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Josephus: James the brother of Jesus

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> Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? (Matthew 13:55, ESV) In order to maintain the belief of the perpetual virginity of Mary, many Christians claim that the use of the Greek word for brother, ἀδελφός, can also be used to mean cousin . From my understanding the more proper term for cousin, ἀνεψιός, is used only once in the NT by Paul: > Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin (ἀνεψιός) of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), (Colossians 4:10, ESV) The first century Jewish historian Josephus mentions "James the brother of Jesus" in his *Antiquities of the Jews*: > Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother (ἀδελφός) of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; My question is twofold; Do we have any writings from Josephus where he uses the term ἀδελφός and it is clear that he uses it to mean cousin or kinsman? Also does Josephus ever use the term ἀνεψιός?
Asked by Nicholas Staab (171 rep)
Jan 12, 2025, 10:53 PM
Last activity: Jan 13, 2025, 04:19 AM