The following link is from the Catholic Answers Website and attempts to explain away the fact that Jesus had brothers and sisters.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Brethren_of_the_Lord.asp

However, there are weakness in this article:

1) It says that the Greek word for brother can mean something other than brother but then gives no NT examples.

2) Its examples come from the Hebrew and the OT not the Greek or NT.

3) It argues that a word can have a wider meaning doesn't then prove that in a particular instance it has the wider meaning.

4) Arguing that there is no word for cousin does not then prove that Jesus' brothers were cousins anymore than no greek word for transvestite proves that they were transvestites.

5) Lastly, the article doesn't say why the translators still chose to translate the scripture in question as brothers, including the Catholic Translations.

6) This article also doesn't mention context which often can tell one if the meaning should be other than the obvious.

The context doesn't give us any indication of the need to translate brothers as cousins.

If this article's argument was right we might translate the following scripture this way.

'Who is my Mother and who are my nephews but those that do the will of God.' (Luke 12)

Unless Catholics want to be lumped with the Liberals of the Jesus Seminar who throw out scripture just because they don't want to believe it.

The Bible means what it says and says what it means unless one can show that it doesn't and Catholics or Liberals haven't.

Catholics cannot condemn the Jesus Seminar when they are employing the same techniques. The translators translate it as brothers, and we should not have to go through unbelieving Catholics to determine whether we are to believe scripture.

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? (Matthew 13:55)

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Notice that these folks use the fact of Jesus having brothers and sisters as part of their reason for rejecting Jesus. The Catholics have solved this problem by just denying that Jesus had any brothers or sisters.

Notice, he had sisters as well, so one not only has to deal with the word 'brother' but the word 'sister as well.

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. (Matthew 1)

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

Notice that if we substituted 'cousins' here for brothers, this verse would sound silly.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2)

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. (John 2)

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1)

BJ Maxwell 12/19/2005

Here are some links to a discussion I had with a Catholic on this subject: