Franciscan Focus

Just a simple blog of a Secular Franciscan trying to live with a Franciscan focus.
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05 November 2009

Josephology: List of Must-Read Books 

A stack of Josephy goodness! (And these aren't even all of my Josephite books!)

Happily, there are Lots And Tons Of Many Great Josephite Books out there, but before I get to those:

Occasionally, I'll come across an author who says something like, "Poor Joseph, there's really not much written about him! Oh, well!" To that I reply: Come on.

There are loads of excellent books and articles written about Joseph, ranging from devotional to scholarly and all shades in-between, so whenever a writer says that they "couldn't find anything", it suggests that they really didn't do much searching.

So, the list ... While I've cited a few of the titles in my Joseph posts, I figured, why not list them all in one spot for ease of reference? Here are what I own (save the Bibliographie).

I'll update this post as I find more, and please note that I'm only listing books that I think are good.*

Lisa's List of Happy Fun Josephy Books That You Should Read :-)

The Must-Reads

Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus: The Complete Life, Theology and Devotional History of St. Joseph by Fr. Francis L. Filas, SJ
Considered to be the definitive Josephological tome out there, this is essential reading. While it's out of print, you can find a copy through used booksellers (I got mine through AbeBooks.com) or borrow one from your local library.

Joseph the Silent by Michel Gasnier, OP
If you only read one Josephite book, make it this. (Though you really should also read the previous one.) Gasnier presents a vivid and moving portrait of Joseph, and it's all based on extensive research and serious study. He knows his subject and presents it all in a relatively short, yet engrossing, read.

Joseph in the New Testament by Fr. Larry Toschi, OSJ
The amount of info. that Fr. Toschi is able to draw from the NT about Joseph is just mind-bogglingly amazing. Sure, Scripture doesn't say a lot, but what it does say offers tons of food for thought, and Fr. Toschi delivers.

The Good-to-Reads

Here are the rest (alphabetical by title). This isn't a comprehensive list, just my faves.

Bibliographie sur saint Joseph et la sainte Famille by Roland Gauthier, CSC
THE be-all, end-all Josephological bibliography, weighing in at 1,365 pages, with 19,725 entries. As the book's description says, it's "the single most important source of information about publications of all kinds (ecclesiastical, theological, devotional, artistic, etc.) on St. Joseph and the Holy Family." I read this monster thanks to an interlibrary loan request.

Husband, Father, Worker: Questions & Answers About St. Joseph by Fr. Larry Toschi, OSJ; Fr. José Antonio Bertolin, OSJ; Rick Sarkisian, PhD

Just Man, Husband of Mary, Guardian of Christ: An Anthology of Readings from Jeronimo Gracian's Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph (1597) by Joseph F. Chorpenning, OSFS

The Life and Glories of St. Joseph by Edward Healy Thompson, MA

A Manual of Practical Devotion to St. Joseph by Fr. Antony-Joseph Patriganani, SJ

Saint Joseph by Boniface Llamera, OP (out-of-print)

Saint Joseph: Patron of the Triumph by Fr. Richard Foley, SJ

Saint Joseph: Shadow of the Father by Fr. Andrew Doze

Saint Joseph Studies: Papers in English from the Seventh and Eighth International St. Joseph Symposia, Malta 1997 and El Salvador 2001 edited by Fr. Larry Toschi, OSJ

St. Joseph: A Theological Introduction by Michael D. Griffin, OCD

St. Joseph and the Third Millennium: Traditional Themes and Contemporary Issues edited by Michael D. Griffin, OCD

St. Joseph in Early Christianity: Devotion and Theology: A Study and an Anthology of Patristic Texts by Joseph T. Lienhard, SJ

True Devotion to St. Joseph and the Church by Dominic De Domenico, OP

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* Books like Saint Joseph: His Life and His Role in the Church Today by Louise Bourassa Perrotta, in which she talks about "not finding anything on Joseph", do NOT make the cut.

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