Did the Virgin Mary have children with Joseph after the birth of Jesus?

Question

If so please included bible references. Thank you

Answer 1

Yes - The New Testament contains several references to Jesus's brothers and sisters, the most explicit of which is Matthew 13:55-56, in which the neighbors wonder where Jesus gets off with all this preaching: "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? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"

The words in the original Greek text are "adelphoi", brothers, and "adelphi", sisters. They can be used in a metaphorical, brotherhood-of-man sense, just like their English equivalents. But the context strongly suggests the strict sense, i.e., children of the same mom.

Why is there any doubt about Jesus having brothers and sisters? In the first place, it must be understood that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus (Matt. 1: 18-25). Hence, Jesus' brothers and sisters were subsequent to Jesus' birth (see also Matt. 12: 47). The main reason there is controversy over this matter is because of the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, a Catholic doctrine. You see, part of the reason for the worship of Mary is because of the belief that Mary was "holy" in a special sense, even to the point of never having other children.

The fallacy of the perpetual virginity doctrine. As we have seen, the Jews who best knew the family of Joseph and Mary not only knew that Jesus had siblings, but they knew the names of Jesus' brothers. If Catholicism can be wrong about this doctrine, how about their doctrine of salvation by meritorious works, the Pope being the head of the church, and holy water salvation (Tit. 3: 5; Eph. 1: 22, 23, Matt. 28: 18; Matt. 26: 28)?

Beloved, the fact that Jesus had brothers and sisters who were obviously the offspring of Mary and Joseph does not in any way take away from Jesus' identity. Jesus remains "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1: 29). He is truly the Son of God (Jn. 3: 16).

Answer 2

There indications throughout scripture that say that Jesus had "brothers" or "sisters" are:

Matt. 12:46; Matt. 13:55; Mark 3:31–34; Mark 6:3; Luke 8:19–20; John 2:12, 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5

However, just because a person is referenced as a "brother" or "sister" does not make the person "the son/daughter of my parents." There is no word for "cousin" in Aramaic (Jesus' language) or in Hebrew. Ancient Greek does have a word for cousin, however:

"In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament used by Jews in Jesus' time) the Hebrew word that includes both brothers and cousins was translated as adelphos, which in Greek usually has the narrow meaning that the English "brother" has. Unlike Hebrew or Aramaic, Greek has a separate word for cousin, anepsios, but the translators of the Septuagint used adelphos, even for true cousins. "

You can see a case of this in Genesis 14. Lot was described as Abraham's brother, but according to Gen. 11:26–28, he is actually is nephew.

Also, Jesus being called a "firstborn" does not mean that there was a second born or a third born. In Judaism, the firstborn son (even if he was an only child) was called a firstborn because it was by that title that the rights of inheritance were passed on.

Answer 3

Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in several Bible verses. Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, and Mark 3:31 say that Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56). In John 7:1-10, His brothers go on to the festival while Jesus stays behind. In Acts 1:14, His brothers and mother are described as praying with the disciples. Later, in Galatians 1:19, it mentions that James was Jesus’ brother. The most natural conclusion of these passages is to interpret that Jesus had actual blood siblings.

Answer 4

Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in several Bible verses. Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, and Mark 3:31 say that Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56). In John 7:1-10, His brothers go on to the festival while Jesus stays behind. In Acts 1:14, His brothers and mother are described as praying with the disciples. Later, in Galatians 1:19, it mentions that James was Jesus’ brother. The most natural conclusion of these passages is to interpret that Jesus had actual blood siblings.

Answer 5

No, certainly not. If there were siblings the Bible would have certainly mentioned it. Sometimes people will claim that the use of brothers and sisters in English translations of Scriptures is proof but the word in Greek would most likely mean relatives and not siblings. So, since the Scriptures are explicitly silent on whether He had siblings one should look to other indications. The most striking of the proofs against His having siblings is actually given to the foot of the cross when Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to St. John. Had He had a brother there would have been no reason to do this. There is also the situation when the angel spoke to St. Mary about her being with child and she acted surprised which would indicate that she had sworn a vow of celibacy according to the culture of the time.

The Bible being silent as well as history as to any siblings of Jesus, we must assume that there were none. Don't you think?

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 6

No.

The biblical references would be the lack of them. There are no references to other children, brothers or sisters.

There are however biblical references that help us understand why Mary must have remained a virgin and therefore never had other children.

Mary would have considered herself married to the Holy Spirit because she had become pregnant by his power.

Sex did not have the power over society that it does today. It was not the most important thing.

It's difficult to explain it all without typing a book. So check out the references I've included for more information.

http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/talmud.htm
http://www.catholic.com/library/Mary_Ever_Virgin.asp

Answer 7

No one really knows.

There is actually much debate about it. The Bible claims Jesus had brothers, but most people claim that these were sons of Joseph from a previous marriage.

Some people do think that Jesus actually had brothers which were the children of Mary, but no one really knows for sure.

Answer 8

It was never referenced in the bible. It is however known that Mary and Joseph did have children. The people that make decisions on what stories should be kept or tossed decided that printing the fact that Mary had other children would be less story worthy and would bring about too many questions.

FYI I could be wrong but most popular bibles do not print that Jesus had siblings.

Answer 9

According to Matthew 13:55 Jesus had four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, as well as unnamed sisters. Galatians 1:19, also refers to James as Jesus' brother.

I found lots of info on this subject at :

http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-siblings.html

Hope it helps!

Answer 10

Yes, I believe Jesus has a brother named Joseph