A Glimpse into the Family of Jesus

Uncle Clopas

“Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses (Joseph), Simon (Symeon), and Judas (Jude)? And his sisters, are they not all with us?”

Matthew 13:55

Brethren=Disciples=Brother?Acts 1:12Lists each disciple (James Alphaeus, Simon

the Zealot, Judas the son of James) but THEN talks about “the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.”

SO…Brothers do NOT = Disciples here.Matt/Mark/Luke 8:21=Jesus makes a

metaphor to distinguish his brothers from followers.

Could Brother=Disciples

“Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking you.” But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brother?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Mark 3:31/Matt 12:46/Luke 8:19

John 7: 1-9 His brothers disbelieve1After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

6Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

Other spots that reference brothers…

A. Mary & Joseph had children after Jesus was born.

B. Joseph had a previous wife who died and left him with children.

C. Joseph had a brother who died. According to Jewish custom/law, the wife became his responsibility; the children became his responsibility.

What does this mean?

Africanus:Luke (Heli=legal) vs Matthew (Jacob=Bio)Er>Onan>Judah w/TamarIn other words, if Joseph had an older

brother, and this brother died, he would be responsible and would legally “claim” these children as his own, along with care for the widow.

For example…

John 19:25 But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

This is the only NT mention of a man named Clopas.

According to Hegisippus, an early Christian writer, Clopas was the brother of Joseph.

Can this be proven Biblically?Was Clopas the uncle of Jesus?

Who is Clopas

Mark 15:40There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.

Matt 27:56: Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

John 19:25: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Luke (No cross, but next day) 24:10: It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

Many Marys: At the Cross

Fact: James and Joses are labeled as “Brothers”The mother of James and Joses=MaryMary is also labeled as the wife of Clopas.Who is the Virgin Mary’s Sister?If Clopas married a Mary, this would be Mary’s

Sister-in-law. Is this what John meant? Mary would not have a sister named Mary, right?

St. Jerome deduced Sister-in-law & Wife of ClopasWife of Zebedee? Mary’s Sister? John 1:38=Not

cousin!Most probable=Clopas+Mary=J,J,J,S,+daughters.

Sister…in law?

There is some speculation, based on poor Greek, that Clopas was simply another word for Alphaeus.

Thus…James, Son of AlphaeusThus…Matthew Levi, Son of AlphaeusHeth can=Kapp, but only in the middle of the

word, not the beginning. Syriac=Qoph/Aramaic=Halophai

Clopas is NOT Cleopas w=not eo

Who is Clopas NOT?

Joseph’s older brother was Clopas, head of Carpenters.

Joseph had to save money for a while to have a family, thus…older than Mary theory.

When Jesus was born, Clopas was still alive, with 4 sons and a couple of daughters.

While Jesus was still young, Clopas died.Thus…every saw James, Joses, Jude, and Simeon

as the “Brothers of Christ”In order for the apostles to seek a ruling from

James in Acts, he had to be wiser/older, thus…older than Jesus.

My Clopas Theory

James ZebedeeJames Alphaeus=Disciple=Matthew 12:10=not

lesser! Killed in Ostrachina, Egypt by pagans.James Clopas=Mark

15:40=o’mikros=little/less/young (1st Corinth 15:7)=Not 1 of the 12

Acts 12:2=James Zebedee killedGal 1:19: James, the Lord’s BrotherActs 12:17=Go Tell James and the BrethrenActs 14v4:Jews vs. Apostles=Ask James (15:13)Jude 1:1=Jude is the brother of James=Clopas

Many James’s

Papias, Bishop of Hieropolis (70-110)Hegisippus (110-180)Eusebius (265-340)Clopas was the Brother of JosephSimon (James, Jude, Joses) was the cousin of JesusJames the Just/Righteous was the brother of SimonBecause…Simeon replaced his Brother James.Jude was the brother of Jesus=Jude 1:1These were NOT the children of Mary, or THEY

would have taken care of her after Jesus. Instead, Jesus puts John Zebedee in charge of her care?

Official explanations

AKA James the Righteous or James of JerusaelmBishop of JerusalemEpistle of James attributed to himOne of the 3 pillars (John/Peter)Had a special meeting with Jesus 1 Cor 15:7Nazarean=SamsonAllowed to enter Holiest of Holies? A High Priest?Camel Knees=praying all the timePriests tried to get him to diffuse Christianity. Instead, he got

up on top of the temple parapet and declared the divinity of Christ. They threw him off (didn’t die), then stoned him, recognized his truth, but then someone clubbed him in the head.

Josephus feels this is why Jerusalem was destroyed.

James the Just

In the Epistle of Jude, he proudly identifies himself as the Brother of James. Why?

Many of the disciples were dead. James was Bishop of Jerusalem.

The Epistle of Jude shows that he was well-read, citing books like the Book of Jubilees, Assumption of Moses, and the Book of Enoch

About Jude

Joses? 2nd Bishop of JerusalemDoubtful=Simon ZealotesCousin of JesusKnown as Son of ClopasTook Christians to PellaCrucified by Trajan in 107/117 in Jerusalem

About Simon & Joses

Curious? What happened to them?

Sisters

Following the destruction of Jerusalem, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian instituted a policy that anyone with Davidic blood was hunted down and killed.

By the time of Domitian, the Jewish bloodline had been all but destroyed.

The two grandsons of Jude were arrests and brought before Domitian, who confirmed that they were of royal blood but did not see them as a threat, since they were common laborers. He also interrogated them about the purpose of Christianity, which he did not grasp. He let them go, but they went on to be leaders in the Church Big mistake.

Grandsons of Jude