Did Jesus Have Siblings?
Yes, The Lord Jesus had siblings.
In the Scriptures, it shows that his brothers didn't believe in Him. Mark and Matthew also shows that The Lord Jesus had sisters in Matthew 13:56.
His brothers taunted him to go to Jerusalem to show Himself if He was the person that He said He was.
Scholars on The Siblings of The Lord Jesus
| Scholar (Institution & Dates) | Work | View: |
|---|---|---|
| John Calvin (1509–1564) — Geneva | Commentary on the Gospels | Calvin insists that the Greek term adelphoi should be taken in its plain, literal sense unless context forces another reading. He argues that the Gospel writers show no intention of indicating cousins or extended kin. For him, the narrative flow of Jesus’ family interactions suggests an ordinary nuclear family structure. Thus, the “brothers” are best understood as actual siblings of Jesus. |
| Martin Luther (1483–1546) — Wittenberg | Table Talk (Luther’s Works), Various Sermons | Luther held that the “brothers” named in the Gospels were children of Mary and Joseph born after Jesus. He points out that Scripture offers no textual indication that they belonged to another household. Luther argues that Gospel references to the family treat these siblings as part of one immediate family unit. |
| Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) — Oxford | Leviathan, biblical notes | Hobbes interprets the “brothers of Jesus” as literal siblings based on the standard Greek usage of adelphoi. He rejects genealogical reconstructions as overly speculative. He maintains that a straightforward reading best fits the cultural setting of 1st-century Jewish family life. |
| Joseph Mede (1586–1638) — Cambridge | Works, Epistles | Mede argues that the most natural reading of the Gospel references is that the “brothers” were Mary and Joseph’s later children. He emphasizes textual clarity over traditional explanatory systems. Mede sees no linguistic pressure to stretch adelphoi into “cousins” or “kin.” |
| T. K. Cheyne (1841–1915) — Oxford | Encyclopaedia Biblica | Cheyne contends that adelphoi in its NT context very likely means literal brothers of Jesus. He treats alternative interpretations as later harmonizations. He notes that early Hebrew/Aramaic kinship terms are broad, but the Greek usage in the Gospels is precise. |
| Heinrich Meyer (1800–1873) — Göttingen | Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the NT | Meyer argues that the natural exegesis of the text understands Jesus’ brothers as biological siblings. He considers other views as later theological accommodations. Meyer reads the family scenes (Mark 3, Matthew 13, John 7) as best explained by literal household membership. |
| Henry Alford (1810–1871) — Trinity College, Cambridge | The Greek Testament | Alford strongly defends the view that adelphoi means actual siblings, noting that Koine Greek rarely uses the term metaphorically without cues. He rejects cousin-theories as “artificial constructions.” For Alford, NT Greek and narrative coherence both point to biological brothers. |
| James Moffatt (1870–1944) (pre-1920 NT essays) | Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament | Moffatt maintains that the Gospel references best reflect literal siblings of Jesus who later became prominent in the early church. He stresses that early Christian communities read the texts this way. Moffatt believes the simpler reading is historically preferable. |
| Adolf Harnack (1851–1930) (works before 1920) | History of Dogma | Harnack concludes that the earliest Christian tradition understood James and the others as biological brothers. He argues that reinterpretations arose later for theological reasons. The primitive church sources, in his view, treat these figures as immediate members of Jesus’ family. |
| J. B. Mayor (1825–1910) — Cambridge | The Epistle of James | Mayor identifies James “the brother of the Lord” as a literal sibling based on linguistic, historical, and early church references. He argues that the NT consistently distinguishes the “brothers” from the apostles. This supports a household-level, not symbolic, relationship. |
| E. Renan (1823–1892) — Collège de France | Life of Jesus | Renan interprets the brothers as biological siblings, consistent with his historical-critical method. He treats the references as straightforward descriptions of a large Galilean family. Renan sees no textual motivation to treat them as cousins or clan-relatives. |
| Albert Reville (1826–1906) — Sorbonne | The Life of Jesus | Reville takes the “brothers” as literal sons of Mary and Joseph, interpreting Gospel scenes as evidence of ordinary shared household life. He emphasizes naturalistic historical readings. He finds no compelling linguistic or cultural reason for symbolic interpretations. |
The Lord Jesus' Brothers in John 7
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
2 Now the Jew's feast of tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
