Āl ʿImrān and Desposyni: Mary’s Descendants in the Qurʾān and Early Christian Sources

Sūrat Āl ʿImrān (Q 3) derives its name from the mention of the descendants of ʿImrān in verse 33. Although the ḥadīth sources remain largely silent regarding their identity, the exegetes of the Qurʾān commonly identified them as Moses and Aaron and occasionally interpreted them as Mary and Jesus within the Christian context. Conversely, certain modern scholars of the New Testament and early Christianity have emphasized the religious significance of Jesus’ brothers and the existence of their descendants, known as the desposyni (Greek: kins to the lord), whose lineage can be found by the third century CE. In this paper, through a critical re-reading of verses 33–36, and the analysis of their intertextuality with early Christian sources, I propose that the progeny of ʿImrān, beyond Mary and Jesus, may also encompass Jesus’ half-siblings and their progeny through Mary’s marriage with Joseph.