Growthtrac Community

[Anthony]

Was James, Jesus' real brother; i.e. Mary was also James birth Mom?

[Janine]

I don't think anyone will ever know, just from that bone box that was found.

I can sound positively New Age / Feminist if I go off into all the reasons why it would be just fine by me and by Scripture to find out it was our Jesus' brother's box. :crazy:

[Davep]

Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?"

And you're right about the recent finding of what is suspected to be the Apostles James's burial box:

In October 2002 Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) announced that a first century stone ossuary had been discovered that is believed to have held the bones of St. James, the brother of Jesus, also known as "James the Just." The ossuary carries an inscription that says, in Aramaic, "James son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

The Catholic Church considers that James was probably the "step-brother" of Jesus.

[Wynne]

Perhaps it doesn't disturb them if James is a half-brother from Joseph's previous wife.

"Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?
And are not His sisters here with us?" Mark 6:3 NKJV

Since there is no mention in scripture of Joseph being a family man when he and Mary came together, I assume the brothers and sisters are Jesus' younger siblings, fruit of a good, God-honoring, Middle Eastern 1st Century Jewish marriage.

There is certainly no shame in that.

[Davep]

Also an interesting comment I heard, was that when James died he was 80 years old. Backing back his age to Jesus' birth, James was older than Jesus. Since Jesus was Mary's first born, Mary could not have been James' Mother.

[Janine]

That's assuming the extra-biblical sources of info such as when he died are reliable. ???

By the figures you're using, how much "off" is he from possibly being the younger?

[Davep]

If James died when he was 80 - 90 years old, in 62AD. That would have made him 18 - 28 years old in the year Jesus was Born.

[Janine]

Ah.