| |
 St Joseph with the Infant Jesus,
Guido Reni (c. 1635),
The Hermitage,
St. Petersburg
(larger image) ]. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old. In the Roman Catholic tradition (see Catholicism), he is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days.
Spiritual Significance of Luke 3:23
The spitirtual significance of the comment in Luke 3:23 "as was supposed" (in some translations "so it was thought") (of Joseph's fatherhood) is in the fact that God is letting us know that Jewish society did NOT understand the real paternity of Jesus...that of the Holy Spirit.. thus was incapable of understanding His ministry.. as was certainly exhibited by the actions and attitudes of the scribes, Pharisees, lawyers, etc. to whom parentage and ancestry had become a cumbersome and burdensome legalism that blighted New Testament Judaism. They completely missed the Messianic note in the lists of both Matthew and Luke.. except for a very small minority like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, eventually..or Simeon or Anna of Luke 2.
|
 The Dream of Saint Joseph,
Philippe de Champaigne 1636
(larger image) But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Matt 1:18-20)
The main sources about Joseph come from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Joseph was betrothed to Mary at the time that she conceived Jesus; and therefore they were already legally husband and wife then, although they were not yet permitted to live together.
|
| He was staying at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); and after the journey to Bethlehem and sojourn in Egypt, he returned to Nazareth with his young family (Matthew 2:23), where they lived from thereon (Luke 2:51). In the Gospel of Matthew he is called a "righteous man" (Matthew 1:19), which is an Old Testament term denoting someone who is doing God's will (e.g. Genesis 6:9). The Greek term chosen suggests that Joseph was by trade a skilled craftsman, although in art he is portrayed as a mere humble carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry, because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee; and he is not mentioned at the crucifixion along with Mary (John 19:25). In addition Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Joseph of Nazareth, had he been alive.
Jesus is described as being the brother of James, Joses, Jude, and Simon, and several sisters (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by Eastern Orthodoxy, explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters. This version of events is related in the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter. The Roman Catholic tradition is unclear, and either the explanation above, or the explanation that these "brothers and sisters" are the cousins of Christ are both considered equally possible by the Church, but it affirms strongly that Joseph remained celebate while married to Mary. Some other Protestant denominations (including many Evangelical or Fundamental Protestant traditions) no longer espouse strong views on the subject.
|
| Adherants to the tradition of Jesus being an only child suggest that Jesus' commendation of Mary to the care of John the Apostle while he was hanging on the cross may be interpreted to suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.
In some imagery, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the non-canonical Protevangelion's account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.
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 patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death.
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.
Reformed theology holds that all deceased Christians are in turn 'saints,' and thus holds Joseph to be a Saint; there is no official patronage assigned to him, however.
Some Catholics claim that in order to invoke Saint Joseph's intercession for selling your house, you need to bury a small statue of the saint facing down and away from the house near the 'For Sale' sign, a practice generally considered superstitious and frowned upon by bishops, priests, and knowledgeable laity, although actively promoted by religious goods manufacturers and retailers. Whilst doing so, recite a short heartfelt prayer requesting Joseph's intercession that you may sell your house, for example:
Joseph of Nazareth, I beseech thee to intercede on my behalf to help me find a worthy buyer for my home. I ask this in the holy name of Christ. Amen. The practice is very common in Italy. Once the house is sold, the statue of Joseph is dug up again and set in a place of honor in the person's new home as a reminder of the efficacy of Saint Joseph's intercession.
The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day. The veneration of Saint Joseph, when compared with that of other biblical saints, was introduced rather late in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church; and Pope John XXIII added his name to the Mass canon. Some groups of Traditional Catholics reject this addition, but most use the 1962 missal, which includes this change. It should be noted that some Protestant traditions also celebrate this festival as a commemoration of Joseph's life and witness.
In the 1800s, the Josephite Order of the Roman Catholic Church was 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.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Holy Nativity of Christ. The following hymn is chanted in honor of the saint:
Verily, Joseph the betrothed, saw clearly in his old age that the foresayings of the Prophets had been fulfilled openly; for he was given a strange earnest, receiving inspiration from the angels, who cried, Glory to God; for he hath bestowed peace on earth.
In the canonical Gospel accounts
All the events involving Joseph's presence that have been narrated in the canonical Gospel accounts happened before Jesus's birth or during his childhood.
There is only an allusion to the first event, namely Joseph's betrothal to Mary that had made her his wife according to the Jewish law (Halakha). The clarification has been added that they were not yet living together, from which follows that they had not 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 is 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 is 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 political authorities. He is accompanied by Mary who is heavily pregnant and, whilst they are there, gives birth to Jesus.
|
| Thereafter Joseph and his young family are visited by a group of shepherds saying that they have 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, calling him Jesus, and thus assumes legal paternity.
Shortly later, 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 king Herod'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 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 Jesus's father, implying 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 "forerunner", and then Jesus himself commence their respective public ministries; but their accounts from thereon mention only the presence at certain events of Mary but never again of Joseph.
A notable fact about Joseph is that not one single word spoken by him is quoted in any of the four canonical Gospel accounts.
In apocryphal anecdotes
|
 Jesus in the House of his parents, by John Everett Millais
(larger image) |
| 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. A tradition at least as early as the second century, still current in Eastern Orthodoxy, has it that Joseph was a widower and that these brothers and sisters were from his first marriage, thus making them Jesus' step-brothers and step-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 does not name the wife. Authoritative Orthodox sources contradict 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 unclear, and either the explanation above, or the explanation that these "brothers and sisters" are the cousins of Christ are both considered equally possible by the Church, but it affirms strongly that Joseph remained celibate while married to Mary. Some Protestant denominations (including many Evangelical or Fundamental Protestant traditions) no longer espouse strong views on the subject.
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, in keeping with Jewish custom, and because he is old. This depiction arose to allay concerns about both his other children, and the difficulties of marriage to a virgin; concerns discussed very frankly by Jean Gerson for example, who nonetheless favoured showing him as a younger man. He 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, aimiable but incapable.
By the fifteenth century he is 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 is present are far more often seen. The Mérode Altarpiece of about 1425, where he has a panel to himself, working as a carpenter, is an early example of what remained relatively rare depictions of him pursuing his métier.
|
 An iconic image of St. Joseph – a carpenter square is a symbol of his trade, and lilies symbolize chastity.
(larger image) 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 was not 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 is 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 Workman (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).
The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day in the Roman Catholic tradition. Another feast day is May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, introduced by Pope Pius XII in 1955, replacing the older feast day on Wednesday in the second week after Easter and its octave. The veneration of Saint Joseph, when compared with that of other biblical saints, was introduced rather late in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church; and Pope John XXIII added his name to the Mass canon. Some groups of Traditional Catholics reject this addition, but most use the 1962 missal, which includes this change.
In the Lutheran Church, March 19 is also observed as the Feast of St. 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.
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. Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Muenster, Texas is dedicated to St. Joseph after its first two churches were destroyed by tornadoes on St. Joseph's feast day. Since the parishioners have attended mass on his feast day the recent church has not been destroyed. St. Joseph Church at Umerkhadi in Mumbai, India completed 75 years on 24th January, 2007. This is a small parish with ~700 parishioners. The parish celebrates its parish feast on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. 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
St Joseph with the Infant Jesus, Guido Reni (c. 1635)Burying a small statute 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).
Notes
- Matthew 1:16
- Matthew 1:25b (also Matthew 1:18) mentions the "naming", which is the rite that establishes legal paternity of a Jewish child. Mary herself refers to Joseph as Jesus's father (Luke 2:48). The local population thought of Jesus as "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55). The Gospel according to Luke speaks of Joseph as Jesus's father in Luke 2:33. The genealogy in Luke 3:23 states that Jesus was "the son – as was supposed – of Joseph".
- Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38. – Belief in the virgin conception and birth is held by Christians of most faith traditions, including Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and most traditional Protestants.
- Matthew 1:16
- Luke 3:23
- See Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3. Greek τεκτων denotes primarily a skilled worker in wood, such as a carpenter or joiner, although in secular literature the term has been used also for other craftsmen and workmen. The canonical Gospel accounts do not go into detail on this point; but apocryphal sources and art portray Joseph as a carpenter.
- before Jesus's birth (Luke 2:4), on return from exile in Egypt after Herod's death (Matthew 2:23, Luke 2:39), after the Passover visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old (Luke 2:51)
- Luke 2:4, Matthew 2:1-14
- Matthew 2:14-22
- Matthew 1:16-2:23, Luke 1:26-2:52
- John 19:25-27
- Matthew 1:18b; Luke 1:27
- Matthew 1:18c
- Matthew 1:19-25a/b
- Luke 2:4-6
- Luke 2:16-17
- Matthew 1:25b, Luke 2:21
- Luke 2:25-38
- Matthew 2:13-18
- Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39
- Luke 2:41-51
- "The general opinion that he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary has inspired the faithful with great confidence…", The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin p. 347, London, 1816, quoted in Primitive Christian Worship by James Endell Tyler
- Novena prayer: St. Joseph
- Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3
- The History of Joseph the Carpenter. Comparative Religion. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
- Holy Apostles Convent (1989). The Life of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos. Buena Vista: Holy Apostles Convent and Dormition Skete, p. 64.
- Shapiro:6-7
- Meyer Schapiro, Selected Papers, volume 3, Late Antique, Early Christian and Mediaeval Art, pp. 4-7 1980, Chatto & Windus, London, ISBN 0701125144
- "Desperate Sellers Take Leaps of Faith", story in The Washington Post, Sept. 8, 2007, accessed Sept. 8, 2007.
- "Property Rites" at snopes.com, accessed Sept. 8, 2007.
|
|