Three Versions of the Family Tree of Jesus

1. James as Full Brother of Jesus

2. James as Half Brother of Jesus

3. James as Cousin of Jesus

Three separate traditions coexist within Christianity regarding the familial relationship between James and Jesus. In one tradition James and the other siblings of Jesus are the children of Joseph and Mary; James is therefore seen as a full brother of Jesus (top diagram). This view is widely accepted in Protestant Christianity.

A second tradition sees James and the other siblings as a product of an earlier marriage of Joseph: Only Jesus came of Joseph’s marriage to Mary (middle diagram). James in this version is a half-brother to Jesus. This view is dominant in the Orthodox Church.

A third tradition, that of the Roman Catholic Church, believes James and the others to be the children of Joseph’s brother Clopas and Mary of Clopas, who later witnessed the crucifixion (bottom diagram). The word “brother” is understood in this version as a general term for relative or kin as well as sibling. James would thus be a cousin of Jesus in this view.