2006-11-29 03:46:54 · 25 answers · asked by Jerx 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Most Christians including Catholics believe yes.
How was James, “the brother of the Lord,” (Matt. 13:55, Acts 15:13-21, 1 Cor. 15:7, Gal. 1:19) related to Jesus. All believers agree he was related, but no one knows exactly how.
The possibilities are that James was:
1. A full brother of Jesus, another Son of God born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. No one to my knowledge accepts that God had another child by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2. A half-brother of Jesus, a younger son of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some Christians believe this possibility but most Christians including those who are Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believe that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life.
3. A stepbrother of Jesus, a son of Joseph and a previous wife. Many Christians believe that Joseph had a least one previous marriage that resulted in children.
4. A stepbrother of Jesus, an adopted son of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. When parents died, relatives frequently took their children in and raised them as thier own. An adopted orphaned boy would be considered the brother of Jesus.
5. A cousin of Jesus. The Aramaic language has no word for cousin. Aramaic frequently uses the word “aha,” which we translate into Greek as “adelphos” or English as brother, for cousin.
6. A comrade of Jesus. This is a remote possibility. Greek uses adelphos the same as English does in “a band of brothers.”
Possibilities 1 and 2 obviously go against Catholic beliefs.
The Catholic Church prefers possibility 5 but 3, 4 and 6 would not go against doctrine.
With love in Christ.
2006-11-30 17:12:46 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
How could she be a virgin after giving birth to a baby? It would be physically impossible. Why would she stay a virgin if she was married to Joseph? That would totally go against God's plan for marriage and other parts of the Word where husbands and wives are instructed. Unless she and Joseph separated after she gave birth to Jesus so she could never be with a man and remain a virgin? Although she would no longer be one technically.
2006-11-30 23:43:50 · answer #2 · answered by Annmaree 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes, it is taught by the Catholic Church that Mary did remain a virgin for the rest of her life. It is also taught that she was taken into heaven without knowing death.
The brothers and sisters so frequently referred to by our Protestant brethren (I used to be Baptist) were most likely cousins or even stepbrothers and stepsisters. Mary never gave birth to any other children.
2006-12-01 09:47:17 · answer #3 · answered by kenrayf 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, and contrary to some opinions expressed here, she did not have any other children. The Bible doesn't name any other children, or directly state, or even imply that she had any other children. The Bible does refer to Jesus' brothers in English translations, but one needs to get behind the English and to consider the culture from whence the Bible was written. In the Biblical sense, brothers is a much broader use and can include cousins.
2006-11-29 04:04:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes she did. People have come up with all kinds of pure garbage lately about her and other things because they are trying to push the idea that nothing is sacred and nothing is possible without people having sex everywhere. It is all garbage ... The gospel of Judas...garbage ...The Gospel of Mary Magdalene... garbage ...The Virgin Mary having other children with Joseph .....garbage. They continually try to judge things of the Kingdom of God by this world's standards and it does not fit.
2006-11-29 03:59:37 · answer #5 · answered by Midge 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. The belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary was always accepted by a majority of Christians. Even Martin Luther, John Calvin & John Wesley affirmed the belief. However I think the majority of Protestants today don't accept the concept.
2006-11-29 03:56:19 · answer #6 · answered by Snarphman 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
No, Mary did have other children after she gave birth to Jesus.
Matthew 13:55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Mark 3:31 31Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.
In Mark chapter 3 you will see that Jesus disciples were already with him BEFORE his mother and brothers arrived. So his disciples were not his actual relatives (with the exception of James and John).
2006-11-29 03:58:52 · answer #7 · answered by cnm 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Bible really does not say. . It talks about Jesus having brothers and sisters, but these could have been his disciples or followers. but it really, really does not even matter. .
I think people should stop arguing about it cuz theres no point in it. . and no one can prove anything. Mary was a virgin when she had Jesus. . and that is all that matters:)
2006-11-29 04:51:51 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. Joseph and Mary had children. You can find accounts in the NT of Jesus' natural brothers and sisters, but the passages escape me right now. I know it's somewhere in the Gospels...
2006-11-29 05:18:41 · answer #9 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
need to be realistic as Mary had more children. during this period of time the custom was to have a large family for two important reasons one being the mortality rate of children and the other was for those that survived there was more children to help with the work.
2006-11-29 03:57:58 · answer #10 · answered by Marvin R 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋