Research Guide on Jesus Christ's Twin Brother

Hello Everyone,

So like I was saying, I firmly believe that Christ had a twin brother. Twins are born all the time. In fact there are approximately 100 million twins worldwide! So why not? Besides that, why are you so sure that Christ didn't have a twin brother? Is not written in the Holy Bible? Or is it? But seriously folks, could there really be the possibly that Christ had a twin brother? Why would it so absurd to think that early, church elders cut out this twin, because he didn't fit in the big scheme of things? Or is your disbelief because the bible doesn't tell us that Christ had a twin brother?

Is that what you think?

Now before you get all huffy and puffy about it, this is NOT another conspiracy theory to dislodge the findings of the church. Quite the opposite really. I am Christian to the core. I'm a lover of Christ. I'm a good Christian. I fear the might, will, and wrath of God just like I was taught to do in my early childhood Sunday school classes. There is not a doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is the son of God and our Salvation! Matter of fact, it because of my love for God, Christ and the Holy Spirit that this truth needed to be brought out.

Now you might be asking yourself, "How is it that she was able to discover this and not me?" Let me start by saying that I come from a simple background much like Christ. I am a Fideist, with a sincere, loving, grace when I speak of Christ. He is my passion. I am truly and deeply in love with Christ. When I think of Christ and I's relationship, I blush. For just the very thought of him, makes me want to cry. That is how much I love him.

With that all said, I study my bibles when I have nothing else to do. Which is a lot of the time since I'm a stay at home mother. I didn't want to write that I "religiously" study my bible, because whereas that might be true, it would still be a little white lie. Or rather, a stretch of the truth. Needless to say, my bible(s) are with me almost twenty four hours a day.

When my first husband passed away; I had no sense of purpose left in my life. Christ, Bucky's mother Karen and my son Zachary, were the only ones to stand with me and hold my hand every step of the way.   With the great loss of my best friend, and no family support I had to lean of Christ to give me the will to survive. Which just made me love him that much more.

For me, the bible was a way for me to escape life. I took each and very line of a verse and studied it. I have volumes of notebooks with passing verses, from all the major religions from around the world- compared together with our Lord's word.  If a  passage kept coming back to me, I'd write it down and studied the author, the situation, the complete entire context of the verse and study it some more. And for the past five years of my life, that has been pretty much my story.

It seems my Christian calling has always been about discovery.  I would like for you to become a biblical investigator for yourself. Before you say "no" or "this can't be"- take a journey back in time with me, and see it for yourself that Christ did indeed had a twin brother named, Judas (Jude) Thomas. Now before we get started, I want you to know that I personally know and realize what church doctrine has taught us to believe. I am fully aware of what most Protestant churches think, and being Catholic myself, I am fully aware of their position also.

So what I'm after here is your interpretation of what you discovered on your own. Now please note- I'm not looking to change religion, I'm not even looking to change your beliefs. I don't even think I've stumbled onto something unique. It has all been right there for all of us to interrupt for ourselves. What I am hoping to do, is to help you think outside the box, as if you've never been to Church or Sunday school before. I want your true and deepest opinions.

My Study Materials,

For several hundred, better yet close to two thousand years now; we have been living with the truth right under our noses. In order for you to follow along with me, I'm listing below all my study materials used in founding the truth about Christ's twin brother.

1. New American Bible, St. Joseph Med.Edition, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1994
2. Holy Bible, New International Version, International Bible Society, 1984
3. The Essential Gnostic Gospels, Narrator Alan Jacobs, Watkins Publishing, 2006
4. New King James Version, Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, Nelson Bibles, 1982

Let me start by saying that I firmly believe that true understanding has to come from several outside sources. It is when those outside sources intermingle with our sacred texts from our Christian bibles, that I usually say to myself, "We have a winner!" So I think it is safe to say, that most Protestant Christians, believe that the King Jame Version of the bible is "God's Holy Word", well this should please you greatly to see it in the mix. As for you Catholics like me, right along with my King James Bible, I keep my Catholic Bible too. If I have any LDS's in the room- well I haven't studied the Book of Mormon, so sorry. I do have a copy of the Book of Enoch, in my library; but that is all.

First:

• It is of my own personal opinion that the Nativity story is only partial right.

Second:

• What if Joseph and Mary were already married?
  

Okay, here is what I think based off of my two personal probabilities listed above.

I strongly feel that Mary and Joseph were already married. Why? The answer is really quite simple. They were Jewish! They both would have stuck to the strict accordance of the ancient Jewish religion. We have to remember here people, that both Mary and Joseph had strong family roots, deeply embedded in the Jewish faith. For example; Joseph was a direct blood relative of King David. Rites of passage such as that, are not dismissed in the Jewish religion (as they might be in the Christian faith) now or always.Moreover than that, the Jews were God's sacred people, and what I mean by saying that is that God, most certainly would would have followed his own written law. Show a time that he has never follow his own doctrine. God, is not human like us. He lives by his ethical code of arms, whereas humans live by the seat of their pants. God already knew that there would be some rejection from his faithful people anyways, by bringing the Saviour into the world in this very unconventional manner. Which is another great characteristic of God's, he loves to be unconventional! Moreover, God would not would have put Mary in harms way, or made her go against everything she believed in. Mary would have been stoned to death, it would have been out of Joseph's hands.

The bible also tells us that Jesus had many brothers and sisters. It is and was just peer speculation written by Christian leaders that maybe the other children were Joseph's children by his deceased wife (which their are NO biblical, or ancient historical censuses of). Nor that Christ's brothers and sisters were born after Joseph and Mary got married. I can see were the early church doctrine writers, thought it would be easier to write in that Mary was a virgin, and hence divinely chosen by God. What they forgot to include in their made up story, was creating an accountability of Joseph or Christ's brothers and sisters and this "dead wife" of Joseph's. More importantly is the fact, it doesn't matter how or in what way something grand like this takes place. If GOD touched it- it is still divine! Therefore, there was no need for man's intervention, by adding to God's story. I find it rather ballsy that we did! Who are we to fix a narration of God's, in order to make it more divine, in the first place? And that is exactly what the Council of Nicea intended to do and did. Think about that.......

If you have ever read the Old testament, you will quickly discover that God was/is stickler about keeping family trees correct and general accountability to details. Another area I think the men who created story didn't account for was, that the birth of Christ could have been Divine and Immaculate. The conception that God impregnated her is Divine in itself and Immaculate. Even if Mary wasn't a virgin, she was impregnated by GOD! Something else they didn't consider was God's intellect and overall foresight. If you look to the teachings of the Old Testament, you will find that there aren't many unanswerable questions. Take Noah's ark. We are given exact details of it's size, how it was built and where it landed. Okay. So, now what? Are we suppose to believe that between the time of the Old Testament to the time of the New Testament that God, changed? I don't buy it. I think it is safe to say, that God is God and the only ones changing is mankind. It has been my discovery, through out this journey that if something is impossible, doesn't make sense, or is off the wall improbable- man has been messing with the text. Take for instance; the charming story of the Apostle Paul. Now it wasn't until I was 36 that I discovered that Paul never met Jesus Christ. And that road to Damascus bit, where then Saul is blinded and meets the voice of God. Well, the bible clearly tells us he was chasing "Christ followers" or Jews to capture and bring them to Roman justice. But what our Sunday school teachers, nuns, preachers and priest failed to tell us, was that it was Christ's brother "James the Just," they were chasing. Just like any source of history, the truth will eventually be brought to light through archaeologically religious study, and the advancement of scientific research.

Though this is still speculation, it is further been revealed by biblical scholars; that a sect of Jewish folk, who happened to be followers of Christ's teachings, under the strict supervision of Christ's brother James the Just, were one and the same group of people that provided us with the safely stored collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls! It is historical discoveries like this that should continually reminded us, that the doctrine of God's words is filled with human error and flawed. If it was James' people and Christ followers who stored the sacred text of the Dead Sea Scrolls for us, then why are so many Christians scared to the Gospel of Thomas, Philip or the Sophia of Jesus Christ. Because they talk about spiritual enlightenment? Because they contradicted the original order of the Roman ruler Constantine, who ordered that the Council of Nicaea to select texts where Christians had to go through a chain of command before they would be freed from sin. If anyone knows the history of the Lutheran Church, they know this but haven't put 2 and 2 together. This is not a well kept secret folks.

See as Christian I'm okay with knowing all that, and letting people know it too. Why? Because for the very first time all three fact finding societies are coming up with the same plausible answers. The fact that the scientific community, and the religious archaeological community is working in conjunction with many religious scholars uniquely on their own, & are in alliance with each other findings is incredible! One might say, "It's a modern day miracle!" So, here's what I say, based from the religious doctrine that both Mary and Joseph lived by; I ardently feel that they were already married. In fact, I am completely convince now, after reading several verses, that they had already had at least one son of own when Mary got pregnant with Jesus and Jude. That child being James of course.

I can see where God would have chosen a family, such as Mary and Joseph's for Jesus to be raised with. They were true God fearing Jews, that descended from the great line of David. They were hard working people. Hardworking folks, who had already faced many of Gods trials and tribulations put in front of them. I can't see God entrusting his most precious possession with unfit, unstable, non-Jewish, unchallenged individuals. Remember, the reason Christ was brought to earth was to save us from our own sins. Man is enormously flawed and God knew/knows it. Hence the forlorn coming of Christ. As a mother, I find it quite funny to think that God was going to allow some teenage girl to raise his son. Who was also expected to marry a man whom she didn't know she'd love. Come on, God isn't dumb! He wouldn't thrown together such a dysfunctional family, and cross his fingers that all would be okay. If God couldn't keep Adam and Eve in line, what makes you think he would've kept that dysfunctional mess well kept. No, God selected Joseph and Mary because they had already proved their "spiritual wealth" as a sound, married couple. It is also my belief based off the biblical teachings of the bible, that the Heavenly Father would have been extremely picky about who he entrusted too care for his son, Jesus. Based off that, I believe that Joseph and Mary, were already well established as a strong Jewish family.

As for the angel visiting Mary, and then Joseph is all hearsay. Do I believe they did? Sure I do! God commonly spoke to his true patrons through the voice of Gabriel. So sure base of God's own historical actions I believe it to be true, so yeah angels visited "The Thomas's." But I don't think there is any way of knowing what they heard or saw. However; yes..., I do believe that angels approached them to let them know what was going on; and that God had indeed chosen Mary to his son's birth mother. I believe that Mary and Joseph had many dreams of God, and many different visit from his angels. You just don't drop a kid off into someone elses lap- without instructing that person in one way or another. So for me to believe that God was that shallow- I don't think so. Therefore, yes I believe angels came to the couple many different times. God had to let them know directly what, "God's" wants and needs were for them and his son.

Another case in point, it makes so much more sense to believe that God told Mary and Joseph he needed them to make love, come together, be as husband and wife to bring forth a new life. It is further my belief, that during their coupling God planted his seed inside Mary's womb. But because he loved and cared for Mary, and knew the fate that Christ, Mary and Joseph were to endure, God allowed Mary and Joseph to conceive a child at that same exact moment of conception too. Now when you think about the many different types of twins births there are, isn't this a more realistic story than Mary being a "virgin" and so on? It was there in that moment of love, that Mary and Joseph and God conceived Jesus and Jude.

Now....., I'm not saying that Jesus and Jude were identical twins. I'm saying that they were twins. As with any twin, each one's life is completely different from the next. All twins, even Siamese twins have different personalities and goals. Is it [so] unthinkable to believe that God took care of two birds with one stone? When you really think about it- the best possible way for God to insure that his son, Jesus Christ would have half a chance- would to have made sure that he'd be surrounded by a large family and (the best defense weapon I can think of) a twin. It is scientifically proven and well known fact that twins are extremely protective and cognitively connected to their brother or sister. Remember too people that the Holy Bible, was written and put together by a select group of men. It's historical doctrine was surmised by a cruel Roman ruler, a council of a 150 men or so, the teaching Pope Clement the first and III. And much of the bible that we know, was doctrine set in motion by Martin Luther and King Henry the VIII. Many Christians, neglect to realize that the core doctrine of the King James Bible was Roman Catholic, and just a translation from Greek and Latin to the English language. They also neglect to realize that it was King Henry the VIII that added to the Commandments and Lord's Prayer. Christ never said, "Amen." Though we see it written everywhere in the bible. Amen is not Aramaic word. Christ spoke Aramaic. In one way or another, the entire force of Christianity has NOT been dictated by Christ himself, it has been dictated by mankind. If it had been dictated by Christ himself, we would have known a long time ago that Christ came from a loving, caring family and that Christ had a twin brother named Jude(Judas).

Clement of Alexandria;

• "Miscellanies "

—God's truth is to be found in revelation, another portion of it in philosophy. It is the duty of the Christian to neglect neither. Religious science, drawn from this twofold source, is even an element of perfection; the instructed Christian—"the true Gnostic"—is the perfect Christian. He who has risen to this height is far from the disturbance of passion; he is united to God, and in a mysterious sense is one with Him. Such is the line of thought indicated in the work, which is full of digressions.

ς Clement of Alexandria (properly TITUS FLAVIUS CLEMENS, but known in church history by the former designation to distinguish him from Clement of Rome), date of birth unknown; d. about the year 215; an early Greek theologian and head of the catechetical school of Alexandria. Athens is given as the starting-point of his journeying, and was probably his birthplace. He became a convert to the Faith and traveled from place to place in search of higher instruction, attaching himself successively to different masters: to a Greek of Ionia, to another of Magna Graecia, to a third of Coele-Syria, after all of whom he addressed himself in turn to an ¹Egyptian, an ²Assyrian, ³and a converted Palestinian Jew. At last he met Pantaenus in Alexandria, and in his teaching "found rest". —"Grace," J. Pohle, The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1914 (San Diego, Catholic Answers, 2007) _{^{This material is Copyright © 2007 Catholic Answers. All rights reserved.}}

• Nelson's NKJV Study Bible-
  

The Epistle of Jude; Chapter 1:1(verse)_{^{[For those who do not know what 1:1 means. If I had written 2:3 it would have meant for you to go to Chapter 2, verse 3.]}} The Epistle of Jude, Chapter 1:1 reads, "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James."

A bondservant is what Judas called himself, when referencing to Jesus.

1. Bondservant, in the biblical text means; a servant of the Son of God.

Jude was fiercely dedicated to his brother, Jesus Christ. But moreover, he adamantly believed in his brother. When Christ's other disciples questioned him, Judas was Christ's constant supporter and companion. It is as if Jude, short for Judas, knew without a doubt who his brother was. He completely understood the simple complexity of his brothers life and the challenges that faced him, along with the rest of his family. Sometimes the bible depicts Jesus Christ aloof, or cold towards his natural family. But I believe just the opposite. I believe that Christ was supported by his family, and with some of them always. After reading the New Testament as much as I have, there isn't a doubt in my mind that Jude shared a unique kinship with Jesus. He believed more than anyone else that his brother was the true son of God. According to the NKJV Study Bible, there are six different Jude's or Judas' in the bible. But only two possible authors to The Epistle of Jude. They are;

1. The Apostle Jude, who scholars think was also Matthew Thaddaeus.
   
2. Jude, brother of James, and half brother to Christ.

• It is my belief, that Christ's brother Jude wrote this letter to Paul after they both had reached a certain pivotal point in the early Christian Church. Of course Paul's doctrine would be more gentile friendly, while Jude's doctrine would of taught an ideology of dualism. His religious doctrine was more Judeo-Christian orientated. Anyway, I think Jude wrote this letter to Paul, warning him not to tread so far off the beaten path. It is the most simplistic references and underlying undertones of the author voice, that tells me this is indeed Christ's brother, Judas.

1. In the letter, The Epistle of Jude you may notice that this is the first time the narrator is not addressing just followers, but rather, someone of equal status or positioning. Read Jude for yourself and tell me what you think.
   

The Gospel According to Matthew, the Tax Collector, Chapter 13:55; it reads, "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?"

1. What more can be said? Clearly Matthew tells us that Christ had at least 4 brothers. It is my personal belief that Christ had 4 brothers, and at least one sister named after their mother, Mary. Her full name was Mary Thomas. Yes, I believe that the surname Thomas, is the oldest surnames in Christianity. I am a firm believer that Joseph's last name was Thomas. But I'll save that for another day. But the bible clearly states that Jesus had brothers and sisters. So far, I've only been able to confirm 1 sister, even though Matthew 13:56 states "sisters" plural, meaning more than 1.
   

In my New Intenational Version, Holy Bible; Jude Chapter 1:1 reads the same as the New King James Version does. Since it is not a study bible, it offers no opinions as to whom the author was.

• My New American Bible, St.Joseph Med. Edition, Jude Chapter 1:1 reads, "Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ;⁽²⁾may mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance..... While Matthew 13:55 reads the same as the other two above references.
  

***Okay a brief history here before I go on. I was always one of those students who wanted to know the whole story. I was never satisfied when someone said to me, "Because the bible says so, that's why!" For the longest time I thought God had blessed me with a handicap. My handicap was that I was never satisfied! It was theory that If you were teaching me about the word of Christ and the Lordship of our Heavenly Father, then you must know all the details. I had a hard time accepting complacent answers, and I don't knows. I always believed and still do, that if you really believed and prayed for understanding that it is given by God to you to relay forward. As I've gotten older, and taught a few classes myself, I realized that I wasn't "handicapped", but gifted enough to see the true word of God. You can have the same gift, if you just pray hard enough for it. One day, I was reading the history of some of the first forefathers of our religion (Clement of Alexandria). I wanted to know the men and women that surrounded themselves in the beginning stages of Christianity, and who embraced the teachings our Lord, Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. And, that's when I came across Clement of Alexandria. Clement of Alexandria was one our of first sovereign scholars or teachers of Christ's doctrine. Well I came across one of his saying, where he mentions the "Gnostic". Being the curious soul that I am, and firmly believing that God was dictating my information, I set out to Barnes and Noble's bookstore. I remember praying feverishly in the bible studies section. I asked God to show me and lead me the way. He answered. I remember hearing a voice in my mind, saying as clear as day- pick the 1st book you see. Well my head was bent towards the floor, when I opened my eyes I immediately turned right and start walking down the aisle. Like a robot, I turn directly to my right, when clear down the aisle turn right again and back up the aisle next to the one I was praying in. When I stopped, I looked straight up, turned to my right to peer at the bookshelves and selected Alan Jacob's, The Essential Gnostic Gospels. I didn't know it was Alan Jacob's Book until after I had purchased it. I had always heard that the Gnostic Gospels were "evil". Evil in what way? I don't know, just evil. But the book I selected is not the entire Gnostic Gospel. It only has a few books and gospels contained underneath it's cover. I was quite excited about discovering my purchase, and stumbling upon Clement's saying about the Gnostics. In the field of historical referrences, It has been the best reference material known.It is amazing how it cross referrences certain gospels in the bible perfectly. But where certain words might have orginially edited by the orginial translator, these gospels feel untounched. The Gospel are in a more raw form, than that of the bibles Gospels.

My forth reference material comes from the Essential Gnostic Gospels, Book; Thomas the Contender, pg. 297-299, here is how it reads,

• "These are the hidden words that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, told to his Disciple, Judas Thomas. I, ¹Mathaias noted it all down while walking, listening, or talking with them. Christ said, "Brother Thomas, while you still have time on Earth, pay attention to what I say, and I'll tell you all that you've wondered about in your mind. Now since it'd been said that ²'you're my twin', and true companion, enquire within yourself and discover who you really, really are!"

1. Now, Christ tells us he is addressing Judas Thomas. It can't be any other Judas, because Thomas the Contender was supposedly written during Pentecost. Which is the period from the time Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, which was approximately 6 weeks.
2. Why we know that the Gospel of Thomas the Contender, was originally written down during the period of Pentacost, is because it tells us so. How? The Gospel of Thomas the Contender clearly states that the author/narrator is Mathaias. Thomas the Contender, is a Gospel written by Mathaias, the 13th disciple or rather, the disciple chosen by the eleven to replace Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ, for thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver, I might add that he was going to use to pay off debts that he and the disciples had occurred in past villages they had traveled in. Read your bible and we will discuss that scenario later.
   
3. But anyways, Acts 2:23-26 tells us how Matthias(Mathaias) was chosen by the eleven to be the next 12th disciple. And the first few verses of Thomas the Contender, tell us that Mathaias is the original author and narrator.
4. We also know that the Gospel is not speaking of Judas Iscariot, because that Judas had already died. No this Gospel clearly states that it is Christ's brother, twin brother- Judas (Jude) Thomas.
   

• One of my favorite passages is where Jesus tells his twin brother, that his life (Jude's) has more meaning than just being Christ's brother.Mathaias tells us that Christ said to Jude, "Find out in what way you actually exist, and how you came to be. Since you're called my brother it's not right for you to ignorant of your true nature. I know you've accepted that I am the knowledge of the Truth! So while we're together, although you lack understanding, you have in a way, come to see, & (may be termed) as the one who's had a glimpse of his "Real Self!" Now I think this completely sounds like something Christ would say. Christ further tells his brother, Jude(Judas Thomas)-"He who doesn't know his own self, iknows virtually nothing. But he who does, has gained knowledge of the profundity of the 'All'. So dear brother Thomas, you've seen what's hard and perplexing for man kind to understand, an d what they trip up against, in their spiritual blindness."

• Then Thomas spoke to our Lord,"Pray, tell me what I ask before your Ascension, so when I learn about these secrets, I may speak about them, as it's clear that it's hard to live the truth before man."

1. As the New King James Version states, and the International Holy Bible, along with the New American Catholic Bible states, that Jude considered himself a "bondservant". Jude clearly thought his whole rthym and reason for being alive was to serve his twin brother, Jesus Christ. I invite all of you to read Thomas the Contender for yourselves, along with the Epistle of Jude, and the Book of Acts.
   
2. After reading all three, you'll certainly see where Judas could indeed be the twin brother of Christ and forever, faithful servant of his brother.
   

I look forward to your comments and questions. One more thing before I go, I've always noted the words extended forth through the New American Bible, St. Joseph Medium Edition, Jude Chapter 1:1, that read,

"and kept safe for Jesus Christ."

And kept safe for Jesus Christ. As I stated early, I believe that God chose an established family to minister and raise Jesus from birth. I also stated that what better what to make sure that Christ was kept safe than to be in the fellowship of his brothers, especially a twin brother. Jude and James lived several years after Christ ascented into heaven. As the above Catholic verse states, God kept Christ's brothers safe for him. Thank you, Julie Grimes of www.onebrowncowcompany.com