jas3
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Helvidius made this same argument:Neither is claiming she did not. Scripture clearly states that Jesus had brothers and sisters. Scripture calls Mary the mother of James and Joses.
"13. The last proposition of Helvidius was this, and it is what he wished to show when he treated of the first-born, that brethren of the Lord are mentioned in the Gospels. For example... 'And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence has this man this wisdom, and mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?'... Helvidius utters a sharp note of warning and cries, 'The same names are repeated by the Evangelists in another place, and the same persons are there brethren of the Lord and sons of Mary.' Matthew says, 'And many women were there (doubtless at the Lord's cross) beholding from afar, which had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.'"
If you are interested, there is a thorough rebuttal of this argument that starts in chapter 15 of Against Helvidius. In summary, St. Jerome writes that Mary being given into the care of John indicates that she had no other children, and that Helvidius is being inconsistent if he demands explicit evidence from Scripture from his opponents while agreeing to things like Mary being a widow by the time of the Crucifixion. He also addresses various reasons why Mary the mother of James and Joses can't be Mary the mother of Jesus, and he also points out that it would be strange to identify Mary the mother of Jesus by reference to lesser-known sons.
The text is really worth reading in full.
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