The very first words of this new belief, as uttered by Jesus and his followers, are contained in the Bible. For many people, it’s truly the word of God. But dispersed across the pages of this book are some puzzling allusions to a group of people very close to Jesus, his own clan and his dearest associates. But strangely, they barely get recognition at all.
One of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church’s largest annual celebration day is that of the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Feasts are held all over the world, her portraits are proudly displayed, but one thing is never commented – her actual blood family. The whole inquiry about the existence of Jesus’ brothers and sisters in the gospels is very much explained and associated with the identity of Jesus and his mother. And as Jesus starts to be evermore perceived as godlike and Mary transforms evermore into eternal virgin, then it becomes unorthodox to say that these are typical brothers and sisters.