Definition of Holy Family

According to the official version of the Catholic Church and the majority of Christian confessions, Jesus of Nazareth was an only child and his parents were Joseph and Mary. In the New Testament several references are made to this link with the term Sacred Family.

In the liturgical calendar the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated, specifically the first Sunday after Christmas. With this celebration an important message is remembered: Jesus, the son of God, became incarnate in a human family.

Christian theologians consider that the integrity of the family is in danger

In the tradition christian the institution Family is the fundamental pillar on which a society must be built. And of course, the family of Jesus serves as a model of inspiration. The new alternatives to the Christian family model are interpreted as a threat and a danger.

The official version about the brothers of Jesus

In the Gospels of Matthew, Luke or Mark, the brothers and sisters of Jesus are explicitly mentioned (it is mention four men with the names of Santiago, José, Simón and Judas and two sisters are mentioned without specifying their Names).

In the Catholic tradition these biblical references are usually explained with the following argument: when Joseph met Mary he was a widowed man who had had several descendants with his former wife.

Consequently, the brothers and sisters of Jesus mentioned in the gospels would actually be his stepbrothers. Is interpretation is based on a text Apocryphal Christian of the 11th century, the Protoevangelium of James. This document maintains the thesis of the perpetual virginity of Mary, so that the brothers and sisters of Jesus could only be children of Joseph.

From another equally official point of view, it is affirmed that the question of the brothers of Jesus is refers to emotional and spiritual ties that have no relationship with the carnal family of Jesus.

For some Christian theologians the virginity of Mary must be interpreted in a symbolic way. With this assessment it is now possible to accept with normality that Jesus had other brothers who were children of Joseph and Mary. This thesis is based on the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus is spoken of as the first-born son of Mary (if Jesus was the first child, this means that Mary and Joseph had more offspring).

The lineage of Jesus is a mystery with two thousand years of history

Apart from the official version on the Holy Family, the question of the lineage of Jesus raises all kinds of interpretations and evaluations. Some researchers argue that the relatives of Jesus played a relevant role in the establishment of Christianity.

Although the original sources are very scarce, experts in genealogy and in Semitic languages ​​try to shed some light on the true family of Jesus of Nazareth.

Photo: Fotolia - Vladimir