It is also important to examine closely three major events in Our Lord’s life
mentioned in the Gospels: (i) the return of the Holy Family from Egypt to
Nazareth after the death of Herod; (ii) the finding of the Child Jesus in the
Temple after being lost for three days; (iii) Our Lord giving His Mother to
the care of St. John at His crucifixion. Our Lord, according to the best of
our knowledge, was about 2, 12 and 33 years of age respectively when each
of these events occurred. Yet, never is there any mention of brothers or
sisters of His being present, which one would naturally expect if they had
actually existed.
The Fathers
St. Athanasius, On Virginity (ante 373 AD)
“But since she was a virgin, and was his Mother, he gave her as a
mother to his disciple, even though she was not really John’s mother,
because of his great purity of understanding and because of her
untouched virginity.”
St. Ephrem of Edessa, Prayers to the God-Bearer (ante 373 AD)
9
“...the rod of Aaron that budded, truly have you appeared as a stem whose
flower is your true Son, our Christ, my God and my Maker; you did bear
according to the flesh God and the Word, did preserve your virginity before
His birth, did remain a virgin after His birth, and we have been reconciled
to God by Christ your Son.”
St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Generation of Christ 5 (ante 379
AD)
9
Enchiridion Patristicum, M. J. R. de Journel, SJ, no. 745.
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