Saint Joseph

According to the Christian Gospel accounts Joseph "of the House of David" – in tradition also called Joseph the Betrothed and Saint Joseph – was the husband of Mary (Matthew 1:16) and the legal father of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1:25; Luke 3:23), although the catholic tradition says he had not physically begotten Jesus, but Mary had conceived him through divine means (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35). Not much else is known of Joseph except that he was a skilled craftsman and for many years lived in the town of Nazareth. His death is not recorded; but he was still alive when Jesus was 12 years old. In the Roman Catholic tradition, he is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days – see Saint Joseph's Day. Saint Joseph 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.

Joseph in the Christian Gospels

The main sources about Joseph come from the Gospel accounts 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 (); and after the journey to Bethlehem and sojourn in Egypt, he returned to Nazareth with his young family (), where they lived from thereon (). In the Gospel according to Matthew he is called a "just man" (), which is an Old Testament term denoting someone who is doing God's will (e.g. ). The Greek term chosen (tektōn, cf. ) suggests that Joseph was by trade a skilled craftsman; and in art he is portrayed as a carpenter. Nazareth was only an hour's walk away from king Herod's capital in Galilee, Sepphoris, so that there would have been work opportunities in the area for Joseph, enabling him to provide for his young family, a situation that would have improved considerably after Herod's death, when his son Antipas started rebuilding it as a Roman city. Joseph 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 (). In addition Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Joseph, had he been alive.

Non-Gospel Accounts and Anecdotes

Adherents to the tradition of Jesus being an only child suggest that Jesus' commendation of Mary to the care of John the Evangelist 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 many icons of the Nativity, Joseph is shown being tempted by the Devil (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also 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.

Sainthood

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.

Pious customs

The claim is made that in order to invoke Saint Joseph's intercession for selling a house, one buries a small statue of the saint upside down facing away from the house near the "For Sale" sign. A short heartfelt prayer requesting Joseph's intercession is recited, 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

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. This practice of burying a statue is considered superstitious and is frowned upon by the clergy and knowledgeable laity, but it is actively promoted by religious goods manufacturers and retailers.^* The practice is very common in Italy.

The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day. Another feast day is May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Workman, introduced by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to conteract May Day, a Communist holiday. 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.

External links

Patron Saints Index: Saint Joseph
Catholic Online Saints: St. Joseph
Bernard Orchard, The Betrothal and Marriage of Mary to Joseph, Part 1; Part 2
Bernard Orchard, Summary of The Betrothal and Marriage of Mary to Joseph and chronological chart
Skeptics Annotated Bible: a comparison of verses related to Jesus' father
BeliefNet article on the various views on Joseph's role.
Josephite Fathers in the US
Eastern Orthodox Tradition: The Righteous Elder Joseph The Betrothed, And His Repose

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Joseph in the Christian Gospels

Non-Gospel Accounts and Anecdotes

Sainthood

Pious customs

See also

External links