Everything about Joseph Of Nazareth totally explained
Joseph "of the House of
David" (
Hebrew יוֹסֵף, also known as
Saint Joseph,
Joseph the Betrothed,
Joseph of Nazareth,
Joseph the Worker and other titles) is known from the
New Testament as the husband of
Mary, mother of Jesus and although according to Christian tradition he wasn't the biological father of
Jesus, he acted as his foster-father and as head of the
Holy Family. Joseph is venerated as a
saint within the
Roman Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox, and
Anglican churches.
The genealogy in the
Gospel of Matthew says that Joseph's father was called Jacob; but according to the genealogy in the
Gospel of Luke Joseph was a son of
Heli. The canonical Gospels do not, however, give the date and place of Joseph's birth nor his death. All that's known from them is that Joseph lived at times in
Nazareth in
Galilee, stayed for a couple of years in
Bethlehem in
Judea, and was forced into exile for a time in
Egypt.
Joseph's profession is described in the Gospels as a τεκτων, a Greek word for a variety of skilled craftsmen, but Christian tradition has him as a "
carpenter", although the modern English words "joiner" or "cabinet-maker" might fit the sense of the Greek better. Very little other information on Joseph is given in the
Gospels, in which he never speaks. His places of birth and death are not given, and his dates have been presented very diffently at different periods; sometimes he's been seen as much older than Mary, and at other periods only slightly older. He is mentioned in the Gospels as present on the visit to
Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve, but no mention can clearly be placed later than that one. Christian tradition, though vague on the time and place of his death, represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.
In the Roman Catholic and other traditions, Joseph is the
patron saint of workers and has several
feast days. He was also declared to be the patron saint and protector of the universal Catholic Church (along with
Saint Peter) by
Pope Pius IX in 1870, and is the patron of several countries and regions. He is a rare example of a saint from the early days of the church whose devotional role has tended to increase in the centuries since the Middle Ages.
In the canonical Gospels
All the events involving Joseph's presence that have been narrated in the
canonical Gospels happened before Jesus' birth or during his childhood.
There is only an allusion to the first event, namely Joseph's betrothal to Mary, which made her his wife according to Jewish law. The clarification has been added that they were not yet living together, from which follows that they hadn't yet conducted the
wedding rite known as the "home taking", which is the legal ceremony that permits Jewish couples to begin conjugal relations.
The first event related in some detail is Joseph's dream, during which he's told by "an angel of the Lord" not only to take his wife Mary home – in other words, to conduct the concluding legal wedding rite –, rather than to be afraid for the reason that the child with which she's now pregnant is holy, but also to name him Jesus, hence to assume legal paternity. The first command Joseph carries out, apparently promptly, the second in due time.
The next event is Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be enrolled as required by the Roman political authorities. He is accompanied by Mary who is heavily pregnant and who, whilst they're at Bethlehem, gives birth to Jesus.
Thereafter Joseph and his family are visited by a group of shepherds saying that they've been guided to them by an angel who told them the good news and its implications.
Eight days later, at the boy's
circumcision – as the angel had told Joseph when he commanded him to take Mary home –, Joseph names him Jesus, and thus assumes legal paternity.
Shortly thereafter, after completion of the post-natal cleansing prescribed by the Law of Moses, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to the
Temple in Jerusalem to offer the sacrifices required on the occasion of the birth of a couple's first son. Whilst doing so, he and his wife receive a blessing from the aged "just man" Simeon and listen to his words and those of the prophetess Anna – two people who have been waiting eagerly for the salvation of their nation and perceive now the significance of the child before them.
The next event related that involves Joseph occurred somewhat less than a couple of years later, when Joseph is told by the angel in another dream of
Herod the Great's plan to kill Jesus, and ordered to save the boy by taking him and his mother to Egypt, which he promptly does.
Once Herod had died, Joseph is told by the angel in a further dream to return with Jesus and his mother to the land of Israel; but when Joseph learns that Herod has been succeeded in Judea by
Herod Archelaus, and Joseph worries on account of the latter's ill repute, a further dream guides him to the district of Galilee. And so Joseph takes mother and child to Nazareth and settles there.
The last event mentioning the presence of Joseph is the family's
Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is around 12 years old, hence coming to the end of his childhood.
The canonical Gospel accounts are silent about the life of Jesus and his family during the next couple of decades. They resume the narration when first
John the Baptist, and then Jesus himself, commence their public ministries; but their accounts from thereon mention only the presence at certain events of Mary and never again that of Joseph.
In apocryphal anecdotes
Apocryphal sources elaborate the terse
canonical Gospel accounts. Thus they describe Jesus as working side by side with Joseph in Joseph's carpenter shop at Nazareth, and sometimes staying with Joseph while the latter worked. They also tell how Joseph made an important decision when he heard that Mary was pregnant before their arranged marriage and instead of allowing her to be
stoned by townspeople, he took her away and protected her. In some Catholic traditions, Joseph is described as dying "in the arms of Jesus and Mary".
In the canonical Gospel accounts Jesus is described as being the brother of
James,
Joses (
Matthew has the spelling:
Joseph,
Mark has
Joses),
Judas, and Simon, and of sisters whose names however are not mentioned. One interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew "...he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she'd borne a son..." The
Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that Joseph was a widower and that these brothers and sisters were children from his first marriage, thus making them Jesus' half-brothers and half-sisters. This version of events is related in the apocryphal
History of Joseph the Carpenter, which names the eldest brother Justus and the sisters Assia and Lydia, but doesn't name the wife. Catholic tradition, as taught by St. Jerome and the Fathers of the Church, teaches that in the term "brother" in biblical times had a broader meaning and included cousins and other more distant relatives as well. Authoritative Orthodox sources contradict the
History, retaining the Biblical name of the eldest son, names Joseph's first wife
Salome, and his sisters Salome and Esther along with an unnamed third sister.
The
Roman Catholic tradition is clear, these "brothers and sisters" are the cousins of Christ and it also affirms strongly that Joseph remained celibate while married to Mary. Some
Protestant denominations (including many
Evangelical Protestant traditions) no longer espouse strong views on the subject.
In art
Up to about the 18th century Joseph tends to be depicted as a man advanced in years, with gray hair, often balding, occasionally frail and with arthritic fingers and a sharp nose, a comparatively marginal figure alongside Mary and Jesus if not entirely in the background, passive other than when leading them on their flight to Egypt. Joseph is shown mostly with a beard, not only in keeping with Jewish custom, but also because – although the Gospel accounts don't give his age – later literature tends to present him as an old man at the time of his wedding to Mary. This depiction arose to allay concerns about both the celibacy of the newly wedded couple, the mention of brothers and sisters of Jesus in the canonical Gospels, and Joseph's other children spoken of in apocryphal literature – concerns discussed very frankly by
Jean Gerson for example, who nonetheless favoured showing him as a younger man.
Joseph is often shown asleep in Nativities, and becomes a somewhat comical figure in some depictions, untidily dressed, and unable to help with proceedings. In medieval
mystery plays, he was usually a comic figure, amiable but incapable.
By the fifteenth century he's often more dignified, and this improvement continued through the
Renaissance and
Baroque, although a resurgence of Marian emphasis often again leaves him stranded on the margins of compositions such as the Nativity.
In recent centuries – in step with a growing interest in Joseph's rôle in Gospel exegesis – he himself has become a focal figure in representations of the Holy Family. He is now often portrayed as a younger or even youthful man (perhaps especially in Protestant depictions), whether going about his work as a carpenter, or participating actively in the daily life of Mary and Jesus as an equal and openly affectionate member.
Full cycles of his life are rare in the Middle Ages, though the scenes from the
Life of the Virgin or
Life of Christ where he's present are far more often seen. The
Mérode Altarpiece of about 1425, where he's a panel to himself, working as a carpenter, is an early example of what remained relatively rare depictions of him pursuing his métier.
Some statues of Joseph depict his staff as topped with flowers, recalling the non-canonical
Protoevangelion's account of how Mary's spouse was chosen by collecting walking sticks of widowers in Israel, and Joseph's alone bursting into flower, thus identifying him as divinely chosen. Several
Eastern Orthodox Nativity icons show Joseph tempted by the
Devil (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and how he resists that temptation. There are some paintings with him wearing a
Jewish hat.
Joseph is normally associated with the color black, similar to his wife's association with blue. Accordingly,
Sacrenoire is the analogue to the old French curse
Sacrebleu .
Sainthood
Although always regarded as a saint, Joseph was little celebrated on his own account until the later
Middle Ages, following the adoption of his feast by the
Franciscans in 1399, and later by the
Dominicans. The feast was only added to the Roman
Breviary in 1479, and wasn't compulsory for the whole Catholic church until 1621. An effort by some church leaders, including
Jean Gerson, at the
Council of Constance in 1416 to have Joseph elevated to a rank next to Mary and above the
Apostles, with a universal feast of
The Marriage of Mary and Joseph, was a step too far, and not successful. The promotion of the cult of Joseph was connected with the reaction against an over-courtly emphasis on the Holy Family in the preceding centuries, and reflected a wish to think of them again as a down to earth human family, encountering many difficulties in ordinary life.
Within the Roman Catholic tradition, Joseph is the
patron saint of various things and places.
Pope Pius IX proclaimed him the patron of the Universal Church on
December 8,
1870. Joseph is the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting
communism, and of a happy
death. Joseph having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he's considered the model of a pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death.
In addition to his primary feast day in the Catholic and other traditions, St. Joseph is honored by the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker (
May 1), introduced by Pope Pius XII in
1955 to counteract
May Day, a union, workers and socialists holiday. This reflects St. Joseph's status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the "patron of workers" and "model of workers." Catholic and other Christians teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.
In that tradition, Joseph is the patron saint of the
New World; of the countries
China,
Canada,
Korea,
Mexico,
Austria,
Belgium,
Bohemia,
Croatia,
Peru,
Vietnam; of the regions
Carinthia,
Styria,
Tyrol,
Sicily; of the cities and/or dioceses of
Florence,
Turin,
Baton Rouge,
Bemidji,
Buffalo,
Cheyenne,
Haugesund in
Norway,
Louisville,
Nashville,
San Jose,
Sioux Falls, etc.
Roman Catholics also believe he prays especially for families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travellers,
immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen,
engineers and working people in general.
Official patronage assigned to him, however, is vague. Numerous geographical locations, some vocations and various circumstances of personal life have been attributed to his patronage (see Patron Saints Index: Saint Joseph link below).
Feast days in Christian churches
Veneration of Saint Joseph, when compared with that of other biblical saints, was introduced rather late in the
Catholic Church. It was in the tenth century that he began to be celebrated in some parts of the West with a feast on
19 March. This feast was accepted in Rome only in 1479, less than a century before the 1570
Tridentine Calendar, in which it was included. This is
Saint Joseph's Day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions. In 1847
Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph patron of the universal Church and instituted another feast, with an octave, to be held in his honour on Wednesday in the second week after Easter. This was abolished by
Pope Pius XII, when in 1955 he established the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to be celebrated on
1 May (see
General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII). (A very few
Traditionalist Catholics reject all the changes made by Pope Pius XII, including these.)
Pope John XXIII added the name of Saint Joseph to the
Canon of the Mass.
In the
Lutheran Church also,
19 March is observed as the Feast of Saint Joseph, Guardian of
Jesus. This festival is on the official calendar of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the
Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, the
Wisconsin Synod and the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Some Protestant traditions also celebrate this festival as a commemoration of Joseph's life and witness.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the
feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated on the First Sunday after the
Nativity of Christ. The following hymn is chanted:
» Verily, Joseph the betrothed, saw clearly in his old age that the foresayings of the Prophets had
been fulfilled openly; for he was given an odd earnest,
» receiving inspiration from the angels,
who cried, Glory to God; for he hath bestowed peace on earth.
Institutions and places named after St Joseph
Josephite Order
In the 19th century, the
Josephite Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church were created under the patronage of Joseph, intending to work with the poor. The first Josephites in America re-devoted their part of the Order to ministry within the newly-emancipated African American community.
Churches
Saint Joseph's Oratory is a Roman Catholic oratory and basilica (historically-designated special church) in
Montreal,
Canada. Constructed at the wishes of Brother
André Besette (
Congregation of Holy Cross)—a
blessed in the Catholic canon—it is dedicated to St. Joseph who is believed to have performed many miracles of healing in Montreal. In the oratory are hundreds of
crutches and other items left by those who experienced a spontaneous healing (like those at
Lourdes,
France). The Oratory is the largest church in Canada, with the largest dome of its kind in the world after that of
Saint Peter's Basilica in
Rome. (Some churches named after St. Joseph are actually dedicated to a different saint, Saint
Joseph of Cupertino.)
The
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is located in San Jose, California and is the
cathedral (episcopal headquarters) of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of San Jose. The
Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral is a prominent Roman Catholic church in
Bardstown,
Kentucky, United States; it was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral west of the
Allegheny Mountains and the cathedral mother church of the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown.
Many schools, universities, hosptials, churches and monasteries are dedicated to Saint Joseph in
Lebanon, such as Lycée Saint-Joseph in
Ain Ebel,
Université Saint-Joseph in
Beirut, the
Hôpital Saint Joseph des Soeurs de la Croix in
Dora and Church of Saint Joseph in
Aitou.
Places
Many cities, towns, and geographical features are named after Joseph. At least 6 places named St. Joseph exist in France and its overseas possessions, and at least 14 towns, counties, or townships in the United States. Numerous bays, rivers, peninsulas, and other features are named after Joseph (or St. Joseph) in North America.
St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago is the oldest town in
Trinidad and Tobago. Originally named San José de Oruña, it served as the capital of Spanish Trinidad between 1592 and 1783.
According to the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the
Spanish form,
San Jose, is
the most common place name in the world. Probably the most-recognized San Joses are
San José, Costa Rica and
San Jose,
California,
United States, given their name by
Spanish colonists. The latter is the subject of the famous song
Do You Know the Way to San José.
The emperor
Joseph II once granted an audience to a tavern-owner who had commissioned a painting of the ruler to decorate his establishment, which he intended to name in honor of the monarch - only to be forbidden to do so by the Viennese city council. Joseph II told him to add a beard and a halo to the painting and rename the tavern "Saint Joseph."
In folklore
Burying a small statue of Saint Joseph on a piece of
real estate for sale is reputed to enlist the saint's assistance in finding a buyer. Some versions require the statue to be buried upside down. Some believe that the saint's statue should be disinterred once the house sells, to avoid the property repeatedly changing hands; others leave the buried statue in hopes that Saint Joseph will continue to protect the property.
Modern literature
- Aramis Thorn, The Foster Father of God (a fictional account of the life of Joseph, the betrothal of Joseph and Mary and the birth and childhood of Jesus).
José Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ gives a humanist perspective on the life of Joseph who is represented as the biological father of Jesus who is crucified by the Romans after being mistaken for a rebel during the sacking of Sepphoris.
Other St. Josephs
Saint Joseph of Arimathea, in the gospel accounts
Abba Joseph of Thebes, Desert Father
Saint Joseph of Damascus
Saint Joseph Marello
Saint Joseph of Cupertino (Giuseppe Desa)Further Information
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