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St. Joseph (1894 Tissot), art

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Joseph of Nazareth was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus of Nazareth.

• Marriage of Mary and Joseph -- Annunciation to Joseph -- Birth of Jesus -- Adoration of the Magi -- Adoration of the Shepherds -- Flight into Egypt -- Holy Family -- Joseph and Jesus -- Jesus among the Doctors -- Father and Son -- Death of Joseph of Nazareth

Overview

The Gospel of Mark ignores the father of the "son of Mary", Jesus. According to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, Jesus of Nazareth was "Joseph's son." Matthew and Luke are the only sources to provide two different narratives about the childhood of Jesus, which both give a role to Joseph. Luke and Matthew also claim that Joseph was a descendant of David.

Most of the information about Joseph of Nazareth comes from later sources, such as the Protoevangelium of James (2nd century CE) or the History of Joseph the Carpenter (5th century CE). They not only harmonized the data from the previous tradition but also added a lot of details about the relationship between Joseph and Mary (and Jesus).

The lack of evidence and the literary character of the narratives and genealogies concerning Joseph, make any historical evaluation virtually impossible. As no reference to Joseph can be found in Paul and in the Gospel of Mark (where Jesus is introduced as the son of Mary), the very existence of Joseph of Nazareth is disputed.

Joseph of Nazareth, in ancient sources

Gospel of Matthew

Matt 1:16 -- and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Matt 1:18 -- Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Matt 1:19 -- And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Matt 1:20 -- But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matt 1:24 -- When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

Matt 2:13 -- Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Matt 2:19 -- But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Gospel of Luke

Luke 1:27 -- to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke 2:4 -- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

Luke 2:16 -- And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Luke 3:23 -- Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Luke 3:24 -- the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

Luke 3:30 -- the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

Luke 4:22 -- And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Gospel of John

John 1:45 -- Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

John 6:42 -- They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Joseph of Nazareth, in the arts

Joseph is a constant yet discreet presence in Christian iconography, which heavily relies on the data coming from later Christian tradition. Often portrayed as an old man, Joseph does not have a life of his own but always play a supporting role, as the devout husband of Mary and the caring father of Jesus. He is no more that a passive presence in the lives of his wife and son; only in the flight to Egypt he has a leading role. In recent decades a more dynamic image of Joseph and Mary has emerged, as a young and loving couple.

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  St. Joseph (1428 Campin), art

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  St. Joseph (16th cent. Moroni), art

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  St. Joseph (1612 Buonvicino), art

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  St. Joseph (1894 Tissot), art

Joseph of Nazareth, in the performing arts