Scholars claim that James is the son of Mary and thus the brother of Jesus Christ.
By ARIEL COHENJesus and Mary(photo credit: ARIEL COHEN)
New archaeological reports and claims from Biblical scholar Ben Withering show that Jesus may have had a brother.Withering, who is a New Testament professor from Asbury Theological Seminary as well as an ordained pastor, recently debunked the long held claim that Jesus was Mary's only child, stating to CNN that James was the brother of Jesus Christ.The claims follow a 2002 archaeological discovery of a 2,000 year-old bone box with the Aramaic inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” The unique discovery backs up suspicions that Jesus was not an only child based on the biblical passage referring to Jesus’s brothers and sisters.The biblical verse in question, Mark 6:3 says “Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?"Further evidence is found in a letter Paul wrote to the Galatians: "Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him 15 days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord's brother."For centuries religious scholars have disputed whether or not the reference to “brothers” and “sisters” was literal or figurative. Withering stated that it is very possible that Mary went on to have children after the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.The New Testament says nothing about Mary being a perpetual virgin” Withering said, “it says she virginally conceived Jesus, and it certainly implies that she went on to have more children after that, and his brothers and sisters are in fact his brothers and sisters."If true, this claim would make James the half brother of Jesus, and the stepson of God.
