Did Jesus Have Brothers and Sisters?



Dear Catholic Exchange:

Did Jesus have any step-brothers or sisters? Someone told me Joseph was married and a widower before he became betrothed to Mary, Jesus' mother.

Robert Kilgore

Dear Robert,

Peace in Christ!

The Church has always maintained that Joseph is, was, and always will be the “most chaste spouse” of the Blessed Mother. Inasmuch as Mary was perpetually a virgin, one can conclude that Joseph remained perpetually chaste. Prior to Mary, however, there are different opinions as to whether Joseph was a virgin and the historical record is very unclear.

For example, the prevalent opinion by the third to fourth century, elaborated by St. Jerome, was that Jesus’ brothers and sisters were kinsmen. If this is true, it still does not reveal anything about Joseph’s virginity or previous marital status.

The Protoevangelion of James is a letter concerning the lives of Mary and Jesus claiming the authorship of James the Lesser, “cousin and brother” of Jesus. It was not accepted as canonical and was probably not written until around the middle of the second century. Many, however, did accept it as authentic, though not canonical — e.g., Chrysostom, Epiphanius, Cyril. The Protoevangelion claimed that Joseph was much older than Mary, was a widower, and had other children. There is little history about St. Joseph and since the Protoevangelion was not written by James, it cannot be considered as credible evidence. Thus, it seems that all the various theories put forth are simply on the level of theory and that none of the various views predominate over the others.

Official Church teaching has been silent on Joseph’s status prior to Mary. Pope Leo XIII wrote an encyclical on devotion to St. Joseph, issued on August 15, 1889. His only statement therein is that St. Joseph is a model of conjugal fidelity for spouses and “virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity” (no. 4). This is more likely a reference to his deep respect and honor of Mary’s virginity than to his own. Further, Joseph as the “most chaste spouse of Mary” says nothing of his sexual status as he could have just as well been chaste according the married state prior to Mary.

Pope John Paul II, on the centenary of Pope Leo’s encyclical, wrote the letter, Redemptoris Custos (“Guardian of the Redeemer”). As in Pope Leo’s letter, there is no indication even of Pope John Paul’s own theological opinion.

From the evidence, it would seem that the views are varied enough that, among those that are within the pale of orthodoxy, none enjoy a predominant place.

For further information on this subject, please refer to our FAITH FACT, The ‘Brothers and Sisters’ of Jesus.

Please feel free to call us at 1-800-MY FAITH with any further questions on this or any other subject. If you have found this information to be helpful, please consider a donation to CUF to help sustain this service. You can call the toll-free line, visit us at www.cuf.org, or send your contribution to the address below. Thank you for your support as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”

United in the Faith,

Amy Barragree

Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

827 North Fourth Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)



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