“Because neither Hebrew nor Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ and his disciples) had a special word meaning “cousin,” speakers of those languages could use either the word for “brother” or a circumlocution, such as “the son of my uncle.” “
But Greek does have words for brother, cousin, uncle and aunt. God chose to inspire the use of the Greek word for brothers. Take it up with Him.
“Mary was and remained a virgin. “
No Biblical evidence that this was true.
No Biblical evidence that Mary had any other children (nobody else is called a son or daughter of Mary), and positive evidence that she didn't (Jesus on the cross giving her to John, which would have been a sin if she had any other living children).
Exactly. The Bible only mentions Mary being a virgin at the time of Jesus’s conception. That’s it. Period.
And I also know some Catholics who also think that Mary herself was conceived of an immaculate conception, although there is no mention of this anywhere in the Bible that I can find.
But Greek does have words for brother, cousin, uncle and aunt. God chose to inspire the use of the Greek word for brothers. Take it up with Him.
You are right, and of course these were the Lord's brothers and sisters. However, they were not the Blessed Virgin's children. The reality that many miss is that, from the earliest history of the Church, it has been held that St. Joseph was an aged widower who married the Blessed Virgin, at the call of God, in order to protect her. He already had children of his own, and these are the brothers and sisters of the Lord because they are are the children of his earthly father. They may also be his cousins, as some maintain, but that is not why they are called his brothers and sisters.