From: Chris Ho-Stuart <>
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Was Jesus Married?
Date: 5 Mar 1999 05:14:02 GMT

Jack McCaw <> wrote:
> Able () wrote:
> : >    Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they
> : >    sent someone in to call him.
> (snip)
> : Chris, I believe that you are quite correct in saying that Jesus had
> : brothers and sisters..I have challenged some Christians here that are
> : locked into belief systems that put Mary as a perpetual virgin.
> :   They have never tendered any convincing counter arguments.
> : In fact the issue has always been side stepped.
> : 
> 
OK - I for one would like to have this issue cleared up once and 
> for all. Did he or didn't he?

Yes, he did. Jesus had brothers.

Total confidence is not possible for such a question about someone
who lived nearly 2000 years ago, and for whom family information
is sketchy and surrounded by layers of myth: but Jesus' brother
is perhaps the best attested bit of evidence about his family. I
deliberately rate James as better attested than Mary, though
this is a personal judgement. Mary has more mentions, but they
are all in the gospels. James the brother of Jesus has a better
range of references, showing up in the gospels, in the epistles,
and in Josephus.

Matthew 13:55

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called

Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon,

and Judas?

Mark 6:3

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother

of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not

his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Galatians 1:19

But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the

Lord's brother.

Antiquities 20. 9.1 199-203

And so he convened the judges of the Sanhedrin, and brought

before them the brother of  Jesus, the one called Christ,

whose name was James, and certain others, and accusing

them of having transgressed the law delivered them up to

be stoned.

Cheers -- Chris Ho-Stuart