Jesus’s Adelphoi: Scripture and Early Christian Testimony

[Ronald Nolette]

The term adelphos in Koine Greek has a broad semantic range: “a brother, near kinsman, or relative.” Paul’s reference to “James, the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19) shows that James was both a relative of Jesus and an apostle, since Paul explicitly includes him among the Twelve he met. This immediately rules out the idea that he was a younger biological son of Mary, because the Gospels list no such James in the apostolic circle. And since among the Twelve only James of Alphaeus had a brother named Judas (Thaddeus), the contextual evidence strongly suggests that Paul’s James — the James mentioned in Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, and Galatians 1:19 — is James of Alphaeus, one of the Twelve.

Let us put to rest this lie you are trying to promote about "adelphoi" Four different koine greek dictionary do not say adelphoi is near kinsmen! At the time of Jesus there was a word for near kinsmen that was in common use! that word is "syngenes".

The four major and most widely used koine dictionaries as well as lexicons define adelphos thusly:

Transliteration
adelphos (Key)
Pronunciation
ad-el-fos'

Part of Speech
masculine noun
Root Word (Etymology)
From ἄλφα (G1) (as a connective particle) and delphus (the womb)

KJV Translation Count — Total: 346x
The KJV translates Strong's G80 in the following manner: brethren (226x), brother (113x), brother's (6x), brother's way (1x).
Outline of Biblical Usage [?]

1. a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother
2. having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, or countryman
3. any fellow or man
4. a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection
5. an associate in employment or office
6. brethren in Christ
   1. his brothers by blood
   2. all men
   3. apostles
   4. Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place

The only time that adelphos is used of cousins are in the apocryphal gospels which are recognized as heretical even by Romanism. This lie needs to end.