Bio

 

  Very little is known about St. Joseph, with some historians doubting his presence at all due to his never being mentioned in the Gospels of Mark or John. Matthew and Luke, however, both include him, and so we can guess that Jesus' adoptive father, whether he was young or old, whether he was named Joseph, and whether he was a carpenter or not, was important in Jesus' early life.

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We do know that this man was likely a descendant of King David, despite his genealogies differing completely in the two Gospels. We know he was engaged to Mary. Some theories say that he was elderly at that time and had other children from his previous marriage, who are referred to as Jesus' brothers and sisters in the Gospels. Catholic tradition holds, however, that he did not and that he and Mary did not have any children after Jesus was born, either. When he had found out about Mary's pregnancy, Joseph had wanted to quietly let her go so that she wouldn't be publicly shamed or tortured. He did not realize she had actually been faithful to him and that the child was from God until an angel told him, and told him not to be afraid of the miraculous, unexplainable circumstance. He listened, and stayed with Mary.

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We also know that Joseph likely did not have much money, since he took a dove offering to the temple after Jesus was born, which was only allowed if the family could not afford to bring a lamb.

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Then, when the angel returned to him in a dream and warned him to flee with his family (due to Herod's jealous decree to murder all newborns after he heard a new king had been born), Joseph obeyed. Though his family became refugees in Egypt, he must have continued to care for them until they could return. He left everyone and everything he had ever known to take them there, risking their lives to escape and bringing probably little to nothing with them.

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Upon returning, the family settled in Nazareth, and we know now historically that the town was very small (perhaps a population of 400 at most) and likely did not provide many opportunities. Joseph made that sacrifice, working either as a local repairman and carpenter or walking to a larger nearby town each day for work, to protect his family's safety. He also took his family to Jerusalem for Passover every year - which would certainly have been another large sacrifice for him.

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The last mention of him in writing is when Jesus, around age 12, disappears from his parents and they search for him for 3 days until they find him in the temple. Because only Mary is mentioned after this and because Joseph does not perform typical duties of a father after Jesus' crucifixion, it is likely that he passed away before Jesus began his public ministry.

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