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This is a matter of some contention. The 2002 discovery of a first century ossuary with the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" recently rekindled the debate. As Cecil Adams of the Straight Dope explains, the answer depends on whether you're Catholic or Protestant. The New Testament makes several references to "brothers" and "sisters" of Jesus. Matthew 13:55 lists four brothers by name: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. Passage 13:56 also mentions that Jesus had sisters, but does not offer their names. Here's where the
semantics get sticky. The New Testament, originally written in Greek, uses the words "adelphoi" for brothers and "adelphi" for sisters. The Catholic perspective interprets these terms broadly, perhaps referring to the children of Joseph by another marriage. Protestants, however, claim that they refer to actual siblings of Jesus. Why the debate? The Catholic doctrine maintains that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. Thus, no little brothers or sisters for Jesus. Protestants are in agreement on the virgin birth of Jesus, but
believe that Mary gave birth to children afterwards.
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