(Melchizedek Communique, MC030510) Hershel Shanks does a fine job of proving the James Ossuary is exactly as it seems, the container of the remains of "Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui di Yeshua" (James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus). In the first half of The Brother of Jesus (co-authored with Ben Witherington III), Shanks, the founder and editor-in-chief of Biblical Archaeology Review, answers various disputes about the James Ossuary. (Background: "Bard Turned Into Buffoon", http://www.shout.net/~bigred/mc030410.html)

There are implications in the finding of the James Ossuary, among them questions about the Virgin Mary. For example, if James was the brother of Jesus, does this mean Mary was not a virgin after all? Shanks offers several possibilities for what "brother of Jesus" might mean: (1) half-brother, with Joseph having been previously married; (2) Mary not perpetually a virgin (semper virgo), but only when Jesus was born; (3) "brother" might mean kinsman, such as a cousin.

But Shanks does not consider the possibility that "brother of Jesus" could mean in the Masonic sense. In Freemasonry, it is routine for members to call each other "brother." [1]

In "Jesus Christ Master Mason", one author claims that "Jesus Christ is a profoundly important figure in the Masonic tradition." This is "one of the biggest secrets of Freemasonry." The author points to deeper meaning in Biblical references, such as Jesus having said, "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." (Mark 12:10). What does it really mean that Jesus made Simon Peter a stone, a foundation stone of a spiritual Church? (John 1:42) [2]

The ancestry of Jesus is carefully traced in the first chapter of Matthew: "And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah" (Matthew 1:6) down to "Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary" (Matthew 1:16). This shows Jesus as descended from Solomon, and Solomon, in Masonic tradition, "is full of interest to the fraternity." [3]

Solomon is supposed to preside, or rather the Master is his representative, in Lodges of Fellow-Crafts, Master Masons, and the like. [3] The "Fellow-Craft Masons" are, in other words, Craftsmen. "Worship" comes from the Semitic word "avod," meaning "work." Worship has been misunderstood; it is properly "work-ship." Joseph, father of Jesus, was a craftsman, not a carpenter. The original word commonly translated as "carpenter" can actually mean "craftsman." [4]

Joseph, father of Jesus, disappears from mention when the Gospels describe Jesus' adult life. At some point, did Jesus become "the son of the widow"? "Is there no help for the widow's son," is a distress cry uttered by Free Masons in peril. It is a plea meant for the ears of any nearby Mason. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, uttered the phrase -- his last words -- before being murdered by an angry mob. Among the last words of Jesus on the cross, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") is suggested a variation: "Is there no help for the widow's son?"

------- Notes -------
[1] Secrets of the Freemasons, by Michael Bradley. New York: Metro Books, 2006
[2] "Jesus Christ Master Mason"
http://www.masoncode.com/Jesus%20Christ%20Master%20Mason.htm
[3] Lexicon of Freemasonry, by Albert G. Mackey. Reprinted by Barnes & Noble, 2004.
[4] Secrets of the Widow's Son, by David A. Shugarts