In Matt. 13:55/Mk. 6:3, Joseph, Simon, James, Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) are called Jesus's "ἀδελφοί" (adelphoi). This Koine Greek word has the following textbook definitions: "fellow-countryman," "disciple/follower," "one of the same faith," and "kinsman, or relative," etc. The context in these verses shows that the definition "kinsman, or relative” applies, and it can refer to a range of different types of family members, e.g., siblings, cousins, nephews, or uncles, etc.
Some believe those four brothers (kinsmen/relatives) of Jesus were the sons of Joseph and Mary, and thus His half-siblings. I disagree, and in this post I will show the type of family members of Jesus they actually were. This will be accomplished primarily by identifying James.
Firstly, both in Matt. 13:55/Mk. 6:3 and Gal. 1:19 there's a "James" called Jesus's brother in a familial sense. In the latter, Paul indicates that James is an apostle as well. If you agree that these James's were the same person, consider the following apostle -James and his known siblings, the scriptural verses, and early Christian testimonials:
Apostle James, Apostle Judas (Jude/Thaddeus), and Joseph of Alphaeus
(Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18, Mk. 15:40, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13)
"are not His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?" (Matt. 13:55/Mk. 6:3)
"apostles James the son of Alpheus ... Jude the brother of James (Lk. 6:15-16)
"his (Jesus's) mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas (Clopas)" (Jn. 19:25)
"Mary, mother of James" (Mk. 16:1)
"Mary of James" (Lk. 24:10)
"Mary, mother of James and Joseph" (Matt. 27:56)
"Mary, mother of James the Less and Joseph" (Mk. 15:40)
I. "Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus (Clopas), who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus (Jude/Judas), and of one Joseph." (Papias of Hierapolis [c. 60–130 AD], Fragments of Papias, Frag. 10, cf. Jn. 19:25)
II. "...James, who is called the brother of the Lord ... as appears to me, the son of Mary sister of the mother of our Lord ... after ordained by the apostles bishop of Jerusalem, wrote a single epistle, which is reckoned among the seven Catholic epistles" (cf. Jud. 1:1) and "...Mary who is described as the mother of James the Less was the wife of Alphaeus and sister of Mary the Lord's mother" (Jerome of Stridon [c. 347–420 CE], De Viris Illustribus, De Perpetua Uirginitate Beatae Mariae, cf. Jn. 19:25)
III. Eusebius of Caesarea [c. 260–340 AD] relates the following in his Historia Ecclesiastica:
“James, the brother of the Lord, was "...the author of the first of the so-called catholic epistles" and that while it is disputed, "as is the case likewise with the epistle that bears the name of Jude, which is also one of the seven so-called catholic epistles," it is known they have been "...read publicly in very many churches." (Bk. I, ch. 23, cf. Jud. 1:1)
"James ... surnamed the Just ... bishop of the church of Jerusalem. This James was called the brother of the Lord..." and "Paul also makes mention of the same James the Just, where he writes, 'Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.'" (Bk. II, ch. 1)
"...those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord ... with those that were related to the Lord according to the flesh ... pronounced Symeon (Simon), the son of Clopas ... to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph." (Bk. III, ch. 11)
"Josephus, at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings, where he says, 'These things happened to the Jews to avenge James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus, that is called the Christ.'" (Bk. II, ch. 23)
"...the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" (Flavius Josephus [c. 37-100 CE], Antiquitates Iudaicae, Bk. XX, ch. 9)
"...James the Just bishop of Jerusalem" and "...but there were two Jameses: one called the Just ... thrown from the pinnacle of the temple ... and beaten to death with a club by a fuller, and another who was beheaded." (Bk. II, ch. 1) (Clement of Alexandria [c. 150–215 AD], Hypotyposes, Bk. VII, cf. Ac. 12:1-2)
"...James the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church ... called the Just ..." (Bk. II, ch. 23) and "after James the Just had suffered martyrdom ... Symeon (Simon), the son of the Lord's uncle, Clopas, was appointed the next bishop ... because he was a cousin of the Lord." (Bk. III, ch. 22) (Hegesippus [c. 110-180 AD], Hypomnemata)
Summary
The scriptural verses and crossover agreement between all my sources, even if not every surname is listed by each individual source, collectively show that (i) James and Judas of the four in Matt. 13:55/Mk.6:3 were the apostles James and Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13), the brother of Jesus's mother's spouse, and his wife Mary of Cleophas (Clopas/Alphaeus), the sister (in-law) of Mary of Joseph, and thus the four were Jesus's cousins, and (ii) this James was the same person as "James the Less" (Mk. 15:40), "James the brother of the Lord" (Gal. 1:19), "James the Just," "James the bishop of Jerusalem" (Ac. 15:13-21), and "James the author of the Epistle of James" (Jas. 1). The other "James" was the apostle James of Zebedee, or "James the Great," brother of the apostle John of Zebedee.
Some believe those four brothers (kinsmen/relatives) of Jesus were the sons of Joseph and Mary, and thus His half-siblings. I disagree, and in this post I will show the type of family members of Jesus they actually were. This will be accomplished primarily by identifying James.
Firstly, both in Matt. 13:55/Mk. 6:3 and Gal. 1:19 there's a "James" called Jesus's brother in a familial sense. In the latter, Paul indicates that James is an apostle as well. If you agree that these James's were the same person, consider the following apostle -James and his known siblings, the scriptural verses, and early Christian testimonials:
Apostle James, Apostle Judas (Jude/Thaddeus), and Joseph of Alphaeus
(Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18, Mk. 15:40, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13)
"are not His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?" (Matt. 13:55/Mk. 6:3)
"apostles James the son of Alpheus ... Jude the brother of James (Lk. 6:15-16)
"his (Jesus's) mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas (Clopas)" (Jn. 19:25)
"Mary, mother of James" (Mk. 16:1)
"Mary of James" (Lk. 24:10)
"Mary, mother of James and Joseph" (Matt. 27:56)
"Mary, mother of James the Less and Joseph" (Mk. 15:40)
I. "Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus (Clopas), who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus (Jude/Judas), and of one Joseph." (Papias of Hierapolis [c. 60–130 AD], Fragments of Papias, Frag. 10, cf. Jn. 19:25)
II. "...James, who is called the brother of the Lord ... as appears to me, the son of Mary sister of the mother of our Lord ... after ordained by the apostles bishop of Jerusalem, wrote a single epistle, which is reckoned among the seven Catholic epistles" (cf. Jud. 1:1) and "...Mary who is described as the mother of James the Less was the wife of Alphaeus and sister of Mary the Lord's mother" (Jerome of Stridon [c. 347–420 CE], De Viris Illustribus, De Perpetua Uirginitate Beatae Mariae, cf. Jn. 19:25)
III. Eusebius of Caesarea [c. 260–340 AD] relates the following in his Historia Ecclesiastica:
“James, the brother of the Lord, was "...the author of the first of the so-called catholic epistles" and that while it is disputed, "as is the case likewise with the epistle that bears the name of Jude, which is also one of the seven so-called catholic epistles," it is known they have been "...read publicly in very many churches." (Bk. I, ch. 23, cf. Jud. 1:1)
"James ... surnamed the Just ... bishop of the church of Jerusalem. This James was called the brother of the Lord..." and "Paul also makes mention of the same James the Just, where he writes, 'Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.'" (Bk. II, ch. 1)
"...those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord ... with those that were related to the Lord according to the flesh ... pronounced Symeon (Simon), the son of Clopas ... to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph." (Bk. III, ch. 11)
"Josephus, at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings, where he says, 'These things happened to the Jews to avenge James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus, that is called the Christ.'" (Bk. II, ch. 23)
"...the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" (Flavius Josephus [c. 37-100 CE], Antiquitates Iudaicae, Bk. XX, ch. 9)
"...James the Just bishop of Jerusalem" and "...but there were two Jameses: one called the Just ... thrown from the pinnacle of the temple ... and beaten to death with a club by a fuller, and another who was beheaded." (Bk. II, ch. 1) (Clement of Alexandria [c. 150–215 AD], Hypotyposes, Bk. VII, cf. Ac. 12:1-2)
"...James the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church ... called the Just ..." (Bk. II, ch. 23) and "after James the Just had suffered martyrdom ... Symeon (Simon), the son of the Lord's uncle, Clopas, was appointed the next bishop ... because he was a cousin of the Lord." (Bk. III, ch. 22) (Hegesippus [c. 110-180 AD], Hypomnemata)
Summary
The scriptural verses and crossover agreement between all my sources, even if not every surname is listed by each individual source, collectively show that (i) James and Judas of the four in Matt. 13:55/Mk.6:3 were the apostles James and Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13), the brother of Jesus's mother's spouse, and his wife Mary of Cleophas (Clopas/Alphaeus), the sister (in-law) of Mary of Joseph, and thus the four were Jesus's cousins, and (ii) this James was the same person as "James the Less" (Mk. 15:40), "James the brother of the Lord" (Gal. 1:19), "James the Just," "James the bishop of Jerusalem" (Ac. 15:13-21), and "James the author of the Epistle of James" (Jas. 1). The other "James" was the apostle James of Zebedee, or "James the Great," brother of the apostle John of Zebedee.
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