Saint Joseph - wikipedia Saint Joseph This article is about the husband of Mary. For other saints, see Saint Joseph ( disambiguation ). For the Joseph of Genesis, see Joseph ( patriarch ). Saint Joseph Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Guido Reni, c. 1635 Foster - father of Jesus Christ Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Prince and Patron of the Universal Church Venerated in Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Methodism, Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church Feast 19 March -- Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary ( Western Christianity ), 1 May -- St Joseph the Worker ( Roman Catholic Church ), The Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord ( Eastern Christianity ) Attributes Carpenter 's square or tools, the infant Jesus, staff with lily blossoms, two turtle doves, rod of spikenard. Patronage Catholic Church, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, workers, employment, explorer, pilgrims, traveller, carpenters, realtors, against doubt and hesitation, and of a happy death, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Korea, Indonesia, Zapotlan, Vietnam, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines, and many others. Part of a series on Josephology of the Catholic Church Saint Joseph ( c. 1640 ) by Guido Reni. General articles Saint Joseph Holy Family marriage Saint Joseph 's dreams Saint Joseph 's Day Prayers and devotions Prayer Novena Chaplet Scapular Cord Organisations Sisters of St. Joseph Josephite Fathers Oblates of St. Joseph Papal documents Quamquam pluries Redemptoris custos Catholicism portal Part of a series on Christianity Jesus Christ Jesus in Christianity Virgin birth Crucifixion Resurrection Bible Foundations Old Testament New Testament Gospel Canon Books Church Creed New Covenant Theology God Trinity Father Son Holy Spirit Apologetics Baptism Christology History of theology Mission Salvation History Tradition Mary Apostles Peter Paul Fathers Early Christianity Constantine Councils Augustine East -- West Schism Crusades Aquinas Luther Reformation Related topics Art Criticism Ecumenism Liturgy Music Other religions Prayer Sermon Symbolism Denominations Groups Western Adventist Anabaptist Anglican Baptist Calvinist Catholic Evangelical Holiness Lutheran Methodist Pentecostal Protestant Eastern Eastern Orthodox Oriental Orthodox Assyrian Nontrinitarian Jehovah 's Witness Latter Day Saint Oneness Pentecostal Christianity portal Joseph ( Hebrew : יוֹסֵף ‎, translit. Yosef ; Greek : Ἰωσήφ, translit. Ioséph ) is a figure in the Gospels who was married to Mary, Jesus ' mother, and, in the Christian tradition, was Jesus 's legal father. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, and Methodism. Some differing views are due to theological interpretations versus historical views. In both Catholic and Protestant traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. In popular piety, Joseph is regarded as a model for fathers and has also become patron of various dioceses and places. Several venerated images of Saint Joseph have been granted a canonical coronation by a Pope. In popular religious iconography he is associated with lilies or a spikenard. With the present - day growth of Mariology, the theological field of Josephology has also grown and since the 1950s centers for studying it have been formed. In the Apocrypha, Joseph was the father of James, Joses, Jude, Simon, and at least two daughters. According to Epiphanius and the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, these children were from a marriage which predated the one with Mary, a belief that is accepted by some select Christian denominations. Contents 1 In the New Testament 1.1 Gospel harmony 1.2 Lineage 1.3 Professional life 1.4 Modern appraisal 2 Later apocryphal writings 3 Veneration 3.1 Feast days 4 Patronage 4.1 Places, churches and institutions 4.2 Prayers and devotions 5 In art 5.1 Chronology of Saint Joseph 's life in art 6 See also 7 Notes 8 Sources 9 Further reading 10 External links In the New Testament St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Elisabetta Sirani, c. 1662 The Pauline epistles make no reference to Jesus ' father ; nor does the Gospel of Mark. The first appearance of Joseph is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Each contains a genealogy of Jesus showing ancestry from King David, but through different sons ; Matthew follows the major royal line from Solomon, while Luke traces another line back to Nathan, another son of David and Bathsheba. Consequently, all the names between David and Joseph are different. Some scholars, such as Harry A. Ironside reconcile the genealogies by viewing the Solomonic lineage in Matthew as Joseph 's major royal line, and the Nathanic lineage in Luke to be Mary 's minor line. The epistles of Paul are generally regarded as the oldest extant Christian writings. These mention Jesus ' mother ( without naming her ), but do not refer to his father. The Book of Mark, believed to be the first gospel to be written and with a date about two decades after Paul, also does not mention Jesus ' father. Joseph first appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, both dating from around 80 -- 90 AD. The issue of reconciling the two accounts has been the subject of debate. Like the two differing genealogies, the infancy narratives appear only in Matthew and Luke and take different approaches to reconciling the requirement that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem with the tradition that Jesus in fact came from Nazareth. In Matthew, Joseph obeys the direction of an angel to marry Mary. Following the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Joseph and family stay in Bethlehem for an unspecified period ( perhaps two years ) until after the visit of the Three Magi, when Joseph is told by an angel in a dream to take the family to Egypt to escape the massacre of the children of Bethlehem planned by Herod, the ruler of the Roman province of Judea. Once Herod has died, an angel tells Joseph to return, but to avoid Herod 's son he takes his wife and the child to Nazareth in Galilee and settles there. Thus in Matthew, the infant Jesus, like Moses, is in peril from a cruel king, like Moses he has a ( fore ) father named Joseph who goes down to Egypt, like the Old Testament Joseph this Joseph has a father named Jacob, and both Josephs receive important dreams foretelling their future. In the Gospel book of Luke, Joseph already lives in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary have to travel there to be counted in a census. Subsequently, Jesus was born there. Luke 's account makes no mention of him being visited by angels ( Mary and various others instead receive similar apparitions ), the Massacre of the Innocents, or of a visit to Egypt. The last time Joseph appears in person in any Gospel book is in the story of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old, found only in Luke. No mention is made of him thereafter. The story emphasizes Jesus ' awareness of his coming mission : here Jesus speaks to his parents ( both of them ) of `` my father, '' meaning God, but they fail to understand. ( Luke 2 : 41 -- 51 ). Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son. Joseph is not mentioned as being present at the Wedding at Cana at the beginning of Jesus ' mission, nor at the Passion at the end. If he had been present at the Crucifixion, he would under Jewish custom have been expected to take charge of Jesus ' body, but this role is instead performed by Joseph of Arimathea. Nor would Jesus have entrusted his mother to the care of John the Apostle if her husband had been alive. While none of the Gospels mentions Joseph as present at any event during Jesus ' adult ministry, the synoptic Gospels share a scene in which the people of Nazareth, Jesus ' hometown, doubt Jesus ' status as a prophet because they know his family. In Mark 6 : 3, they call Jesus `` Mary 's son '' instead of naming his father. In Matthew, the townspeople call Jesus `` the carpenter 's son, '' again without naming his father. ( Matthew 13 : 53 -- 55 ) In Luke 3 : 23 `` And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being ( as was supposed ) the son of Joseph, which was ( the son ) of Heli. '' ( Luke 4 : 16 -- 30 ) In Luke the tone is positive, whereas in Mark and Matthew it is disparaging. This incident does not appear at all in John, but in a parallel story the disbelieving neighbors refer to `` Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know '' ( John 6 : 41 -- 51 ). Gospel harmony Joseph is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Mark 's gospel contains no reference to this Joseph by name. No. Event Matthew Mark Luke John Joseph lived in Nazareth Luke 2 : 4 Genealogy of Jesus Matthew 1 : 1 -- 17 Solomon to Jacob Luke 3 : 23 Nathan to Heli Joseph Betrothed to Mary Matthew 1 : 18 Angel visits Joseph ( 1st dream ) Matthew 1 : 20 -- 21 5 Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem Luke 2 : 1 -- 5 6 Birth of Jesus Matthew 1 : 25 Luke 2 : 6 -- 7 7 Temple presentation Luke 2 : 22 -- 24 8 Angel tells Joseph to flee ( 2nd dream ) Matthew 2 : 13 9 Flight into Egypt Matthew 2 : 14 -- 15 10 Angel tells Joseph to return to Nazareth ( 3rd dream ) Matthew 2 : 19 -- 20 11 Joseph and family settle in Nazareth Matthew 2 : 21 -- 23 Luke 2 : 39 12 Finding Jesus in the Temple Luke 2 : 41 -- 51 13 Holy Family John 6 : 41 -- 42 Lineage Holy Family with the Holy Spirit by Murillo, 1675 -- 1682. Joseph appears in Luke as the father of Jesus and in a `` variant reading in Matthew ''. Matthew and Luke both contain a genealogy of Jesus showing his ancestry from David, but through different sons ; Matthew follows the major royal line from Solomon, while Luke traces another line back to Nathan, another son of David and Bathsheba. Consequently, all the names between David and Joseph are different. According to Matthew 1 : 16 `` Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary '', while according to Luke 3 : 23, Joseph is said to be `` the son of Heli ''. The variances between the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke are explained in a number of ways, although one possibility is that Matthew 's genealogy traces Jesus ' legal descent, according to Jewish law, through Joseph ; while Luke 's genealogy traces his actual physical descent through Mary. Professional Life Joseph the Carpenter, by Georges de La Tour, 1640s. In the Gospels, Joseph 's occupation is mentioned only once. The Gospel of Matthew asks about Jesus : Is not this the carpenter 's son ( ho tou tektōnos huios ) ? Joseph 's description as a `` tekton '' ( τέκτων ) has been traditionally translated into English as `` carpenter '', but is a rather general word ( from the same root that gives us `` technical '' and `` technology '' ) that could cover makers of objects in various materials. The Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. But the specific association with woodworking is a constant in Early Christian tradition ; Justin Martyr ( died c. 165 ) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs, and there are similar early references. Other scholars have argued that tekton could equally mean a highly skilled craftsman in wood or the more prestigious metal, perhaps running a workshop with several employees, and noted sources recording the shortage of skilled artisans at the time. Geza Vermes has stated that the terms ' carpenter ' and ' son of a carpenter ' are used in the Jewish Talmud to signify a very learned man, and he suggests that a description of Joseph as ' naggar ' ( a carpenter ) could indicate that he was considered wise and highly literate in the Torah. At the time of Joseph, Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee, about 65 kilometres ( 40 mi ) from the Holy City of Jerusalem, and is barely mentioned in surviving non-Christian texts and documents. Archaeology over most of the site is made impossible by subsequent building, but from what has been excavated and tombs in the area around the village, it is estimated that the population was at most about 400. It was, however, only about 6 kilometres from the city of Tzippori ( ancient `` Sepphoris '' ), which was destroyed and depopulated by the Romans in 4 BC, and thereafter was expensively rebuilt. Analysis of the landscape and other evidence suggest that in Joseph 's lifetime Nazareth was `` oriented towards '' the nearby city, which had an overwhelmingly Jewish population although with many signs of Hellenization, and historians have speculated that Joseph and later Jesus too might have traveled daily to work on the rebuilding. Specifically the large theatre in the city has been suggested, although this has aroused much controversy over dating and other issues. Other scholars see Joseph and Jesus as the general village craftsmen, working in wood, stone and metal on a wide variety of jobs. Modern appraisal Holy Family by Gregorio Fernández ( 1636 ) The name `` Joseph '' is found almost exclusively in the genealogies and the infancy narratives. Modern positions on the question of the relationship between Joseph and the Virgin Mary vary. The Eastern Orthodox Church, which names Joseph 's first wife as Salome, holds that Joseph was a widower and merely betrothed, but never married, to Mary, and that references to Jesus ' `` brothers '' are to children of Joseph and Salome. The position of the Catholic Church, derived from the writings of Saint Jerome, is that Joseph was the husband of Mary, but that references to Jesus ' `` brothers '' should be understood to mean cousins or step - brothers. Such usage is prevalent throughout history, and occurs elsewhere in the Bible. Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Genesis 11 : 26 - 28 ) was referred to as his brother ( Genesis 14 : 14 ), as was Jacob 's uncle Laban ( Genesis 29 : 15 ). Jesus himself frequently used the word `` brother '' as a generic term for one 's fellow man. This custom has continued into modern times, with close friends, colleagues, and fellow churchgoers often called `` brothers and sisters. '' Generally, certain Protestants and other groups opposed to the Roman Catholic teaching read `` brothers and sisters '' of Jesus as referring specifically to children born of Mary. In both cases, the church doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity means that Joseph and Mary never had sexual relations. The Protestant churches, following the tenet of Virgin Birth but not that of Perpetual Virginity, hold no strong views on the subject. The term kiddushin, which refers to the first part of a two - part marriage, is frequently translated as `` betrothal ''. Couples who fulfil the requirements of the kiddushin are married, until death or divorce. Later apocryphal writings Holy Family with bird, c. 1650, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo The canonical gospels created a problem : they stated clearly that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, and that Joseph was not his father ; yet Joseph 's paternity was essential to establish Jesus ' Davidic descent. The theological situation was complicated by the gospel references to Jesus ' `` brothers and sisters '' ( repeated in Paul, where James is called the `` brother of Christ '' ), and by the fact that Jesus was described unambiguously by John and Mark as `` Joseph 's son '' and `` the carpenter 's son. '' From the 2nd century to the 5th writers tried to explain how Jesus could be simultaneously the `` son of God '' and the `` son of Joseph ''. The first to offer a solution was the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, written about 150 AD. The original gospels never refer to Joseph 's age, but the author presents him as an old man chosen by lot ( i.e., by God ) to watch over the Virgin. Jesus ' brothers are presented as Joseph 's children by an earlier marriage, and his years and righteousness explain why he has not yet had sex with his wife : `` I received her by lot as my wife, and she is not yet my wife, but she has conceived by the Holy Spirit. '' The Protoevangelium was extremely popular, but it leaves open the possibility that Joseph might have had relations with Mary after the birth of Jesus ( `` she is not yet my wife... '' ). A few centuries later the developing doctrine that Mary was a virgin not only at the time of the conception and birth of Christ, but throughout her life, meant that this possibility had to be excluded. Christ in the House of his Parents, 1850, by John Everett Millais The apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, written in the 5th century and framed as a biography of Joseph dictated by Jesus, describes how Joseph, aged 90 ( the Protoevangelium had not given Joseph a specific age ), a widower with four sons and two daughters, is given charge of the twelve - year - old Mary, who then lives in his household raising his youngest son James the Less ( the supposed author of the Protoevangelium ) until she is ready to be married at age 141⁄2. Joseph 's death at the age of 111, attended by angels and asserting the perpetual virginity of Mary, takes up approximately half the story. According to the bishop of Salamis, Epiphanius, in his work The Panarion ( AD 374 -- 375 ) `` Joseph became the father of James and his three brothers ( Joses, Simeon, Judah ) and two sisters ( a Salome and a Mary ) or ( a Salome and an Anna ) with James being the elder sibling. James and his siblings were not children of Mary but were Joseph 's children from a previous marriage. After Joseph 's first wife died, many years later when he was eighty, `` he took Mary ( mother of Jesus ) ''. Eusebius of Caesarea relates in his Church History ( Book III, ch. 11 ) that `` Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph and an uncle of Jesus. '' Epiphanius adds that Joseph and Cleopas were brothers, sons of `` Jacob, surnamed Panther. '' The Catholic Encyclopedia citing the texts contained in the apocryphal writings writes that : When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others ; they lived forty - nine years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was James ( the Less, `` the Lord 's brother '' ). A year after his wife 's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Judah a respectable man to espouse Mary, then twelve to fourteen years of age. Joseph, who was at the time ninety years old, went up to Jerusalem among the candidates ; a miracle manifested the choice God had made of Joseph, and two years later the Annunciation took place. These dreams, as St. Jerome styles them (... ) are void of authority ; they nevertheless acquired in the course of ages some popularity ; in them some ecclesiastical writers sought the answer to the well - known difficulty arising from the mention in the Gospel of `` the Lord 's brothers '' ; from them also popular credulity has, contrary to all probability, as well as to the tradition witnessed by old works of art, retained the belief that St. Joseph was an old man at the time of marriage with the Mother of God. Veneration Nativity by Martin Schongauer ( 1475 -- 80 ) The earliest records of a formal devotional following for Saint Joseph date to the year 800 and references to him as Nutritor Domini ( educator / guardian of the Lord ) began to appear in the 9th century, and continued growing to the 14th century. Saint Thomas Aquinas discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have stoned her and that in his youth Jesus needed the care and protection of a human father. In the 15th century, major steps were taken by Saint Bernardine of Siena, Pierre d'Ailly and Jean Gerson. Gerson wrote Consideration sur Saint Joseph and preached sermons on Saint Joseph at the Council of Constance. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Quamquam pluries in which he urged Catholics to pray to Saint Joseph, as the patron of the Church in view of the challenges facing the Church. Josephology, the theological study of Saint Joseph, is one of the most recent theological disciplines. In 1989, on the occasion of the centenary of Quamquam pluries Pope John Paul II issued Redemptoris Custos ( Guardian of the Redeemer ), which presented Saint Joseph 's role in the plan of redemption, as part of the `` redemption documents '' issued by John Paul II such as Redemptoris Mater to which it refers. Together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family ; since he only appears in the birth narratives of the Gospels, Jesus is depicted as a child when with him. The formal veneration of the Holy Family began in the 17th century by François de Laval. In 1962, Pope John XXIII inserted the name of Joseph in the Canon of the Mass, immediately after that of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2013, Pope Francis had his name added to the three other Eucharistic Prayers. Feast days Main article : Saint Joseph 's Day St Joseph, 1847, by William Dyce March 19, Saint Joseph 's Day, has been the principal feast day of Saint Joseph in Western Christianity since the 10th century, and is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, many Lutherans and other denominations. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Nativity of Christ. In the Roman Catholic church, the Feast of St. Joseph ( 19 March ) is a solemnity ( first class if using the Tridentine calendar ), and is transferred to another date if impeded ( i.e., 19 March falling on Sunday or in Holy Week ). In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Joseph patron of the Universal Church and instituted another feast, a solemnity with an octave, to be held in his honour on Wednesday in the second week after Easter. The 1870 feast was replaced in the 1955 General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII by the Feast of `` Saint Joseph the Worker '', to be celebrated on 1 May. This date coincides with the secular International Workers ' Day promoted by the labour movement and left - wing parties since the 1890s, and reflects Joseph 's status as patron saint of workers. Catholic and other Christian teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, courage, and hard work. The Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker ( 1 May ) is an Optional Memorial, and so is omitted if impeded, unless the day is raised to a higher rank because Saint Joseph is the patron of the church, diocese, place, or institution. ( However, the 1 May celebration is 1st class in the Tridentine calendar, so in it Saint Joseph the Worker was celebrated on 2 May in 2008 because 1 May was Ascension Thursday and in 2011 because 1 May was in the Easter octave. ) Patronage San Giuseppe Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870. Having died in the `` arms of Jesus and Mary '' according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words, the patron of a happy death. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of a number of cities, regions and countries, among them the Americas, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, Peru, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as of families, fathers, expectant mothers ( pregnant women ), explorer, pilgrim, traveller, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general. Places, churches and institutions Main articles : St. Joseph 's Cathedral, List of churches named after Saint Joseph, and List of places named after Saint Joseph See also : Saint Joseph 's ( disambiguation ) and São José Saint Joseph 's Oratory, Montreal, the largest church in Canada. Many cities, towns, and locations are named after Saint Joseph. 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. Joseph is the patron saint of the New World ; and of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily ; and of several main cities and dioceses. Many churches, monasteries and other institutions are dedicated to Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph 's 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. Elsewhere in the world churches named after the saint may be known as those of San Giuseppe, e.g. San Giuseppe dei Teatini, San José, e.g. Metropolitan Cathedral of San José or São José, e.g. in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded as an order in 1650 and have about 14,013 members worldwide. In 1871, 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. The Oblates of St. Joseph were founded in 1878 by St. Joseph Marello. In 1999 their Shrine of Saint Joseph the Guardian of the Redeemer was named after the Apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos. Prayers and devotions Altar of St. Joseph, Billafingen, Germany. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, during the feast day of Saint Joseph 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. In the Catholic tradition, just as there are prayers for the Seven Joys of Mary and Seven Sorrows of Mary, so there are also prayers for the seven joys and seven sorrows of Saint Joseph ; these include prayers for daily protection, vocation, happy marriage, happy death, and hopeless cases ; specific prayers, novenas and devotions include the Prayer to Saint Joseph and the Novena to Saint Joseph. St. Francis de Sales included Saint Joseph along with Virgin Mary as saints to be invoked during prayers in his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Teresa of Avila attributed her recovery of health to Saint Joseph and recommended him as an advocate, and Saint Therese of Lisieux stated that for a period of time, every day she prayed to `` Saint Joseph, Father and Protector of Virgins... '' and felt safe and protected from danger as a result, and Pius X composed a prayer to Saint Joseph which begins : Glorious St. Joseph, pattern of all who are devoted to toil, obtain for me the grace to toil, in the spirit of penance, in order to thereby atone for my many sins... There is a belief that planting a statue of St. Joseph on a house will help sell the house. In art Saint Joseph with the Flowering Rod, by Juspe de Ribera, early 1630s. Ribera conveys the unexpected wonder of the moment with the lighting from above. Brooklyn Museum Up to about the 17th century Joseph tends to be depicted as a man advanced in years, with grey hair, often balding, occasionally frail, 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 do not 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. In recent centuries -- in step with a growing interest in Joseph 's role 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. Art critic Waldemar Januszczak however emphasises the preponderance of Joseph 's representation as an old man and sees this as the need, `` to explain away his impotence : indeed to symbolise it. In Guido Reni 's Nativity, Mary is about 15, and he is about 70 -- for the real love affair -- is the one between the Virgin Mary and us. She is young. She is perfect. She is virginal -- it is Joseph 's task to stand aside and let us desire her, religiously. It takes a particularly old, a particularly grey, a particularly kindly and a particularly feeble man to do that... Banished in vast numbers to the backgrounds of all those gloomy stables in all those ersatz Bethlehems, his complex iconographic task is to stand aside and let his wife be worshipped by the rest of us. '' However Carolyn Wilson challenges the long - held view that pre-Tridentine images were often intended to demean him. According to Charlene Villaseñor Black, `` Seventeenth - century Spanish and Mexican artists reconceptualized Joseph as an important figure,... representing him as the youthful, physically robust, diligent head of the Holy Family. '' In Bartolomé Esteban Murillo 's The Two Trinities, Saint Joseph is given the same prominence as the Virgin. Full cycles of his life are rare in the Middle Ages, although 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. 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 the walking sticks of widowers in Palestine, and Joseph 's alone bursting into flower, thus identifying him as divinely chosen. The Golden Legend, which derives its account from the much older Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, tells a similar story, although it notes that all marriageable men of the Davidic line and not only widowers were ordered by the High Priest to present their rods at the Temple. 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. Chronology of Saint Joseph 's life in art Joseph and Joachim, Dürer, 1504 At work in the Mérode Altarpiece, 1420s Joseph 's dream, Rembrandt, c. 1645 Marriage to the Virgin, Perugino, c. 1448 Nativity of Jesus, Marten de Vos 1577 The Adoration of the Magi, Hans Memling, c. 1480 Temple presentation, di Fredi, 1388 Dream of Flight, Daniele Crespi, c. 1625 Flight to Egypt, Giotto, 14th century Finding in the Temple, Book of Hours, 15th century Death of Joseph, St. Martin 's at Florac Coronation of Joseph, Valdés Leal, c. 1670 Joseph with the Child and the Flowering Rod, Alonso Miguel de Tovar See also Saint Joseph 's Day Prayer to Saint Joseph Genealogy of Jesus Marriage of the Virgin Holy Family Statue of Saint Joseph, Charles Bridge Notes Jump up ^ St. Joseph 's ( Hill ) Lutheran Church, Boyertown, Pennsylvania Jump up ^ `` St. Joseph Lutheran Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania ''. lutherans.com. Archived from the original on 2014 - 01 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Welcome to Saint Joseph UMC - Saint Joseph United Methodist Church ''. Saint Joseph United Methodist Church. Jump up ^ Sanders, E.P. ( 1995 ). The Historical Figure of Jesus. London : Penguin. p. 333. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 014499 - 4. Jump up ^ P. de Letter, `` The Theology of Saint Joseph '', The Clergy Monthly, March 1955, JSTOR 27656897 Jump up ^ For the use of the term, see : James J. Davis, A Thomistic Josephology, 1967, University of Montreal, ASIN B0007K3PL4 ^ Jump up to : `` Joseph in the Gospels of Mark and John ''. osjusa.org. ^ Jump up to : Ironside, Harry A. ( 2007 ). Luke. Kregel Academic. p. 73. ISBN 978 - 0825496653. Jump up ^ An argument based on Herod 's instructions to kill all male infants up to this age, in Matthew 2 : 16 Jump up ^ Spong, John Shelby. Jesus for the non-religious. HarperCollins. 2007. ISBN 0 - 06 - 076207 - 1. Jump up ^ Perrotta, Louise B. ( 2000 ). Saint Joseph : His Life and His Role in the Church Today. Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. pp. 21, 110 -- 112. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87973 - 573 - 9. Jump up ^ Souvay, Charles ( 1910 ). `` St. Joseph ''. The Catholic Encyclopedia. 8. New York : Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 12 June 2016. Jump up ^ Vermes, Geza `` The Authentic Gospel of Jesus '' ( London, Penguin Books, 2004 ) Chapter 1 : Narratives and commands, pp. 1 -- 37, ISBN 978 - 0141912608. Jump up ^ Vermes, Geza ( 1981 ). Jesus the Jew : A Historian 's Reading of the Gospels. Philadelphia : First Fortress. p. 20. ISBN 978 - 1451408805. Jump up ^ Ryrie, Charles C. ( 1999 ). Basic Theology : A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Moody Publishers. ISBN 978 - 1575674988. Jump up ^ Dickson, 47 Jump up ^ Deiss, Lucien ( 1996 ). Joseph, Mary, Jesus. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978 - 0814622551. Jump up ^ Fiensy, 68 -- 69 Jump up ^ Fiensy, 75 -- 77 Jump up ^ Landman, Leo ( 1979 ). The Jewish Quarterly Review New Series, Vol. 70, No. 2 ( JSTOR ). University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 125 -- 128. JSTOR 1453874. Jump up ^ Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus : The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 073817 - 4 Jump up ^ Crossan, John Dominic. The essential Jesus. Edison : Castle Books. 1998. `` Contexts, '' pp 1 -- 24. Jump up ^ Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus : a comprehensive guide. Fortress Press. 1998. translated from German ( 1996 edition ) Jump up ^ Sanders terms it a `` minor village. '' Sanders, E.P. The historical figure of Jesus. Penguin, 1993. p. 104 Jump up ^ Laughlin, 192 -- 194. See also Reed 's Chapter 3, pp. 131 -- 134. Jump up ^ Reed, 114 -- 117, quotation p. 115 Jump up ^ Reed, Chapter 4 in general, pp. 125 -- 131 on the Jewish nature of Sepphoris, and pp. 131 -- 134 Jump up ^ Borgen, Peder Johan ; Aune, David Edward ; Seland, Torrey ; Ulrichsen, Jarl Henning ( 5 March 2018 ). `` Neotestamentica Et Philonica : Studies in Honour of Peder Borgen ''. BRILL -- via Google Books. Jump up ^ For example, Dickson, 47 Jump up ^ Vermes, ( 2004 ) pp. 398 -- 417. Jump up ^ Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus : the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. `` Birth & Infancy Stories '' pp. 497 -- 526. Jump up ^ Holy Apostles Convent ( 1989 ). The Life of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos. Buena Vista : Holy Apostles Convent and Dormition Skete. p. 64. ISBN 0 - 944359 - 03 - 5. Jump up ^ See, e.g., David Brown. `` Commentary on Matthew 13 : 56 ''. Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 07. An exceedingly difficult question here arises -- What were these ' brethren ' and ' sisters ' to Jesus ? Were they, First, His full brothers and sisters ? or, Secondly, Were they His step - brothers and step - sisters, children of Joseph by a former marriage ? or, Thirdly, Were they cousins, according to a common way of speaking among the Jews respecting persons of collateral descent ? On this subject an immense deal has been written, nor are opinions yet by any means agreed. For the second opinion there is no ground but a vague tradition, arising probably from the wish for some such explanation. The first opinion undoubtedly suits the text best in all the places where the parties are certainly referred to ( Mt 12 : 46 ; and its parallels, Mr 3 : 31 ; Lu 8 : 19 ; our present passage, and its parallels, Mr 6 : 3 ; Joh 2 : 12 ; 7 : 3, 5, 10 ; Ac 1 : 14 ). But, in addition to other objections, many of the best interpreters, thinking it in the last degree improbable that our Lord, when hanging on the cross, would have committed His mother to John if He had had full brothers of His own then alive, prefer the third opinion ; although, on the other hand, it is not to be doubted that our Lord might have good reasons for entrusting the guardianship of His doubly widowed mother to the beloved disciple in preference even to full brothers of His own. Thus dubiously we prefer to leave this vexed question, encompassed as it is with difficulties ! Jump up ^ `` Judaism 101 : Marriage ''. www.jewfaq.org. Jump up ^ `` Kiddushin -- Betrothal ''. www.chabad.org. Jump up ^ Barclay, William ( 1 November 1998 ). The Ten Commandments. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 100. ISBN 978 - 0 - 664 - 25816 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Everett Ferguson, Michael P. McHugh, Frederick W. Norris, article `` Joseph '' in Encyclopedia of early Christianity, Volume 1, p. 629 Jump up ^ Luigi Gambero, `` Mary and the fathers of the church : the Blessed Virgin Mary in patristic thought '' pp. 35 -- 41 Jump up ^ CHURCH FATHERS : The History of Joseph the Carpenter. Retrieved 8 December 2016. Jump up ^ Cyprus ), Saint Epiphanius ( Bishop of Constantia in ; texts ), Frank Williams ( Specialist in early Christian ; Holl, Karl ( 2013 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis : De fide. Books II and III. Leiden ( u.a. ) : BRILL. p. 622. ISBN 9004228411. Jump up ^ College, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus ; translated by Young Richard Kim, Calvin ( 2014 ). Ancoratus 60 : 1. Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America Press. p. 144. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8132 - 2591 - 3. Retrieved 22 September 2015. Jump up ^ Williams, translated by Frank ( 1994 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis : Books II and III ( Sects 47 - 80, De Fide ) in Sect 78 : 9 : 6. Leiden : E.J. Brill. p. 607. ISBN 9789004098985. Retrieved 18 September 2015. Jump up ^ Williams, translated by Frank ( 2013 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis ( Second, revised ed. ). Leiden ( u.a. ) : Brill. p. 36. ISBN 9789004228412. Retrieved 18 September 2015. Jump up ^ Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, Book III, ch. 11. Jump up ^ of Salamis, Epiphanius ; Williams, Frank ( 2013 ). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis : De fide. Books II and III Sect 78 : 7, 5. BRILL. p. 620. ISBN 9004228411. Retrieved 10 December 2016. Jump up ^ P. Thomas, Joseph. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA : St. Joseph. Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 7 December 2016. ^ Jump up to : The liturgy and time by Irénée Henri Dalmais, Aimé Georges Martimort, Pierre Jounel 1985 ISBN 0 - 8146 - 1366 - 7 page 143 Jump up ^ Holy people of the world : a cross-cultural encyclopedia, Volume 3 by Phyllis G. Jestice 2004 ISBN 1 - 57607 - 355 - 6 page 446 Jump up ^ Bernard of Clairvaux and the shape of monastic thought by M.B. Pranger 1997 ISBN 90 - 04 - 10055 - 5 page 244 Jump up ^ The childhood of Christ by Thomas Aquinas, Roland Potter, 2006 ISBN 0 - 521 - 02960 - 0 pages 110 -- 120 Jump up ^ Aquinas on doctrine by Thomas Gerard Weinandy, John Yocum 2004 ISBN 0 - 567 - 08411 - 6 page 248 Jump up ^ Medieval mothering by John Carmi Parsons, Bonnie Wheeler 1999 ISBN 0 - 8153 - 3665 - 9 page 107 Jump up ^ Vatican website : Quamquam pluries Jump up ^ `` Sunday - Catholic Magazine ''. sunday.niedziela.pl. Jump up ^ Foundations of the Christian way of life by Jacob Prasad 2001 ISBN 88 - 7653 - 146 - 7 page 404 Jump up ^ Vatican website : Redemptoris Custos Jump up ^ Cradle of redeeming love : the theology of the Christmas mystery by John Saward 2002 ISBN 0 - 89870 - 886 - 9 page 230 Jump up ^ Divine likeness : toward a Trinitarian anthropology of the family by Marc Ouellet ISBN 0 - 8028 - 2833 - 7 page 102 Jump up ^ Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker Retrieved 3 October 2014 Jump up ^ `` Tisch ''. www.clerus.org. Jump up ^ Calendarium Romanum ( Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969 ), p. 89 Jump up ^ 19 March is observed as the Feast of Saint Joseph, Guardian of Jesus, 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. Jump up ^ Foley, O.F.M., Leonard. Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, and Feast, ( revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M. ), Franciscan Media, ISBN 978 - 0 - 86716 - 887 - 7 Jump up ^ Mention Your Request Here : The Church 's Most Powerful Novenas by Michael Dubruiel, 2000 ISBN 0 - 87973 - 341 - 1 page 154 Jump up ^ Devotions to St. Joseph by Susanna Magdalene Flavius, 2008 ISBN 1 - 4357 - 0948 - 9 pages 5 -- 15 Jump up ^ Favorite Prayers to St. Joseph Tan Books, ISBN 978 - 0 - 89555 - 446 - 8 Jump up ^ Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales ISBN 0 - 7661 - 0074 - X Kessinger Press 1942 page 297 Jump up ^ The interior castle by Saint Teresa of Avila, Paulist Press 1979, ISBN 0 - 8091 - 2254 - 5 page 2 Jump up ^ The Story of a Soul by Saint Therese De Lisieux Bibliolife 2008 0554261588 page 94 Jump up ^ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0 - 87973 - 910 - X page 449 Jump up ^ Applebome, Peter ( 2009 - 09 - 16 ). `` St. Joseph, Superagent in Real Estate ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2010 - 06 - 24. Jump up ^ cf. Matthew 12 : 46 -- 50, Mark 3 : 31 -- 35, Luke 8 : 19 -- 21 ; Matthew 13 : 55, Mark 6 : 3 ; cf. section above Jump up ^ Shapiro : 6 -- 7 Jump up ^ Finding St. Joseph by Sandra Miesel gives a useful account of the changing views of Joseph in art and generally in Catholicism Jump up ^ Waldemar Januszczak, `` No ordinary Joe '', The Sunday Times, December 2003 Jump up ^ Wilson, Carolyn C., St. Joseph in Italian Renaissance Society and Art, Saint Joseph 's University Press, 2001, ISBN 9780916101367 Jump up ^ Black, Charlene Villaseñor, Creating the Cult of St. Joseph, Princeton University Press, 2006, ISBN 9780691096315 Sources Ferguson, Everett ; Michael P. McHugh, Frederick W. Norris, `` Joseph '' in Encyclopedia of early Christianity, Volume 1, p. 629 Crossan, John Dominic. Jesus : A Revolutionary Biography. Harpercollins : 1994. ISBN 0 - 06 - 061661 - X. Dickson, John. Jesus : A Short Life, Lion Hudson plc, 2008, ISBN 0 - 8254 - 7802 - 2, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8254 - 7802 - 4, Google Books Fiensy, David A., Jesus the Galilean : soundings in a first century life, Gorgias Press LLC, 2007, ISBN 1 - 59333 - 313 - 7, ISBN 978 - 1 - 59333 - 313 - 3, Google books Geza, Vermes The Authentic Gospel of Jesus ( London, Penguin Books, 2004 ) ISBN 978 - 0141912608 Further reading Guardian of the Redeemer ( Redemptoris Custos ) by Pope John Paul II ( January 1, 1989 ) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph. ( 2010 ). In Encyclopædia Britannica. 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GND : 118558382 ISNI : 0000 0000 9928 2036 LCCN : n79147954 NKC : jx20041022004 VIAF : 147328714 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Joseph&oldid=850413632 '' Categories : Saint Joseph ( husband of Mary ) 1st - century BC births 1st - century deaths Angelic visionaries Christian saints from the New Testament Family of Jesus People from Bethlehem People from Nazareth Roman - era Jews Saints from the Holy Land Jesus Mary ( mother of Jesus ) Carpenters Hidden categories : Articles containing Hebrew - language text Articles containing Greek - language text All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from March 2018 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NKC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikisource ܐܪܡܝܐ Avañe'ẽ Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български བོད ་ ཡིག Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Kiswahili Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം Malti मराठी Nāhuatl Nederlands 日本 語 Napulitano Norsk Norsk nynorsk Patois Polski Português Română Русский Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Vèneto Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 63 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 July 2018, at 18 : 17 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is mary's husband in the bible
Answer: Joseph