Matthew 27:56 (WEB)
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Matthew 27:56 (KJV)
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
Key words
- Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωσὴφ μήτηρMaria hē tou Iakōbou kai Iōsēph mētēr · Greek
- 'Mary the mother of James and Joses' — the mother of the two men named first among Jesus' 'brothers' in Mark 6:3.
- ἡ ἄλλη Μαρίαhē allē Maria · Greek
- 'the other Mary' — Matthew's name for this same woman a few verses later (27:61; 28:1).
Why it matters
Among the women at the cross Matthew names 'Mary the mother of James and Joses,' and in 27:61 and 28:1 he calls her simply 'the other Mary.' Pitre's lead argument on the 'brothers of Jesus' rests here: James and Joses have a mother who is not the mother of Jesus, and Matthew distinguishes her from Jesus' mother by name. The 'brothers' are therefore kinsmen, not sons of the Virgin.