Pr. prof. dr. Stelian Tofana - Fratii lui Iisus ! 3/3

Rev. Prof. Univ. Dr. Stelian Tofana - Biblical Study (Church of the Transfiguration on Heroes' Boulevard - Cluj) Blessed Jerome, who was a fine linguist and a good connoisseur of the Hebrew language, noted that, in the language of the ancient Hebrews, the word brother ('ah) could mean both blood brother and stepbrother, nephew or cousin. "Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And aren't his sisters here with us?" (Mark 6:3) This bewilderment was expressed by the assembly in the synagogue in Nazareth, the town of Jesus' childhood (cf. Matthew 2:23), immediately after He reads a passage from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2) and interprets it in reference to Himself (cf. Luke 4:21). The indication is valuable because it gives us a list of four brothers and (at least) two sisters of Jesus, whose names were not retained by the authors of the Holy Gospels. The New Testament mentions these brothers of Jesus in seven different episodes: Mark 3:31-35 (see also Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 8:19-21); Mark 6:3 (see also Matthew 13:54-58); John 2:12; 7:3.5.10; Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19. But can we say that Jesus had brothers? Are we talking about brothers and sisters from the same mother and/or father, or should these expressions be understood differently?