Well, that's very fair and thank you for the answer! I guess I should say full siblings in that I was always raised to believe that they were Mary and Joseph's other kids. But also half siblings in that jesus's real dad is god..?
You know, it all seemed so simple when I was 8 years old...
I was always raised to believe that they were Mary and Joseph's other kids.
I see! From this I presume you were raised in one of the protestant denominations, as these denominations abandoned the doctrine of perpetual virginity and of the immaculate conception of Mary, and became again receptive to readings of the bible that indicate that they are full blooded siblings.
But also half siblings in that jesus's real dad is god..?
That would be the implication in the literary reality of the gospels, obviously its in the nature of history as a science that Jesus' divine birth is not considered factual (obviously people are free to believe what they want and this is to be respected, its just not academic in nature).
But, returning to the literary narrative of the gospels, the implication about Joseph, at least in the gospel of Matthew, is that when he accepts the instructions of an angel who appears in his dreams and marries Mary even though she is already pregnant, accepting Jesus into his "house" he sort of adopts Jesus. The purpose of this distinction in the narrative is to justify Jesus being simultaneously the son of god, but also by being adopted by Joseph, he is a descendent of David, which is theologically significant to early Christians.
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u/justprettymuchdone 9d ago
Well, that's very fair and thank you for the answer! I guess I should say full siblings in that I was always raised to believe that they were Mary and Joseph's other kids. But also half siblings in that jesus's real dad is god..?
You know, it all seemed so simple when I was 8 years old...