1.- Commentaries run these days (La Revista, October 2002) on the discovery of an ossuary in Jerusalem with the following inscription: Jacob, son of Joseph and brother of Jesus. Certainly, they are very common names in the jewish world. But, the expression brother of Jesus is relevant. If it is possible to confirm that the inscription written down in the epitaph really refers to Saint Jacob, the brother of the Lord, we would be before an important discovery for the Christian world. But, what can this mean?.
2.- To begin with, it is convenient to make some observations. The inscription does not refer to James the oldest, son of Zebedee and brother of John, one of the first disciples of Jesus (Mt 4, 22), who had his head cut by order of Herod Agrippa about the year 44 (Acts 12, 2). Nothing is said in the New Testament about his coming to Spain. So, the inscription refers to James the Less, who has an important role in the first Christian community (Acts 12, 17; 15, 13; 21,18), Saint James´ letter is ascribed to him. He dies about year 62 (Josephus, Hegesipo).
3.- Follow on, the evangels call brothers of Jesus to James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, and also talk about sisters (Mt 13, 55- 56; Mk 6,3). Saint Paul talks about James, the brother of the Lord (Ga 1, 19). Mary is the mother of Jesus (Jn 2,1; Acts 1, 14; Mt 1,18- 25; Lk2) and Joseph´s wife (Lk 2,5; Mt 1,18). For Nazareth’s people Jesus is the carpenter’s son (Mt 13, 55). The evangels and the Acts of the Apostles talk in a natural way about his mother and his brothers (Mt 12, 46; Mk 3,31; Lk 8,19; Acts 1, 14).
4.- The evangelical churches accept without any problem the fact that Jesus had brothers. Nevertheless, the evangels explicitly distinguish between the mother of Jesus and the mother of James the Less and of Joseph (Mt 27, 56; Mk 15, 40), who also appears in Luke’s evangel like Mary that of James (Lk 24,10).
5.- In the evangels, the mother of James the less appears alone with no husband. It is possible that she was a widow, like Mary the mother of Jesus, and that, without any kind of social protection, they mutually supported and lived all of them like brothers. It is also possible that those brothers were married.
6.- In the catholic tradition, this explanation upon the Jesus´ brothers is usually given: in the biblical world the nearest relatives are called brothers (see Gn 13,8M 12,5; 14; 16; Lv 10,4; 1Cro 23,22 and follow on; Catholic Church Catechism, num. 500).
7.- In definitive, the discovery concords with the New Testament data, that presents James the Less like brother of the Lord. Besides, it gives name to the father of James - Mary’s husband, mother of James and Joseph. His name would be Joseph, like one of his sons.
8.- But it is not necessary to insist on this, dedicating our attention to fables and endless genealogies (1 Tim 1,3). Saint Paul confronts soberly the question of Jesus´ origin saying: born of woman (Gal 4,4), descendant of David (Rm 1,3), and he places the emphasis in the central confession of the Christian faith: Jesus is the Lord (Phil 2,11).
9.- In the catechesis Treasured in her heart, more can be read about the evangel of the infancy, on Jesus´ origin and on what Mary carried in her heart.
Go to the catechesis TREASURED IN HER HEART
See the article HAD JESUS ANY BROTHER?