Leo Caesius
Banned
I had a bit of a discussion with one of our departed Catholics about this. It's an extrabiblical tradition. The Catholics claim, in support of their particular tradition, that the Greek text follows the "Semitic" conventions in refering to all of Jesus' cousins as "brothers and sisters" but this is actually the exact opposite of the convention in Aramaic and other Semitic languages - which are quite precise about kinship terms and loath to apply them to people who are not blood relations. For example, the person your mother's brother has married is called your "aunt" in English, whereas in Arabic the equivalent term translates to "wife of my maternal uncle." Cousins are likewise distinguished as to whether they are on the maternal or the paternal side.
It is true that you can refer generically to a close friend as your "brother," just as you often call an older man your "uncle," but the fact is that these terms are used consistently for Jesus' (presumed) relations throughout the New Testament, which suggests to me a rather precise relationship, rather than the occasional application of a slang term.
I'm more than willing to respect the traditional Catholic position on this, but I think in the final analysis it's only as valid as those traditions that claim, for example, that these terms are meant to be interpreted literally and not metaphorically. Who can say? I wasn't there, so I certainly can't.
It is true that you can refer generically to a close friend as your "brother," just as you often call an older man your "uncle," but the fact is that these terms are used consistently for Jesus' (presumed) relations throughout the New Testament, which suggests to me a rather precise relationship, rather than the occasional application of a slang term.
I'm more than willing to respect the traditional Catholic position on this, but I think in the final analysis it's only as valid as those traditions that claim, for example, that these terms are meant to be interpreted literally and not metaphorically. Who can say? I wasn't there, so I certainly can't.