78. Comp. Philo in Flacc.ed. Fcf. p. 977 &c.
79. For details as to dress, food, and manners in Palestine, I must refer to other parts of
this book.
80. Comp. St. Matt. i. 24; St. Luke ii. 7; St. Matt. xii. 46; xiii. 55, 56; St. Mark iii. 31; vi.
3; Acts i. 14; 1 Cor. ix. 5; Gal. i. 19.
81. The question of the real relationship of Christ to His 'brothers' has been so often
discussed in the various Cyclopaedias t hat it seems unnecessary here to enter upon the
matter in detail. See also Dr. Lightfoot's Dissertation in his Comment. on Galat. pp. 282-
291.
Passing over Joses or Joseph, of whose history we know next to nothing, we have
sufficient materials to enable us to form some judgment of what must have been the
tendencies and thoughts of two of His brothers James and Jude, before they were heart
and soul followers of the Messiah, and of His cousin Simon.82 If we might venture on a
general characterisation, we would infer from the Epistle of St. James, that his religious
views had originally been cast in the mould of Shammai. Certainly, there is nothing of the
Hillelite direction about it, but all to remind us of the earnestness, directness, vigour, and
rigour of Shammai. Of Simon we know that he had belonged to the Nationalist party,
since he is expressly so designated (Zelotes,83 Cananæan).84 Lastly, there are in the
Epistle of St. Jude, one undoubted, and another probable reference to two of those
(Pseudepigraphic) Apocalyptic books, which at that time marked one deeply interesting
phase of the Messianic outlook of Israel. 85 We have thus within t he narrow circle of
Christ's Family- Life - not to speak of any intercourse with the sons of Zebedee, who
probably were also His cousins86 - the three most hopeful and pure Jewish tendencies,
brought into constant contact with Jesus: in Pharisaism, the teac hing of Shammai; then,
the Nationalist ideal; and, finally, the hope of a glorious Messianic future. To these there
should probably be added, at least knowledge of the lonely preparation of His kinsman
John, who, though certainly not an Essene, had, from the necessity of his calling, much in
his outward bearing that was akin to them.
82. I regard this Simon (Zelotes) as the son of Clopas (brother of Joseph, the Virgin's
husband) and of Mary. For the reasons of this view, see Book III. ch. xvii. and Book V.
ch. xv.
83. St. Luke vi. 15; Acts i.13.
84. St. Mark iii. 18.
85. St. Jude xv. 14, 15 to the book of Enoch, and v. 9 probably to the Assum. of Moses.
86. On the maternal side. We read St. John xix. 25 as indicating four women - His
Mother's sister being Salome, according to St. Mark xv. 40.
But we are anticipating. From what are, necessarily, only suggestions, we turn again to
what is certain in connection with His Family- Life and its influences. From St. Mark vi.
3, we may infer with great probability, though not with absolute certainty, 87 that He had
adopted the trade of Joseph. Among the Jews the contempt for manual labour, which was
one of the painful88 characteristics of heathenism, did not exist. On the contrary, it was