Did Mary Have Other Children?

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry ^ | Unknown | Matt Slick

[HarleyD]

One of the more controversial teachings of the Catholic church deals with the perpetual virginity of Mary. This doctrine maintains that Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus and that biblical references suggesting Jesus had siblings are really references to cousins (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 510).

As the veneration of Mary increased throughout the centuries, the vehicle of Sacred Tradition became the means of promoting new doctrines not explicitly taught in the Bible. The virginity of Mary is clearly taught in scripture when describing the birth of Jesus. But is the doctrine of her continued virginity supported by the Bible? Did Mary lose her virginity after Jesus was born? Does the Bible reveal that Mary had other children, that Jesus had brothers and sisters?

The Bible does not come out and declare that Mary remained a virgin and that she had no children. In fact, the Bible seems to state otherwise: (All quotes are from the NASB.)

• Matthew 1:24-25 - "And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."
• Matthew 12:46-47 - "While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You."
• Matthew 13:55 - "Is not this the carpenters son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?"
• Mark 6:2-3 - "And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?"
• John 2:12 - "After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and there they stayed a few days."
• Acts 1:14 - "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."
• 1 Cor. 9:4-5 - "Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?"
• Gal. 1:19 - But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lords brother."

An initial reading of these biblical texts seems to clear up the issue: Jesus had brothers and sisters. But such obvious scriptures are not without their response from Catholic Theologians. The primary argument against these biblical texts is as follows:

In Greek, the word for brother is adelphos and sister is adelphe. This word is used in different contexts: of children of the same parents (Matt. 1:2; 14:3), descendants of parents (Acts 7:23, 26; Heb. 7:5), the Jews as a whole (Acts 3:17, 22), etc. Therefore, the term brother (and sister) can and does refer to the cousins of Jesus.

There is certainly merit in this argument, However, different contexts give different meanings to words. It is not legitimate to say that because a word has a wide scope of meaning, that you may then transfer any part of that range of meaning to any other text that uses the word. In other words, just because the word brother means fellow Jews or cousin in one place, does not mean it has the same meaning in another. Therefore, each verse should be looked at in context to see what it means.

Lets briefly analyze a couple of verses dealing with the brothers of Jesus.

• Matthew 12:46-47, "While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You."
• Matthew 13:55 - "Is not this the carpenters son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?"

In both of these verses, if the brothers of Jesus are not brothers, but His cousins, then who is His mother and who is the carpenters father? In other words, mother here refers to Mary. The carpenter in Matt. 13:55, refers to Joseph. These are literal. Yet, the Catholic theologian will then stop there and say, "Though carpenters son refers to Joseph, and mother refers to Mary, brothers does not mean brothers, but "cousins." This does not seem to be a legitimate assertion. You cannot simply switch contextual meanings in the middle of a sentence unless it is obviously required. The context is clear. This verse is speaking of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus brothers. The whole context is of familial relationship: father, mother, and brothers.

Psalm 69, A Messianic Psalm

There are many arguments pro and con concerning Jesus siblings. But the issue cannot be settled without examining Psalm 69, a Messianic Psalm. Jesus quotes Psalm 69:4 in John 15:25, "But they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, they hated Me without a cause."

He also quotes Psalm 69:9 in John 2:16-17, "and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Fathers house a house of merchandise." His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Thy house will consume me."

Clearly, Psalm 69 is a Messianic Psalm since Jesus quoted it in reference to Himself two times. The reason this is important is because of what is written between the verses that Jesus quoted.

To get the whole context, here is Psalm 69:4-9, "Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, What I did not steal, I then have to restore. 5O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from Thee. 6May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; May those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, 7Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. 8I have become estranged from my brothers, and an alien to my mothers sons. 9For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me."

This messianic Psalm clearly shows that Jesus has brothers. As Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets." Gods will has been revealed plainly in the New Testament and prophetically in the Old. Psalm 69 shows us that Jesus had brothers.

Did Mary have other children? The Bible seems to suggest yes. Catholic Tradition says no. Which will you trust?

Of course, the Catholic will simply state that even this phrase "my mother's sons" is in reference not to his siblings, but to cousins and other relatives. This is a necessary thing for the Catholic to say, otherwise, the perpetual virginity of Mary is threatened and since that contradicts Roman Catholic tradition, an interpretation that is consistent with that tradition must be adopted.

The question is, "Was Jesus estranged by His brothers?". Yes, He was. John 7:5 says "For not even His brothers were believing in Him." Furthermore, Psalm 69:8 says both "my brothers" and "my mother's sons." Are these both to be understood as not referring to His siblings? Hardly. The Catholics are fond of saying that "brothers" must mean "cousins." But, if that is the case, then when we read "an alien to my mother's sons" we can see that the writer is adding a further distinction and narrowing the scope of meaning. In other words, Jesus was alienated by his siblings, His very half-brothers begotten from Mary.

It is sad to see the Roman Catholic church go to such lengths to maintain Mary's virginity, something that is a violation of biblical law to be married and fill the earth.

[Dustoff45]

I remember being about 20, listening to scripture being read prior to a sermon. A mere passing reference to the brothers of Jesus really caused me to be unsettled.

It made me stop and ask what other "tenets of the faith" did I receive during those cathecism classes that also did not line up with scripture. And yes, our cathecism classes were all taught without ever a reference to scripture.

I understand that the Pontiffs are not to be questioned, but to set their personal doctrines above the written word almost smacks of other faiths that have established their tenets on a man or a small group of men that teach a new revelation.

I believe this discussion is worthy as it tends to make the important aspects of the faith more real.

I much better understand Jesus as a person, facing the issues of life, much as we do, and to know that he grew up in a family, probably with younger brothers and sisters and two loving parents. Yes, Joseph is last mentioned when Jesus was twelve, but since there is nothing else written about the next two decades, we don't know what happened to Joseph.

Today, I tend to think that Jesus spent an actual three days and three nights in the tomb, as I strongly doubt he died on a Friday, but rather on the eve of the High Sabbath (not necessarily a Friday!)

I believe that Jesus did visit and preach to the souls of those that had departed earlier, as they were in the bosom of Abraham waiting for his resurrection.

I believe in the second coming, but also that each of us experience our own second coming when Jesus comes and the spirit dwells within us.

I believe in a believer's baptism, Jesus is the example of this himself.

And we do not pray to Mary, for the Father himself has appointed His Son to be our Chief intercessor.

Mary was especially favored, but still just as human as anyone of us.

Her humanity is so strongly shown at the foot of the cross. She was as heart-broken as any Mom could ever be, and to know she experienced all of that as a person brings encouragement to each of us.

[Lancey Howard]

Also, back then women didn’t have jobs, relied heavily on husbands and their children. Especially as they grew older.

Yes, it would be strange indeed if Mary had one child, Jesus, at the age of 12 or 14 or however old she was, and then have no more children. Why would she ignore her maternal instincts (and human desires)? And Joseph could go for that? I don't think so. There is plenty of room for common sense in Christianity, and it is disappointing to see so many people prefer unnatural, weird science fiction.

[metmom]

Matthew 13:54-56

54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

John 7:2-5 2Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.

[Nea Wood]

Both Mary and Joseph did such a wonderful, obedient thing. It must have been quite a scandal, they were probably talked about, etc., yet they obeyed God. After Jesus was born, why wouldn’t God let them go on to have a normal marriage and more children? Children were so important in that culture, especially sons. What would be gained by requiring Mary to remain a virgin, and she and Joseph to have a sexless marriage with no more children? Would it make Mary any less holy if she had a normal marriage and more children? I don’t get why some people are so insistent that she remained a virgin her whole life.

[Blood of Tyrants]

There has been a strong effort by many in the Catholic church to have Mary declared to be the co-redeemer with Christ. That sounds like worship to me.

[wmfights]

The Church Christ established on earth was sustained years and years (through Sacred Tradition) before any Gospels or NT matter were written.

Not really an accurate account. The Books of the New Testament were being written within 15 years of the Crucifixion. There was not a prolonged period of people "telling stories". Also, Christians recognized the Scriptures within one generation of the end of the Apostolic Era, even though at this time no dominant hierarchy had emerged.

An objective view of history reveals the Holy Spirit at work not a particular church that had not even emerged yet.

[metmom]

Just when you think you’ve heard it all.

Yet Jesus invited Thomas to not only touch him, but to put his hands INTO Jesus wounds.

How would Thomas then not have died, touching the resurrected Christ?

Jesus touched plenty of people while he ministered here on earth, even lepers, which should have technically made Him unclean.

How did they not fall over dead then?

[Lancey Howard]

Yes it does. I suspect a lot of that is simply out of ignorance. I once heard that some people actually pray to Mary, and others even pray to statues of saints, etc.! I don't know what religion that is, but it definitely is not Christianity. In Christianity we pray only to God, in the manner that Jesus taught.

FRegards,
LH

[metmom]

If anyone would have touched her, the Ark of the New Covenant, they would have died just like the people who touched the Ark of the Old Covenant died.

You would have us believe that Mary went through her entire life with NO physical contact with another human being the whole time?

Pity the soul who maybe bumped into her on the street.

[Missouri gal]

“How is this to be since I do not know man?” Luke 1:34

Notice the perfect tense. “I do not know man” means I will not be having sexual intimacy today, tomorrow or any time in the future. The apostles and the early Church knew well that Mary had a perpetual vow of chastity, and that God, as well as her husband Joseph, permitted her to keep her vow. Her simple question to the angel is also a very wise challenge, for as she knew from Hebrew scriptures, one must test a spirit. The angel’s answer that she was to conceive without violating her vow was proof that his message was from God.

“Brothers” in Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic does not distinguish cousins from siblings.

I am always puzzled by the Protestant view that the Bible can be trusted, but the Church which safeguarded it from the beginning, and which received the Lord’s Great Commission is unworthy of the same trust.

[sayuncledave]

metmom, regarding the quote from Matthew, you may note that while Our Lord is referred to as “the carpenter’s son,” James, Joseph, Simon and Jude are not, nor are they, in Scripture, referred to as Mary’s.

A quote for you, from heresiarch Martin Luther’s Sermons On John, chapters 1-4, 1537-39: “Christ...was the onlySon of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him...’brothers’ really means ‘cousins’ here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers.”

Nuff said. I truly wish you a good evening, either way.

[famousdayandyear]

I don’t mind admitting when I am wrong. There is nothing “inaccurate” about what I wrote. The substance of my comment was that Tradition preceded Scripture and must have provided a cohesion to the early Church.

[SVTCobra03]

The definitive analysis of the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church:

http://www.buzzardhut.net/index/htm/Dangers.pdf

[wmfights]

The substance of my comment was that Tradition preceded Scripture and must have provided a cohesion to the early Church.

It's just not true. The Scriptures were being written within 15 years of the Crucifixion.

[Jvette]

no

[Natural Law]

"That sounds like worship to me."

That just sounds like limited language skills to me. "Co" does not means an equal. Mary is singled out by the the Church because of the extraordinary way she cooperated in our redemption.

We who call our selves Christians are all called to be co-redeemers to one degree or another. St. Paul suggests we are all called to be co-redeemers with Christ when he says that even our sufferings can be added to what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of His Body the Church (Col 1:24).

[Tucker39]

James and Jude, both of whom penned Epistles, were half-brothers of Jesus. James and Jude’s father was Joseph, husband of Mary. Jesus’ Father was/is God Almighty, First Person of The Holy Trinity. Therefore, Jesus’ male siblings were only HALF brothers. And Jesus also had several half-sisters.

Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

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.

[Rashputin]

"I am always puzzled by the Protestant view that the Bible can be trusted, but the Church which safeguarded it from the beginning, and which received the Lord’s Great Commission is unworthy of the same trust."

Protestants for the most part live by The Lego Block Method of Scripture Interpretation which means they stick verses they like together to prove whatever they like. Given that fact, they have a very deep psychological need to accuse the Catholic Church of doing the same thing Protestants have been doing since Luther which is to apply the principle of "if it's difficult to obey, interpret it away".

It's a perfect example of a group that sees it's faults in others. They know they decide what they want to accept first and then interpret Scripture in a way that supports that predetermined result so they figure the Church must really have done the same thing at some point.

[sr4402]

Um, the essay does not prove Mary had other children after Jesus.

But the Scriptures do. "and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas"

In order to take that position, one must invalidate the Scripture above. And that is the problem - Overriding Scriptures rather than letting the Scriptures renew the mind.

[narses]

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