How many siblings did Jesus have?

Response

Two passages of Scripture provide us with information about Jesus’ siblings. In Matthew 13:54–57, it is mentioned, “Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offense at him.” Although the exact number of sisters Jesus had is uncertain, it is undeniable that He had at least six siblings «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. », (Mark 6:3).

Jude 1:1 identifies the author of the epistle as “the brother of James.” This James is believed to be the author of the book with the same name, who was also Jesus’ brother as mentioned in Galatians 1:19. Both James and Jude (Judas) were likely part of the siblings who initially felt embarrassed by their older brother’s bold fame and attempted to bring Him home «While he yet talked to the people, behold,

His Mother and Brethren

his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. », (Matthew 12:46). James and Jude only acknowledged Him as the Son of God after His resurrection. Upon witnessing Jesus alive again, His siblings became devoted followers.

Some have suggested that the Greek terms adelphos (“brothers”) and adelphai (“sisters”) in Matthew 13 may refer to spiritual siblings. Others, who maintain the belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity, assume that

The mentions of Jesus’ siblings imply that Joseph had children prior to marrying Mary. Nevertheless, there is no biblical backing for either hypothesis, and we lack a logical basis to assume that the siblings specifically named in the Scriptures were not the biological offspring of both Mary and Joseph. The exact number of siblings Jesus had is unspecified, but Mark 6:3 suggests there were at least six: a minimum of four named brothers and a minimum of two unnamed sisters.