Simon (Ancient Greek:Σίμων) is described in theNew Testament as one of the"brothers" of Jesus (Greek:ἀδελφοί,romanized: ádelphoi,lit. 'brothers').[1]
InMatthew 13:55, people ask concerning Jesus, "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" while inMark 6:3 they ask, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?"
The Catholic Church defined that "brothers of Jesus" are not biological children ofMary,[2] because of thedogma of theperpetual virginity of Mary,[3][4] by virtue of which it rejects the idea that Simon and any other than Jesus Christ God could be a biological son of Mary, suggesting that the so-calledDesposyni were either sons ofJoseph from a previous marriage (in other words,step-brothers) or else were cousins of Jesus.[5] TheCatholic Encyclopedia suggests that Simon may be the same person asSimeon of Jerusalem orSimon the Zealot.[5] Some Protestant interpreters who deny the perpetual virginity of Mary usually take Simon to have been ahalf-brother of Jesus.[citation needed]
According to the surviving fragments of the workExposition of the Sayings of the Lord of theApostolic FatherPapias of Hierapolis, who lived c. 70–163 AD, Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus would be the mother of Simon, the brother of Jesus:
Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus, and of one Joseph... (Fragment X)[6]
James Tabor, in his controversial bookThe Jesus Dynasty, suggests that Simon was the son of Mary andClophas.[7] WhileRobert Eisenman suggests he was Simon Cephas (Simon the Rock), known in Greek asPeter (frompetros "rock"), who led the Jewish Christian community after the death of James in 62 CE.[8]
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