in different languages.
 
They were his cousins. It is a common practice in Middle Eastern and African cultures to refer to your cousins as your “brothers” or “sisters”.
 
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