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Mary of Cleophas was the wife of Cleopas (also called Clopas,
Cleopas, and Alpheus). In John 19:25,
she appears with the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene at the crucifixion. She
is most likely the unnamed disciple that meets Jesus on the road to Emmaus with
her husband Cleophas in Luke 24:13–35.
Mark
and Matthew both place Mary of Cleophas among the women who went to the tomb
early on Easter morning to anoint the body of Jesus for burial. Matthew calls her “the other Mary” to
distinguish her from Mary of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala. Mark calls her Mary of James because she is
also the mother of James the Less.
Saint
Jerome and the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius record that Cleophas was the
brother of Joseph. Therefore, Mary of
Cleophas was the sister-in-law of Mary of Nazareth, and the aunt of Jesus.
According
to an Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord written in the late first century,
Mary of Cleophas was the mother of James the Just (also called the younger, or
the less), the mother of Joseph (also called Levi and Joses), and the mother of
Simon the Zealot (also called Simeon), and Jude the Apostle (also called
Thaddaeus, Barnabas, Theudas, Lebbaeus and Judas. This Jude is not the same Judas the Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus to the authorities.
The
identity of Mary of Cleophas has been disputed through the centuries because of
the various names given to her relatives depending on the language used, and
the seeming contradictions in various narratives in which she appears. One interpretation of the known facts is that
Mary of Cleophas had a prior marriage to Alpheus who fathered James and Joses,
and Simon and Jude were the sons of Cleophas from a previous marriage.
A
less credible interpretation is that Mary of Cleophas was the blood sister of
Mary of Nazareth through a second marriage of her mother Saint Anne.
The
most widely held view is that this Mary was the wife of Joseph’s brother
Cleophas, the sister-in-law of Mary of Nazareth, the aunt of Jesus, and mother
of his cousins James, Joseph, Simon and Jude.
Incidentally, Simon lived in Cana and is believed by some to have been
the bridegroom at the Wedding at Cana.
Jesus and his mother were attending the wedding of his cousin, Simon,
when Jesus performed his first miracle.
