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Writer's pictureElaine R Kelly

Mary of Clopas and Mary of Nazareth

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. Mary of Clopas is often unnoticed or forgotten when she appears in the Gospels.


For simplicity, I refer to Mary Magdalene as Marie and Martha's sister Mary as Miriam.

Earlier I posted about Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.

Since Mary, the sister of Martha, has often been merged with Mary Magdalene, I summarize references to the sisters, Mary and Martha, here.


The Bible refers to Mary of Clopas eight times, but scholars debate whether some of these references are to Mara of Clopas or Maria of Nazareth:

  • Jesus's mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas near the cross (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).


Let's look at what we may know about Maria of Nazareth, Mara of Clopas, 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?


Is Mara the daughter or wife of Clopas?

In John 19:25 it says "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (John 19:25 NIV).


Mary, Daughter of Clopas:

Some say that "his mother's sister" is a place holder for Mary Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John because Salome is named present at the cross in Matthew and Mark but not in John. An early Roman Catholic tradition is 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 sons of thunder Jesus's cousins and could be a reason for Jesus asking John to take responsibility of Mary, Jesus's mother, John's aunt).  An ancient tradition 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.


Mara/Mary, Wife of Clopas:

Most 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). 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 the son of Alphaeus. Prior to changing his name from Levi to Matthew, Levi is called a son of Alphaeus but scholars agree that Levi/Matthew is not a brother of James.


My novels take the view that Mara is the wife of Clopas/Alphaeus, sister-in-law to Maria of Nazareth. Mara has four children:

  • James (the apostle James the Less/James the Younger), named in the Bible

  • Joses (named in the Bible as on of Mary of Clopas)

  • Janis (fictional)

  • Simeon (historical traditions place Simeon, a relative of Jesus, as second bishop of Jerusalem. I portray Simeon as Jesus's cousin, son of Clopas and Mara. Simeon was martyred around AD 100.


two mothers
Jesus's brothers and sisters

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 she became 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 saying Jesus had 'brothers and sisters'. The novel Forgotten Followers takes the view that Joseph and Maria had 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).


Mary of clopas with children
Photo: Mary of Cleophas and her family by Hans Suess von Kulmbach 1513 public domain

b) Jesus's siblings were cousins

Early Protestants, including John Wesley, shared the Roman Catholic view that Mary remained a perpetual virgin and that Jesus' 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 mean that his cousins are the ones referred to as his brothers or kin (James, Joseph, Jude, Simon).


c) Jesus's siblings were his step-brothers from Joseph's first marriage

The traditional view of Eastern Orthodox churches is that the brothers of Jesus were sons of Joseph after he became a widower on the death of his first wife. This idea often comes with Joseph being 20-40 years older than Mary when they wed. Joseph already had heirs and Mary remains a perpetual virgin after marrying Joseph.



d) Jesus's siblings were brothers and sisters under Levirite law

According to tradition, if Joseph died leaving no heirs, then Joseph's brother, Clopas, would have fulfilled his duty under Levirite law and married Joseph's widow. Any biological children of Maria and Joseph's brother (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). I don't know any theologians who seriously entertain this option.


But what about these Five guys named James?


  1. James the Great; son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of John, one of the twelve. My novel presents Salome as not being a half-sister of Maria; James and John not being Jesus's cousins. This James, brother of John, was killed about 44 AD per Acts 12.

  2. James the Less, son of Mary of Clopas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, was martyred in Ostrakine in 62 AD. 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. 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).

  3. James (James the Just), the brother of Jesus, 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 James the Less and traditionally the apostle James the Less is depicted in art holding a fuller's club. The fuller's club may refer to the large wooden bat used by ancient fullers to clean, soften, and whiten cloth.

  4. 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.

  5. James the brother of Zoker, both grandsons of Jude. Since Jude was a brother of Jesus, the brothers James and Zoker would be grand-nephews of Jesus. In early 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.



In summary, we have two Marys, each having their own children with similar names, and through history, the two Marys and their children have often been conflated. By AD 30, Jesus's mother would have been in her late 40s. 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.


For the purposes of my fiction, I have Mara about fifteen years younger than Maria, and her children are likewise younger. Below are the families as I imagine them for my fiction, fitting with what we know from the siblings named in the Bible and tradition.

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)

Sarah (fictional)

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.


Eastern Orthodox would likely say that Maria remained a virgin, the siblings were stepsiblings since Joseph had children from a prior marriage.


Roman Catholics generally believe Maria remained a virgin, the siblings named in the Bible were Jesus's close kin, possibly cousins (children of Mara, conflating the two James into one).


My novel follows the view that Maria remained a virgin only until Jesus was born and that Jesus’s siblings were children of Maria and Joseph (Maria and Mara each have a son named James). My novels reflect that 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.


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. Jesus’ aunt and uncle, Mary and Clopas, may have become a husband-and-wife team of travelling missionaries.

 

Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with Christian 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

  • The Sword A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role

  • 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






















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