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Mary

Woman living at the time of the New Testament

Mary, the wife of Cleopas (or 'Alphaeus'), was present at Jesus' crucifixion.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Mary on the map →

Mary, the wife of Cleopas (or 'Alphaeus'), was one of the women present at the crucifixion of Jesus. She stood near the cross along with Jesus' mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. This brief mention in John's Gospel provides insight into the group of faithful women who witnessed Jesus' suffering and death (Jhn.19.25). In Catholic theology, where Mary the mother of Jesus remains a virgin, Mary the wife of Cleopas is the mother of Jesus' brothers, so her sons James and Joses are identical to the James and Joses who are listed as 'brothers' of Jesus along with Simon and Judas who are therefore also her sons (Mat.13.55

Family

Spouse or partner
Alphaeus
Children
JamesJosesMatthew

Connections

Part of: Bethany and the Women Around Jesus · Jesus and His Family Circle

Witnesses at the cross and tomb

RoleStated in the text

Mark lists Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome watching from a distance and at the tomb. Luke adds Joanna. These women became the first witnesses of the empty tomb.

Mary MagdaleneFollower of Jesus, first witness of His resurrection.MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeSalomeSister of Mary.JoannaA follower of Jesus who supported His ministryMaryMosther of Jesus
Where the text shows it: Mark 15:40-41 — Watching from a distanceMark 16:1 — Buy spices at the tombLuke 24:10 — Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary of JamesJohn 19:25 — Near the cross

Sources: Scripture

Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses

FamilyWidely accepted

Mark names a Mary as mother of James the younger and Joses. She is commonly identified with "Mary of Clopas" in John 19:25, but the texts do not say so directly. Mary wife of Clopas is sometimes linked with Alphaeus.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeJamesAn apostleJosesSon of the "other" Mary
Where the text shows it: Mark 15:40 — Mary mother of James the younger and JosesMatthew 27:56 — Same MaryJohn 19:25 — Mary the wife of Clopas

Sources: Scripture

Clopas, Alphaeus, and the family behind them

FamilyHypothesis

Hegesippus (via Eusebius) says Clopas was Joseph's brother and father of Symeon, second bishop of Jerusalem. Some equate Clopas with Alphaeus (father of James the younger), but the Greek names differ and the match is a hypothesis.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeAlphaeusSon of JacobJamesAn apostleJosephMary's husband
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of ClopasMark 3:18 — James son of AlphaeusMark 2:14 — Levi son of Alphaeus
Ways people read this (3)
  • Clopas and Alphaeus are the same man (Aramaic Halphai behind both names).
  • They are different men.
  • If Alphaeus is Joseph's brother, James the younger would be a cousin of Jesus.

Sources: Eusebius, Church History 3.11 and 4.22 (citing Hegesippus)

Who is "his mother's sister" in John 19:25?

FamilyDebated

John names either three or four women at the cross: "his mother's sister, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" may be 3 or 4. If four, the sister is likely Salome, mother of Zebedee's sons, making James and John Jesus' first cousins.

SalomeSister of Mary.MaryMosther of JesusMaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeJamesAn apostleJohnAn apostle
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Four women or threeMark 15:40 — SalomeMatthew 27:56 — Mother of Zebedee's sons
Ways people read this (3)
  • Four women: sister = Salome, so James and John are cousins of Jesus.
  • Three women: Mary of Clopas is the sister, or sister means sister-in-law.
  • Two women sharing the name Mary as sisters is unlikely, which favors the four-woman reading.

Sources: Scripture

Mary of Clopas as mother of James the Less

FamilyWidely accepted

Mary at the cross in the Synoptics is called mother of James and Joses; John's list has "Mary the wife (or daughter) of Clopas". Many readers identify them, but no text says that they are the same woman.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeJamesAn apostleJosesSon of the "other" Mary
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas.Mark 15:40 — Mary mother of James the less and Joses.Matthew 27:56 — Mary mother of James and Joseph.
Ways people read this (2)
  • "Of Clopas" is grammatically open: wife, daughter or mother.
  • Both lists name several Marys, and Mary was a very common name.

Sources: John 19:25 · Mark 15:40

Are Clopas and Alphaeus the same man?

FamilyDebated

Some identify Clopas (John 19:25) with Alphaeus (Mark 3:18), as variant Greek renderings of an Aramaic name. The Gospels never say so, and the Greek forms differ.

MaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wifeAlphaeusSon of JacobJamesAn apostle
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas.Mark 3:18 — James son of Alphaeus.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Yes: both could be from Aramaic Halphai; Jerome held this.
  • No: Klopas is a different Greek name from Alphaios; the two are commonly distinguished. A separate Cleopas in Luke 24:18 is yet another figure.
  • TIPNR ties the names together in its notes, which is a scholarly judgment.

Sources: John 19:25 · Mark 3:18 · Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383)

The Hieronymian view: the brothers as cousins

FamilyChurch tradition

Jerome argued that the four "brothers" were Jesus' cousins, sons of Mary of Clopas, whom he took to be Mary's sister or relative. He held that Mary remained a virgin. This became the standard view in the Latin church.

JesusSon of JosephJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of JosephMaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wife
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas at the cross.Mark 15:40 — Mary mother of James the less and Joses.Galatians 1:19 — James the Lord's brother.
Ways people read this (4)
  • Hieronymian: cousins via Mary of Clopas.
  • Helvidian: younger children of Mary and Joseph.
  • Epiphanian: children of Joseph from an earlier marriage.
  • Key counter-point: Mark 15:40 names Mary as mother of James and Joses separately from Mary the mother of Jesus.

Sources: Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383) · Jerome, Commentary on Galatians (c. AD 386)

Mary of Clopas as sister of Mary

FamilyChurch tradition

Reading John 19:25 as three women, "his mother's sister, Mary of Clopas" are one person. Jerome held it, with "sister" meaning a relative or sister-in-law, since two sisters named Mary is hard to credit.

MaryMosther of JesusMaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wife
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — The list can be read as three women, with no "and" between the sister and Mary of Clopas.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Jerome: sister in a broad sense.
  • Objection: two sisters with the same name in one family.
  • Alternative: the four-women reading of John 19:25 avoids the problem.

Sources: Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383)

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Where Mary appears

7 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G3137

Matthew3
Mark2
Luke1
John1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.