Some fun with History

A few rhymes on the history of political thought:

Said old Thomas Hobbes with a snort,
"All human lives of the sort
Quite unfettered by kings
Are miserable things,
Being nasty, brutish, and short."

In days of old,
when knight were bold,
And most trade was by barter,
The English barons forced King John
To sign the Magna Carta

Niccolo said it is right
For princes to lie, cheat and fight.
But this sneaky slob
Couldn't hold down his job,
Which was why he was forced to go write!

I Need Your Help With a Project on James and the Family of Jesus

As most who have read this blog know, Uncle Cephas is a Christian who is interested in the history of Christianity and comparative religion. I have recently been reading some studies of early Christianity of both scholarly and popular nature, and this has given rise to a project: I'd like to know how reference to the Apostle James as the "brother of the Lord" (Galatians 1:19) impacted other people, especially those who might have received a more thorough Christian education when young.   

Did the New Testament's mention of Jesus' brothers (plural--cf. Mark 3:31; Matthew 13:55-56) cause shock or doubt; or, when you first encountered such mention in your study of the Scriptures, did you find it merely one more fact about the Lord?

I'd be interested in your posting your answers to such questions in the comments section. Feel free to offer anecdotes about your earlier Christian education, and how you understood the meaning of Jesus' having brothers.

Thank you.

矶法伯伯需要你的帮忙。 大家都知道我是基督徒，并且，对宗教历史有很大的兴趣。最近，我读不少关于基督教早期历史的书，包括学者的文品与比较流行的文字。如此，我想自己做一件事情：我要知道有多少兄弟姐妹原来知道使徒雅各叫做“主的兄弟“（加拉太书 1：19），而且，想知道者的消息如何影响了别的信徒。

新约圣经提起耶稣的兄弟们（马太福音13：55-56；马可福音3：31）有没有让你们吃惊？怀疑？或者，你们认为这就是另外对耶稣的实事呢？我要知道你们的故事与看法。