Is Saint James the Less the brother of Jesus?

Jesus of Nazareth was the only child of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just as the Tablets of the Law, precursor of the Word, had their own precious vessel, the Ark, the Theotokos (God-bearer) was the precious ark reserved for the Word-made-Flesh, and Him alone.

Scripture is clear, the mother of James, the son of Alphaeus (Mt. 10:13), stood near the Cross (Mt. 27:56) and went to the Tomb with Magdalene (Lk. 24:10). She is clearly not the same woman as the mother of Jesus, who was given into the care of the Apostle John by the Lord.

Saint James the Less, therefore, was not a blood brother of Jesus, but a close relative. This is consistent with the usages of Scripture for “adelphos” which can be a blood brother, a close relative, such as cousin, and even simply a member of the same tribe or people, such as a fellow Hebrew. In the same way today, in both the Church and the world, to call someone “brother” or “sister” is not limited to one’s siblings, but manifests a kinship of race, creed or shared experience.