Mary of Clopas and Mary of Nazareth
- Elaine R Kelly
- Dec 18, 2021
- 10 min read
Updated: Apr 30
Today I'm looking at Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, whom I call Maria for clarity, and Mary of Clopas, whom I call Mara.
Earlier, I posted about Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.
I summarize references to the sisters, Mary and Martha, here. to clarify since Mary, the sister of Martha, has often been merged with Mary Magdalene.
Mary (Mara) of Clopas in the Bible:
Mary of Clopas is often unnoticed or forgotten when she appears in the Gospels.
The Bible refers to Mary of Clopas eight times, but scholars debate whether these references are about Mara of Clopas, Maria of Nazareth, or another Mary:
Near the cross stood Jesus's mother's sister, Mary of Clopas [most translations say Mary the wife of Clopas] (John 19:25),
Mary the mother of James and Joses at the cross (Matthew 27:56)
Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses at the cross (Mark 15:40)
Mary the mother of Joses at Jesus's burial (Mark 15:47)
the Other Mary sitting opposite the tomb at Jesus's burial (Matthew 27:61)
the Other Mary went to the tomb, saw angels who said he had risen and saw Jesus on the road (Matthew 28:1-10)
Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb and saw an angel who told them to tell the disciples but they were too afraid (Mark 16:1-8)
Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb, saw angels and reported back to the disciples (Luke 24:1-10). Mary of Clopas may also be included in "that same day two of them were going to Emmaus" (Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13-32).
Who is Mary of Clopas?
Let's look at what we may know about Mara of Clopas, Maria of Nazareth, and their children. Were Maria and Mara sisters, sisters-in-law, sister-wives, or half-sisters? Did they both have children named James, Joses/Joseph, Jude and Simon/Simeon?
Mary is the Daughter of Clopas, Maria's half-sister:
An early Roman Catholic tradition is that there were three sisters: Maria (Jesus's mother), Mary of Clopas, and Mary Salome (the mother of Zebedee's sons James and John).
The only biblical rationale for this is reading "his mother's sister" in John 19:25 as a placeholder for Mary Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John. The reasoning is based on comparing the lists of named women who were at the cross:
John 19:25 | "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (John 19:25 NIV). |
Matthew 27:56 | Mary the mother of James and Joses, the mother of Zebedee's sons, and Mary Magdalene |
Mark 15:40 | Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, Salome, and Mary Magdalene |
This idea builds on the early Roman Catholic tradition that Saint Ann was married three times and had three daughters named Mary: three half-sisters, each from a different father:
Mary the mother of Jesus (Maria of Nazareth)
Mary Salome (who married Zebedee and is the mother of apostles James and John, making these Jesus's cousins and could explain why Jesus asked John to take responsibility for Jesus's mother, John's aunt). An ancient tradition was that Mary Salome acted as Maria's midwife.
Mary of Clopas (daughter of Clopas and half-sister to Maria of Nazareth)
These three half-sisters are called the three Marys at the tomb. The three Marys at the crucifixion are generally Maria (mother of Jesus), Mara of Clopas, and Marie of Magdala.
Mary is the Wife of Clopas, Maria's sister-in-law:
Early theologians say that "his mother's sister" is an adjective describing Mary the wife of Clopas. Church Fathers interpret John 19:25 to suggest that 'Jesus's mother's sister" refers to Mary of Clopas, Maria's sister-in-law, called sister for short. The 2nd-century writer Hegesippus, 4th-century historian Eusebius, and the 5th-century Catholic theologian Jerome all wrote that Clopas was a brother of Joseph,
This would make the children of Clopas cousins of Jesus. Mara is also referred to as “the other Mary” (Matthew 27:61; Matthew 28:1-10). She is named as a follower of Jesus who cared for his needs and was an eyewitness at his death, burial, and resurrection.
Historian Eusebius says Clopas has a son Simeon in Hebrew (Simon in Greek). Clopas's son Simeon was a relative of Jesus and became the second bishop of Jerusalem (after the death of James, the brother of Jesus). He was martyred around AD 100. During the first century, believers who knew Simeon would also know Clopas (Luke 24:18) and Mary of Clopas (John 19:25).
Many theologians believe that Alphaeus is the same as Clopas. Alphaeus (in Aramaic), Cleophas (Greek) and Clopas (Hebrew). Clopas (Alphaeus) is named twice in the Bible, Luke 24:13 and John 19:25. Alphaeus may be a variant or a translation of Clopas/ Cleopas/ Cleophas, making the apostle James the Less the son of Mary of Clopas, also called James, son of Alphaeus. Prior to changing his name from Levi to Matthew, Levi is called a son of Alphaeus but most scholars believe Levi/Matthew is not a brother of James.
My novels take the view that Mara is the wife of Clopas/Alphaeus, and sister-in-law to Maria of Nazareth. Mara and Clopas have four children:
James (the apostle James the Less/James the Younger), named in the Bible
Joses (named in the Bible as a son of Mary of Clopas)
Janis (fictional)
Simeon (historical traditions place Simeon, a relative (cousin) of Jesus, son of Mara dn Clopas, second bishop of Jerusalem.
How can we understand Jesus's brothers and sisters?
The Bible says that Jesus had four brothers (or kin) James, Joseph, Judas and Simon, and at least two sisters (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3). Mary may have given birth to Jesus when she was a teenager and become a widow before Jesus was 30.
The Bible says that Maria did not know Joseph until she gave birth to her son, Jesus (Matthew 1:25). Traditionally, the Catholic church has taught that Maria perpetually remained a virgin.
a) Jesus's siblings were half-siblings, children of Maria and Joseph
The modern Protestant view is that Mary remained a virgin only until after Jesus' birth, and then Joseph and Mary had four sons and at least two daughters. Protestants see this as more in line with the Bible's records that say Jesus had 'brothers and sisters'. The novel Forgotten Followers portrays Joseph and Maria having four sons and two daughters after Jesus was born. These are Jesus's half-siblings (since Jesus was conceived by God, not Joseph). His siblings did not believe in Jesus until after the resurrection (John 7:5).
b) Jesus's siblings were cousins
Roman Catholics and early Protestants, including John Wesley, held the view that Mary remained a perpetual virgin and that Jesus's brothers and sisters were actually his cousins, children of Mary of Clopas. As stated above, many ancient historians state that Clopas was Joseph's brother, and the siblings of Jesus were the children of Mary of Clopas. This would make the children of Clopas (James, Joses, Simeon) cousins of Jesus, and refer to them as Jesus's brothers or kin (James, Joseph, Jude, Simon). This view conflates Jesus's brothers with the children of Mary of Clopas.
c) Jesus's siblings were his step-brothers from Joseph's first marriage
The Eastern Orthodox tradition is that Jesus's brothers were sons of Joseph from his first marriage. Joseph had legal heirs from his deceased wife, and Mary remained a perpetual virgin after marrying Joseph. Joseph was 20-40 years older than Mary, explaining why he died before Jesus began his ministry. By AD 30, Jesus's mother would have been in her late 40s (if she had given birth to Jesus in her teens).
d) Jesus's siblings were brothers and sisters under Levirate law
If Joseph died leaving no heirs, Leverite law would require Joseph's brother, Clopas, to marry Joseph's widow, Maria (though she could remain a virgin). Any biological children of Mara and Clopas would be considered Joseph's heirs and Jesus's siblings. Also, Joseph's brother's wife, Mara, and Maria would become sister wives, matching the description of Mary the mother of Jesus standing with her sister, Mary of Clopas (John 19:25).
But what about these Five guys named James?
James the Great; son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of John, one of the twelve. This James, brother of John, was killed about AD 44 per Acts 12. Traditionally, Apostle John is portrayed with no beard to indicate he is quite young during Jesus's ministry, since he may have lived to the late AD 90s. My novel does not include the tradition of Salome as Maria's half-sister or James and John as Jesus's cousins.
James (James the Just), the brother of Jesus, did not believe during Jesus's life (John 7:5). but became a believer after the resurrection, became a pillar of the church (Galatians 1:19, Galatians 2:9) and could be called the first bishop of Jerusalem. James, brother of Jesus, wrote the letter of James in the Bible. Tradition is that around AD 65, Jewish leaders called for James the Just to stand on the pinnacle of the temple and speak against Jesus. When he spoke for Jesus, they pushed him to the ground and beat him to death with a fuller's club. Historically, the Roman Catholic church merged James, the brother of Jesus, with the apostle James the Less. That is why traditional art depicts the apostle James the Less holding a fuller's club, which is a large wooden bat used by ancient fullers to clean, soften, and whiten cloth.
James the Less, son of Mary of Clopas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, was martyred in Ostrakine in 62 AD. Records of James the Less being beaten with a fuller's club are derived from conflating James, son of Mary of Clopas, with Jesus's brother James. The apostle James the Less is paired with Joses, and both are sons of Mary (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:47), the mother of James the Less (Mark 15:40, Mark 16:1-7, Luke 24:1-32). The apostle James the Less is also called James, son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13). While Alphaeus is given as the name for Matthew's father, and James the Less's father, there is no evidence that Matthew and James the Less are brothers. The Bible does not pair James the Less as a brother of Matthew nor as a brother of apostle Jude. Scholars who suggest James the Less was Matthew's brother explain that Matthew was estranged from the family for being a Roman tax collector.
James of Jude could be the father or brother of Jude Thaddaeus. The Bible lists Jude as an apostle, without describing Jude as the brother of James or son of James (Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13). Some say the letter of Jude is written by the apostle Jude, known as Jude Thaddaeus. Others say it is written by Jude, the brother of James and Jesus.
James and Zoker are brothers, both grandsons of Jude. Since Jude was a brother (kin/cousin) of Jesus, the brothers James and Zoker would be grand-nephews of Jesus. In early church history, Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesarea, quoted from Hegesippus discussing the brothers Zoker and James, the grandsons of Jude. They were brought before Emperor Domitian in the first century. In court, Zoker and James admitted they were descendants of David and relatives of Jesus. Court documents show how much they had in terms of assets, primarily a smallholding from which they supported themselves. They testified that Jesus' kingdom was not a threat to Rome, and was not an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one. Domitian then let them go and did not actively persecute Christians.
Chart of Children
We have two Marys, each with their own children with similar names, and through history, the two Marys and their children have often been conflated to call the sons of Mary of Clopas brothers of Jesus.
In Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, I show Clopas and Mary with four children: Jamie (who became the apostle James the Less), Joses, Janis, and Simeon (who traditionally became the 2nd bishop of Jerusalem). James the Less, son of Alphaeus (another name for Clopas), is one of the twelve disciples (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13).
In traditional art, only James the Less and John, son of Zebedee, are depicted without a beard, as they are the youngest apostles. My novel shows these two as teenagers, having become men at about age 13. My fiction shows Mara about fifteen years younger than Maria, and her children are likewise younger. Mara may have seen the risen Jesus as she travelled to Emmaus with her husband Clopas. Jesus’ aunt and uncle, Mary and Clopas, may have become a husband-and-wife team of travelling missionaries.
Below are the families as I imagine them, fitting with what we know from the siblings named in the Bible and tradition. I list them in order of birth, with Jesus's siblings and others portrayed as younger than Jesus.
Mara/ Mary, wife of Clopas | Mary/ Maria, wife of Joseph | Mary Salome/Salome, wife of Zebedee |
Jesus | ||
Rachel (fictional) | James (biblical name) Apostle James the Great | |
James (biblical name, 1st bishop of Jerusalem) | Naomi (fictional) | |
Joseph (biblical name) | ||
Jude (biblical name) | Sarah (fictional) | |
Anna (fictional) | ||
Simon (biblical name) | ||
James the Less (biblical name, a young apostle) | John (biblical name) Apostle John, a young apostle | |
Joses (biblical name) | ||
Janis (fictional) | ||
Simon (historic traditional name 2nd bishop of Jerusalem) |
Summary
Protestants generally say that Maria remained a virgin only until she gave birth to Jesus and that Jesus's siblings (named in Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55) are half-siblings, children of Maria and Joseph while Jesus is the son of Maria and conceived by God.
Roman Catholics generally believe Maria remained a virgin, the siblings named in the Bible were Jesus's close kin, likely cousins/children of Mara, conflating the two James into one.
Eastern Orthodox would likely say that Maria remained a virgin, the siblings were stepsiblings that Joseph had from a prior marriage.
My novel, Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, follows the Protestant view and shows Maria and Mara each have a son named James. My novels show Jesus’s siblings did not believe in Jesus during his ministry (John 7:5) but believed after the resurrection (Acts 1:14). Since early historians Hegesippus and Eusebius state Clopas was a brother of Joseph, my novel portrays Mara as the wife of Clopas and sister-in-law to Maria.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1 (2022)
The Sword A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)
Because She Was Called: from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church, imagines Mary Magdalene's trip to testify before the emperor (2024)
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)
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