Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, have a sister?
Mary of Joseph’s sister, Mary of Clopas (Alphaeus) or Cleophas (Jn. 19:25), was Her sister-in-law. See below.
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“Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus (Clopas), who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus (Jude/Judas), and of one Joseph.” (Papias of Hierapolis [c. 60–130 AD], Fragments of Papias, Frag. X, cf. Matt. 13:55;27:56, Mk. 6:3;15:40;16:1, Lk. 24:10, Jn. 19:25)
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“For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph [of Nazareth].” (Historia Ecclesiastica, Bk. VIII, ch. XI)
Regarding all the main Marys in the New Testament, some believe there were at least six separate women named “Mary”, others believe some of those Marys were the same person. I’m part of the latter group, and based on my sources, I’ve come to understand the following:
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Mary of Joseph (Matt. 1:18)
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Mary of Clopas (Alphaeus) or Cleophas (Jn. 19:25), Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Matt. 27:56), Mary mother of James (Mk. 16:1, Lk. 24:10), and “the other Mary” (Matt. 27:61, 28:1) were the same person, and she was the wife of Joseph of Nazareth’s brother, Clopas (Alphaeus) or Cleophas, and thus the sister-in-law of Jesus’s Mother, Mary (cf. Jn. 19:25). Their sons were Jesus’s brothers (relatives/kinsmen), and thus His cousins: Joseph, Simon, James, and Judas (Thaddeus) (Matt.13:55-56, Mk. 6:3). Two of those cousins, James and Judas of Clopas (Alphaeus) or Cleophas, were elected by Jesus to be His apostles (Matt. 10:3, Mk. 3:18;15:40, Lk. 6:15-16, Ac. 1:13). [Note: the apostle, Matthew (Levi), was the son of a man named “Alphaeus” as well (Mk. 2:14), but he was not the same Alphaeus as the father of Jesus’s cousin-apostles James and Judas (Thaddeus).] The unbelieving brothers of Jesus (Jn. 7:5) were the other two cousins of His: Joseph and Simon, though they later came to believe that He was the Messiah.
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Lazarus and Martha’s sister, Mary (Matt. 26:6-13, Mk. 14:3-9, Jn.11:1-2;12:1-8), and the unnamed repentant woman (Lk. 7:36-50)—both of whom anointed Jesus with ointment and wiped His feet with their hair—was Mary the Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. (Lk. 8:1-2)