Josephology: On Joseph and Mary's Marriage, Part II
I started typing up a really long honkin' reply to a comment left on my previous post,
Josephology: On Joseph and Mary's Marriage, but 'cause it got s'darn long, I figured I might as well make another full post outta it. :-P
A frequently-made argument about Joseph and Mary's marital status is by citing Bible passages "proving" they weren't actually married at the time of the Annunciation. However, this is the result of
POOR TRANSLATIONS, not
historical reality.
It is a MISTRANSLATION when you read Mary say, "I'm not married". A more accurate translation is, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" (NAB) or "How shall this be done, because I know not man?" (Douay-Rheims); you also find this in many other translations. Also, the angel commands Joseph to take Mary into his home to complete the final stage of marriage; it is again a MISTRANSLATION when you read versions that tell him to "not be afraid to marry" her.
The fact that Joseph and Mary were married, not betrothed, prior to the Annunciation has absolutely, positively nothing to do with
opinions or religious differences. It is simply a case of the
historical reality of Jewish marriage customs at the time, which is clearly documented by many authors; you can read just a few resources in
my previous post.
But, what the heck, here are some more. :-)
Mistranslations of Luke and Matthew"Current translations of Matthew 1:20 are based on the suspicion hypothesis and separate 'do not fear to take Mary your wife' from what follows by a comma, and by a conjunction such as 'for,' thus interpreting that the clause 'that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit' is new information for Joseph. Such news, however, would hardly be a reason to allay fear in the above biblical sense, but rather a cause for it. Grammatical analysis of the conjunctions
gàr and
dè in Matthew 1:20 shows that they may be interpreted in the sense of 'indeed ... but," rather than "for ... and.' The angel is telling Joseph that he should not hesitate to continue with the marriage, for though Mary is indeed pregnant by the Holy Spirit, he is nevertheless to have an important role in that work: to act as Mary's husband and to name the child. The translation could thus read: 'Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife even though that which is conceived in her is indeed of the Spirit and that is Holy. She will bear a son, whom you will give the name Jesus ...'
...
"Mary conceives as a virgin while betrothed to Joseph, who is of the house of David. 'Betrothed' is again understood to mean that all the formal contractual agreements for the marriage had been finalized, while Mary's statement to the angel indicates that Joseph had not yet made the final step of taking her into his home. Luke 1:34 should be translated 'since I have no marital relations with a man,' which is a common meaning of
ginōskō (know) when applied to a man and a woman, used also in Matthew 1:25. It should
not be translated 'since I have no husband,' as the Revised Standard Version does, since the betrothed could be called husband and wife even before the act of coming together in the same house, as seen in Matthew 1:16,19,20,24."
~ Larry M. Toschi, OSJ;
Joseph in the New TestamentMarriage Customs of Joseph and Mary's Time"Since the question [of Mary and Joseph's espousals] is of interest strictly to Catholics, it seems preferable to quote non-Catholic authorities. None of these can justly be accused of interpreting the gospel account in favor of any Catholic theory regarding Mary's vow of virginity and St. Joseph's fatherhood. We will present here four representative non-Catholic opinions.
"Montefiore, the eminent Jewish scholar, comments on Matthew 1:18 as follows: 'They had not yet lived together in one house as man and wife although they were legally married according to Jewish law.'
"The Jewish Encyclopedia repeats the same thought. 'The root, "to betroth," from which the Talmudic word "betrothal" is derived, must be taken in this sense, i.e., to contract an actual though incomplete sense of the rabbinical law declares that the betrothal is equivalent to an actual marriage, and only to be dissolved by a formal divorce.'
"According to Gorge Foot Moore, 'Betrothal was a formal act by which the woman became legally the man's wife; unfaithfulness on her part was adultery and punishable as such; if the relation was dissolved, a bill of divorce was required. Some time elapsed after the bridegroom claimed the fulfillment of the agreement before the bride was taken to her husband's house and the marriage consummated. The term employed for betrothal,
kiddushin, has religious associations; it is an act by which the woman is, so to speak, consecrated to her husband, set apart for him exclusively.'
"Finally, we turn to Shailer Mathews, who appears to hold no brief for the virginal conception of Christ but who definitely considers Jesus the legitimate son of the marriage because of the betrothal. He writes, 'Betrothal among the Jews in the time of Jesus was in the process of transition. ... The status of the man and woman was ... practically the same as that of married persons, although now it was generally customary for the wedding ceremony proper to be celebrated at the expiration of a year. ... There seems to have been no reason why betrothed persons should not live together as man and wife without a subsequent marriage ceremony. The children of such a union would be legitimate.' He concludes that according to the narrative of Matthew and Luke, the contemporary Jewish customs were followed out by Mary and Joseph.
"... The summaries of many other studies can be adduced to uphold this view that the betrothal of Joseph and Mary linked them in a valid marriage, which was later solemnized by the wedding ceremony. This conclusion is further confirmed by a sort of aprioristic argument proposed by Macabiau and modeled on reasoning of Suarez: The gospels make it clear that Jesus was considered the legitimate son of Mary and Joseph. Therefore, one would be prone to conclude that Jesus had been conceived in Mary at a time when genuine marriage rights were considered by the public to belong to His virginal parents."
~ Francis L. Filas, SJ;
Joseph: The Man Closest to JesusLabels: joseph, josephology, mariology, mary
Josephology: On Joseph and Mary's Marriage
As Christmas approaches and we contemplate the birth of our Savior, I think it's a good time to clear up the confusion over what led up to His birth -- namely, that Mary wasn't married at the time of the Annunciation.
Contrary to popular misunderstanding, Mary
was not an "unwed mother" at the moment of the Incarnation, nor was she merely "engaged" to Joseph -- she was truly and legally married to him; a wife. Jesus was conceived, as is proper,
within the bond of Holy Matrimony, not outside it. Following are some resources that address the nature and validity of Joseph and Mary's marriage.
Joseph and Mary's Marriage and the Incarnation"In Hebrew Law the betrothal was not a simple promise of marriage in the future, but, with binding force, was equivalent to it. In Deuteronomy, as in the Gospel, the betrothed was called 'wife' because she was indeed that. Accused of infidelity, she would be obliged to suffer the punishment for adultery, and she would be stoned to death. Did her betrothed die, she would be looked upon as a widow. Nor could she be rejected except through the same process of divorce as the Law required for a married woman.
"Cohabitation, however, was generally postponed for some months, perhaps a year. The rabbis held the bride should be given the time to prepare her trousseau, the groom, to fulfill the promises of the [marriage] contract and prepare the home.
"Actually, the betrothed could have marital relations and if the bride conceived a child by her groom, no fault would be found.
Because of these facts, the endless controversies carried on later about Mary's conception of the Incarnate Word, some affirming that she was truly married, others denying it, are absolutely pointless -- a mere war of words." [emphasis added]
~ Michel Gasnier, OP;
Joseph the Silent* * *
"In the Book of Luke we read that the Angel Gabriel appeared to a virgin named Mary, betrothed to a man named Joseph. From the point of view of our own time and culture, this seems to tell us that, at the time the angel announced the conception of the Son of God, Mary and Joseph were merely engaged.
"Was this really so? ... According to Jewish custom, the betrothal was not merely an engagement but had the force of marriage, including the marital rights.
"... Lest there be any doubt about this understanding of 'betrothal,' the Church herself has given us an explanation of the 'betrothal' of Joseph and Mary. 'According to Jewish custom, marriage took place in two stages: first, the legal, or true marriage was celebrated, and then, only after a certain period of time, the husband brought his wife into his own house. Thus, before he lived with Mary, Joseph was already her 'husband.' " (Op. cit.,
Redemptoris Custos, n. 18)
"Thus the betrothal of Joseph and Mary refers to an actual marriage. Yet there was a period of possibly [up to] one year following the betrothal in which the couple did not live together. ... The Jews did not consider it unlawful or even necessarily unusual for a woman to conceive a child during the one-year period. This explains why no one thought it was unusual or at least unlawful for Mary to be with child during this time. Otherwise, it would have been a great scandal in the little town of Nazareth, and it could have made her subject to the law and its punishment."
~ Dominic De Domenico, OP;
True Devotion to St. Joseph and the Church* * *
"Nor let the word 'espoused' be understood, as by some it has been understood, as if Mary were at the time only promised in marriage, that is, betrothed. No. The nuptials had already been celebrated, according to the true sense of Scripture, a point which has been clearly established by the Holy Fathers and Doctors, and, in particular, by the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas. Thus we find St. Matthew calling Joseph the husband of Mary, and Mary the wife of Joseph."
~ Edward Healy Thompson, MA;
The Life and Glories of St. JosephThe Validity of Joseph and Mary's Marriage"The Scripture testifies clearly that Joseph was the husband of Mary and that Mary was his wife. One could not be a husband or a wife if one did not marry. The Scripture would not call him husband if it meant that he was not Mary's husband. (Cf.
Mt. 1:18-20)
"Still, one should not wish to rely here on a private interpretation of the Scripture unless it is consistent with Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. The Fathers of the Church, including St. Augustine, have unanimously upheld the genuineness of this marriage. It is also the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the universal Doctor of the Church. Besides, the teaching has been upheld by papal encyclicals in more recent times.
"According to the view of St. Augustine, there are three goods of marriage: offspring, fidelity, and sacrament. All three of these, he says, have fulfillment in the marriage of Joseph and Mary. ... Offspring is more perfectly fulfilled in the marriage of Joseph and Mary because the offspring is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who infinitely surpasses all created persons.
"There is fidelity because there is no adultery. ... As the offspring of the marriage, Jesus is also the final end or cause of this marriage. In this sense, the marriage is a sacrament of the New Testament. Following the appearance of an angel in a dream to Joseph, we see that their previously valid marriage becomes a marriage of two people who believe in Christ, a new reality."
~ Dominic De Domenico, OP;
True Devotion to St. Joseph and the Church* * *
"It is clear from more than one passage in the Holy Gospel that Mary was truly Joseph's wife, and Joseph truly Mary's husband, for she is expressly called the wife of Joseph, as Joseph is called the husband of Mary. If Joseph be sometimes styled by the Fathers simply the guardian, not the husband, of Mary, this way of speaking was not intended to exclude the reality of the matrimonial bond which united them, but only to rebut any possible surmise which might arise against their virginal purity."
~ Edward Healy Thompson, MA;
The Life and Glories of St. JosephLabels: joseph, josephology, mariology, mary
Josephology: On Joseph's Pre-Eminence, Part II
"The other Saints supplicate Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph commands them; this bold idea of Origen has been adopted by several Doctors. St. Joseph speaks as a father; but a father does not petition his son, he commands him. The other Saints throw down their crowns at the feet of the Lamb, and pray as supplicants; St. Joseph supplicates as one commanding, or rather, the humility of this holy man is too great to permit him to command the Lord Jesus; but the goodness of Our Lord is so condescending, that He accepts the prayers of Joseph as paternal commands, and grants all he requests. Happy Patriarch! who alone of all men has relations so special, union so intimate with the Saviour of the world, and His most holy Mother! The Son of Mary owes obedience to you; your spouse owes you honour, you have the right to command them both; can you then fear to pray to them for your clients?
"When two just men consent upon earth concerning anything whatever that they demand in the name of Jesus Christ, it shall be granted to them by His Father in heaven. (Mt 18:19) Here, indeed, is this promise of the Savior verified. When Mary and Joseph plead together before the throne of their Divine Son, in favour of one of their servants, is there any grace which they cannot obtain? Great God! give to me those two all-powerful advocates; grant that they may always plead my cause before Thine adorable Majesty, and that I may ever render to them acceptable service. Where is there to be found an object more beloved by thee and more worthy of our love than those two noble hearts?"
~ Père Binet,
The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph* * *
"In heaven the throne of the Virgin Mary is placed above those of the apostles and of the Seraphim, and no other creature deserves to be seated upon it. In heaven, being great is being humble, and on earth, being humble is being great; greatness is not diminished by humility. What saint lodged Mary and Jesus in his home and served as a throne for God, and, not only that, but Mary and Jesus served and respected him? When in heaven Mary passes by the seats of the Seraphim, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, or the most glorious saints, they rise from their seats, reverence, and prostrate themselves at Mary's feet, calling her their lady, queen, and empress. And when she arrives at the seat and throne where St. Joseph is, being as humble in heaven as she was on earth, she does not fail to give signs of her humility, acknowledging that she had served and obeyed him while she was in the world. She whom all others call queen and empress, Joseph can call spouse and wife. And when the whole heavenly court sees that its Queen pays special honor to St. Joseph, they do not hesitate to pay him him reverence."
~ from
Just Man, Husband of Mary, Guardian of Christ: An Anthology of Readings from Jerónimo Gracián's Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph (1597), translated and edited by Joseph F. Chorpenning, OSFS
Labels: joseph, josephology
Josephology: On Joseph's Pre-Eminence
"In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men."
~ Pope Leo XIII, "On Devotion to St. Joseph" (
Quamquam Pluries), 1889
* * *
"It might appear more difficult to place him above John the Baptist because of Christ's words, 'Amen I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist.' The difficulty is easily met. When speaking thus, Jesus was comparing John to the prophets of the Old Testament, who announced his future coming, while the Baptist's announcement declared him already come and pointed him out to the people. We might say, too, that those words of Jesus were intended to compare John, the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, with that new grandeur which confers on the elect the call to the Kingdom of heaven, that kingdom of which the Church on earth is the foundation, and for that reason ... 'Howsoever great the grandeur of John the Baptist who closes the Old Testament, it sinks into insignificance before that of the lowliest Christian.' "
~ Michel Gasnier, OP;
Joseph the Silent* * *
"The whole theology of St. Joseph is included in these two fundamental titles: husband of Mary and virginal father of Jesus. These two titles place St. Joseph on an immeasurable height, a thousand times above all the angels and saints. After God, there is nothing so great and sublime as His most holy Mother. After Mary, nothing can be imagined more sublime than her virginal husband and nutritive father of Jesus.
"Theologians have taken many centuries to notice the huge figure of St. Joseph. ... It is impossible to express in human words the incomprehensible dignity of St. Joseph as nutritive father of Jesus, which places him a thousand times above the angels and saints and makes him reach very close to the
hypostatic order, if it be that he really does not belong to it as an
integral part, even though mediated and accidentally, as serious theologians claim."
~ Fr. A. Royo Marín, OP;
La Virgen María. Teológia y espiritualidad marianas* * *
"A literalist interpretation of Jesus' words that, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist (Mt 11:11, Lk 7:28) has led to giving him general precedence over all other saints except Mary, without regard for the second clause in Jesus' statement that even the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than John."
~ Larry M. Toschi, OSJ; "Liturgical Feasts of St. Joseph",
St. Joseph Studies* * *
"Between the ministry of the Apostles and that of Joseph there exists this difference: the former is immediately for men, to conduct them to Christ; that of Joseph is immediately directed to Christ Himself, in order to preserve Him for men, and is therefore so much the more noble and sublime. 'The ministry of Joseph,' says Giovanni di Cartagena, 'both as spouse of the Blessed Virgin and as [earthly] father of Jesus, was closely conjoined with the very Person of Jesus Christ, in such wise [sic] that its dignity appears, more than any other whatsoever, to approach the most sublime dignity of the Mother of God.'
"... Some, however, would allege as an objection the declaration of Christ, who said, 'There hath not arisen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist'; whence they infer that Joseph might, indeed, be equal to the Baptist, but could not surpass him. ... [T]his praise of John detracts nothing from the pre-eminent glories of Joseph, since Jesus, in asserting that none had arisen greater than John the Baptist, was not speaking absolutely, but comparatively. He was speaking of him as compared to the saints and prophets of the Old Testament, and, moreover, was excluding from His general assertion those who ought to be excluded, and excepting those who ought to be excepted, as is the case in all general assertions. Thus from this declaration Jesus naturally excluded Himself and excluded Mary; and so also He excluded Joseph, as belonging to an order much superior to that of the Baptist. Hence Maldonatus, a very learned commentator, speaking of this declaration of Christ, wrote, 'I answer briefly and easily that here the Baptist, as St. Jerome affirms, is compared by Jesus, not to all the saints, but only to those of the Old Testament'. Now, Joseph certainly belongs to the New Testament, and is the first after Mary. Therefore he is excluded. Moreover, St. Jerome, commenting on the words of Christ, observes that Jesus did not in this declaration prefer John to all the prophets and patriarchs, but only made him equal to them.
"... Nothing in what has been said can be viewed as any derogation of the high titles and sublime sanctity of John the Baptist, who attained even to meriting the praises of a God; the sole object being to remove all doubt of the pre-eminence of Joseph, and to prove that in his greatness and glory he must be reckoned, after Jesus and Mary, as excelling all the saints and angels."
~ Edward Healy Thompson, MA;
The Life and Glories of St. JosephLabels: joseph, josephology
Did Mary suffer from PMS?
That's something I wonder about whenever I'm slogging through a Really Bad Case Of PMS. Like today. Some months are better than others, of course, but in the Way Bad Ones, I find myself pondering ...
- Did Mary, the Immaculate Conception, ever get tired and bloated? Of course, the bloated thing, if she suffered it, was prolly a lot less annoying for her -- no jeans to squish into.
- Did she ever complain to Joseph about not being able to wear any of her clothes because she looked like a fat cow in all of them?
- How about the crankiness? Did the simple sound of Joseph's breathing make her wanna sock 'im in the gut? And did she ever get a surge of homicidal rage triggered merely by him walking into the room?
- When Joseph asked her to bring him something, did she instead chuck the item in question at his head from across the room?
Ah, well, the answers to these questions shall undoubtedly remain a mystery for the ages. Now, 'scuse me while I go holler at Husband Mike for Typing Too Loudly On The &%*$^ Keyboard.
Labels: joseph, mary
CFotD: Icon of Joseph's family
Cool Find of the Day: It's not uncommon to see
icons depicting Mary with her parents (traditionally named Joachim and Anne), and there are plenty of beautiful ones out there. But I've never seen one of Joseph with
his parents ... until now.
I was absolutely floored and immensely delighted when I found this icon, "
Family of Saint Joseph".
Beautiful!
I've never ordered anything from outside the US, but I'm seriously considering getting it, along with one of
Mary's family and the
Holy Family itself. I rather like the idea of having the families of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus (the Holy Family), and I also like that it'd result in having three groups of three -- very Trinitarian!
I also adore these two depictions of Joseph
here and
here. And there are also some nice ones of
Saints Francis and Clare ... :-)
Labels: cfotd, joseph, mary, shopping
CFotD: Painting of Mary's Coronation
Cool Find of the Day: I did backflips when I unexpectedly stumbled 'pon
this wonderful painting of Mary's Coronation, as it has Joseph watching! That's always how I picture this particular mystery of the Rosary, and it's one of my faves. Imagine how thrilled Joseph was to watch Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth. His heart must've felt like bursting!
My other favorite mystery is the one just prior to the Coronation, Mary's Assumption. I see that as a big ole family reunion, not just with her and Jesus, but her, Jesus, and Joseph. The Holy Family reunited! Can you imagine the joy those Holy Spouses must've felt to be together again?
Anyhoodle, jes' had to share. :-)
Labels: cfotd, joseph, mary, prayer, rosary
Happy Feast of Joseph the Worker!
OK, OK, it's a day late, but I was sick yesterday and away from the 'puter all day. So, happy Feast of Joseph the Worker! :-P
I love how the month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, kicks off with a feast day for her Holy Husband! :-) Since this feast focuses on Joseph and his labors to support the Holy Family, here's a spiffy work-related prayer, by Pope St. Pius X, to him:
Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who
devote their lives to labor,
Obtain for me the grace to work
in the spirit of penance
in order thereby to atone
for my many sins.
To work conscientiously,
setting devotion to duty
in preference to my own whims.
To work with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honor to employ and
to develop by my labor
the gifts I have received from God.
To work with order, peace,
moderation, and patience,
without ever shrinking from
weariness and difficulties.
To work above all with a pure intention
and with detachment from self,
having always before my eyes
the hour of death and the accounting
which I must then render
of time ill spent, of talents wasted,
of good omitted, and
of vain complacency in success,
which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus, all through Mary,
all in imitation of you,
O Patriarch Joseph!
This shall be my motto in life
and in death. AMEN.
Labels: joseph, josephite, prayer
Now THAT'S a crown!
Check out
the headgear Joseph is sportin'. Finally, something fitting for the Virginal Father of Our Lord! :-D
Labels: joseph, josephite
Cute: "Heavenly Lips" balm
ROTFLOL! Gotta get me one o' these suckers:
Heavenly Lips, "The Lip Balm of the Saints"I especially like
this design. It's Joe On The Go! :-p
Labels: cute, joseph, saints, shopping
Happy Feast of Joseph, Husband of Mary!
In honor of this splendid day, I've shared some great quotes below on why devotion to the Holy Husband of our Blessed Mother is so important, and the benefits gained from such a devotion.
If you'd like more Josephy goodness,
here are all my Joseph posts.
"Devotion to St. Joseph is inseparable from devotion to Mary: 'What God has joined together no one should separate' (Mt. 19:6) is what Christ himself said, alluding to the indissolubility of the marriage bond. And it is expressly on record in the Gospel that Joseph was 'the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, called Christ' (Mt. 1:16). It is impossible to have a deep and authentic devotion to Mary without also feeling a very special veneration for her virgin husband St. Joseph."
~ Fr. A. Royo Marín, OP;
La Virgen María. Teología y espiritualidad marianas* * *
"The evolution of devotion to St. Joseph is in reality another facet of devotion to Mary. Probing more deeply into Joseph's mission leads us to know more deeply the greatness of Mary. St. Joseph's position in relation to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, stems from his position with regard to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer. The parallel holds true also for Mary and Jesus. The better we know Mary, the better we will know her Son, from whom she derives all her dignity and whom she reflects so faithfully. Pope Benedict XV clearly expressed this idea: 'By St. Joseph we are led directly to Mary, and by Mary to the fountain of all holiness, Jesus Christ, who sanctified the domestic virtues by his obedience to St. Joseph and Mary.' "
~ by Br. John M. Samaha, SM; "
Like Wife, Like Husband"
* * *
"St. Joseph is necessarily a part of true devotion to Mary. She will not be honored as she should be until Joseph is honored. Consequently, neither will her Son be sufficiently worshipped and loved. ... By offering all to St. Joseph, it may not seem that we are offering any more service to God than when we simply offered all to Jesus through Mary. A thing cannot be more total than total but it can be more. For example, two glasses may be full but one is larger than the other. This devotion to St. Joseph makes the glass larger, in a sense. He does this because he makes what we offer to Jesus and Mary worth more by enhancing it with his merits.
"... Just as perfect devotion to Mary leads us securely to Jesus, so also this devotion to St. Joseph leads us securely to Mary and the practice of perfect devotion to her. He cannot hinder her in the least. Everything about him points to Mary and through her to the Child. In looking at him, we will always find ourselves at once before the feet of the Child and His Mother. At once the devil will flee, for as the Litany says, Joseph is the terror of demons. Also, with St. Joseph, there is an even greater safety from heresy. For a true knowledge of him causes us to have a great reverence for the Magisterium of the Church and the Holy Father, the successor of Peter."
~ Dominic De Domenico, OP;
True Devotion to St. Joseph and the Church: The Doctrinal Basis and Practice of Total Consecration Through St. Joseph and the Church* * *
"In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together.
"Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men."
~ Pope Leo XIII,
Quamquam Pluries ("On Devotion to St. Joseph"), 1889
Labels: joseph, josephite, josephology
Happy Feast of the Espousals of Joseph & Mary!
While not on the Church's universal calendar, the Feast of the Espousals -- customarily celebrated on 23 January -- has been observed as a particular feast in various forms since 1416, and it's a splendid way to honor the sanctity of marriage, so perfectly embodied in Mary and Joseph's union. Given the continued attacks on marriage and family all around us, meditating on the very real marriage of these Holy Spouses is especially valuable.
Studying the history of this feast -- and so many devotions and movements associated with Joseph -- tickles me to no end, since yet again, Franciscans play a role in its development! (Everywhere you look, Franciscans!) You can read
a detailed history here; I've quoted some bits below:
"During the twentieth century the Feast of the Espousals on January 23 continued to be found in more particular calendars: St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, 1913; Marello's Oblates of St. Joseph, 1921; the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada, 1940; and Murialdo's Congregation of St. Joseph, 1946. ... In Vienna, Austria, the Piarist Church of the Espousals, which includes a Corradini sculpture of Mary and Joseph being blessed by the high priest, was named a minor basilica in 1949.
"In 1961 the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued an instruction that removed from particular calendars numerous particular feasts, including the Feast of the Espousals of Mary and St. Joseph, except in places where the feasts have a special connection with the place itself. In the post Vatican II period of liturgical renewal, the feast is again being permitted for particular liturgical calendars. In 1989, for example, the Oblates of St. Joseph obtained permission to celebrate on January 23 "The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph" with the liturgical rank of "Feast," and full proper texts, including a preface:
" 'You give the Church the joy of celebrating the feast of the Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph: in her, full of grace and worthy Mother of your Son, you signify the beginning of the Church, resplendently beautiful bride of Christ; you chose him, the wise and faithful servant, as Husband of the Virgin Mother of God, and made him head of your family, to guard as a father your only Son, conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, our Lord.' "
~ from "Liturgical Feasts of St. Joseph in the 19th and 20th Centuries", by Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ in Saint Joseph Studies (Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ; Editor)
Labels: joseph, josephite, liturgy, marian, mary
Josephology: Father of all Joseph books!
Sweet! My library just notified me that they've got my interlibrary loan request in -- I'm so totally psyched!
It's for
Bibliographie sur saint Joseph et la sainte Famille,
THE be-all, end-all Josephological resource out there. Just check out this description:
"This monumental (1365 pages, with 19,725 entries) and multilingual (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.) bibliography is the single most important source of information about publications of all kinds (ecclesiastical, theological, devotional, artistic, etc.) on St. Joseph and the Holy Family. ... Use of Bibliographie sur Saint Joseph et la saint Famille is facilitated by thorough thematic and chronological indices. There is an additional chronological index of contributions by eighty-eight religious orders." Read full description.
:::swoons:::I'd seen this book mentioned in Fr. Filas' bibliography for
Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus: The Complete Life, Theology and Devotional History of St. Joseph and am thrilled I can read it for myself. God bless the public library system!
Labels: books, joseph, josephology
Josephology: Spiffy video talk on Joseph
Oooh, I just came across
this nice video presentation (short!) on the importance of Joseph in our spiritual lives. God bless them Dominicans!
(And even though I'm a Franciscan, I gotta admit it:
Dominican friars are the handsomest dudes around. :-P But,
Poor Clares are still the beautiful-est women.)
Labels: domincan, joseph, josephology, poor clares
Joseph-i-licious book fun
Husband Mike and I rarely buy books, 'cause we prefer to just check 'em out from the library. It's cheaper, saves space, and gives us an excuse to hang out at our spiffy library. And on those occasions when we actually do pony up for a book, we've usually read the sucker first to make sure it's Something We Really Want To Own.
However, when it comes to Josephological books, well, I'm a bit more willing to flat-out buy 'em sight unseen, and the Oblates of St. Joseph's
Guardian of the Redeemer Bookstore is The place to go. Since it's been months since my last Joseph fix, I've been gettin' twitchy, so I just placed an order for 3 promising-looking titles:
Family of St. Joseph Prayer Manualby the Oblates of St. Joseph
Joseph in the New Testamentby Fr. Larry Toschi, OSJ
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
Of these, I'm most drooling over the last one (
Just Man ...). The
book reviews/descriptions I've read have got me excited -- for example, "Joseph Chorpenning not only gives us a brilliant translation of Gracin's book, but his own commentaries, following each of the chapters, make use of all the major books on St. Joseph from the 16th century to the present."
:::swoon::: And it's got nifty illustrations!
So, everything shipped out yesterday, and I'm on pins 'n' needles awaitin' their arrival. Mebbe I'll post a few reviews once I get my mitts on 'em and have time to digest it all. :-)
Labels: books, joseph, josephite, josephology
Josephology: On Joseph's Virginity
All-righty, I've shared resources on Joseph's age (
here 'n'
here), and I said I'd get around to stuff that addressed his virginity. So, here ya go -- enjoy! :-)
"If Holy Scripture nowhere expressly speaks of the chastity of Joseph previous to his espousals with Mary, we might well conclude it from the very fact of those espousals. We judge of the nature of a tree from the fruit which it produces; to know, then, that Joseph was the spouse of a virgin and of a Virgin-Mother such as Mary, was quite sufficient to persuade the great body of the Fathers to hold with security that Joseph was a virgin by his own election before he was chosen to be the husband of Mary.
"A few, it is true, too easily crediting the baseless statements of some of the Apocryphal books, which asserted that those who in the Gospel are called the brethren and sisters of Jesus were children of St. Joseph by a previous marriage, were led to withhold from him the gift and glory of perpetual virginity.
"But the great majority, and those of the highest authority, freely recognized this grace among those which enriched and adorned the spouse of the Blessed Virgin. As early, indeed, as the third century St. Athanasius spoke these short but weighty words of Joseph and Mary: that 'both remained intact, as was proved by many testimonies' (
De Incarnatione); and after him St. Jerome, defending the perpetual virginity of Mary against the heretic Helvidius, maintained that, not only Mary, but her spouse Joseph was ever a virgin, so that of this virginal marriage a virginal Son should be born.
"Hence St. Peter Damian asserts in a letter to Pope Nicolas, and also in his work on the celibacy of the clergy, that such was the faith of the Church on this point; for that the Son of God, not content with having a virgin for His mother, willed that he who represented His Father should also be a virgin (
De Coelib. Sacerd. cap. iii.); where we shall do well to observe that this great doctor does not hesitate to qualify this belief as the 'faith of the Church'.
"... [W]e find St. Francis de Sales, a most devout client of St. Joseph, strenuously maintaining his virginity and his vow [of perpetual virginity]. 'How exalted in this virtue of virginity must he have been, who was destined by the Eternal Father to be the guardian or, rather, the companion in virginity of Mary herself!'
"... Now, as the August Trinity in Heaven is the first and the altogether virgin, so also must the second Trinity on earth be altogether virgin. If Jesus is a virgin and Mary is a virgin, how should not Joseph, who completes this most virginal Trinity, be a virgin also? Jesus is the Head of virgins, Mary is the mother of virgins, Joseph is the guardian and patron of virgins."
~ Edward Healy Thompson, MA;
The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, 1888
* * *
"The opinion that Joseph had had a previous marriage -- says
Le Dictionnaire de theologie -- was based entirely on the apocryphal
Protevangel of James. In the first centuries of the Church there were a few Fathers of the Church in sympathy with this theory. Today it has been completely abandoned. The assumption that Joseph had children of this marriage, 'the brothers of the Lord', runs up against too many difficulties to make its acceptance possible."
~ Michael Gasnier, OP;
Joseph the Silent, 1960
* * *
"... [The 'brothers of the Lord'] is virtually a nonissue for anyone who has a glancing familiarity with Hebrew customs. The Hebrew word for 'brother' is a more inclusive term, applying to cousins as well. In fact, in ancient Hebrew there is no word for cousin. To a Jew of Jesus' time, one's cousin was one's brother. This familial principle applied in other Semitic languages as well, such as Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Furthermore, precisely
because Jesus was an only child, His cousins would even assume the legal status of siblings for Him, as they were His nearest relatives."
~ Scott Hahn,
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God In the Word of God, 2001
* * *
"[T]oday, this opinion [of Joseph's perpetual virginity] has gained 'all but the universal agreement of theologians.' They present many a reason for accepting this belief: in particular, the virginal marriage of Mary and Joseph, the near impossibility of the hypothesis that the 'brethren of the Lord' are sons of Joseph, and especially the dignity and holiness of Saint Joseph which flow from his mission as spouse of the Blessed Virgin and foster father of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
~ Fr. Florent Raymond Bilodeau,
The Virginity of Saint Joseph in the Latin Fathers and Medieval Ecclesiastical Writers, 1957
Labels: joseph, josephology
Josephology: On Joseph's Age at His Betrothal to Mary, Part II
In
this earlier post, I'd shared some resources pertaining to Joseph's age at the time of his betrothal to Mary, and here are more resources dealin' with this issue:
"[T]he idea that St. Joseph would be an old man of eighty years or more stands in direct contradiction with the requirements of his vocation. Joseph was to appear publicly as the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus, at least in order to safeguard the honor of mother and son.
Yet how could a man of patriarchal years be considered capable of fatherhood? A decrepit, senile guardian of Mary would open the door to public suspicion of adultery and illegitimacy.
"Again, laborious tasks and trying situations of all sorts beset the Holy Family. How could such an old man perform duties that called for a robust provider and protector? The general tenor of the gospel accounts points to the conclusion that Joseph was of an age customary for marriage; and that age was certainly not advanced to the evening of life.
"... In short, there is no fact from history and no logic arising from considerations of propriety that forces us to assume Joseph's advanced age. ... We have no way of determining his age more exactly except to study the customs of his time and determine if possible what the normal marriageable age must have been.
"Information suggested by the Dead Sea scrolls indicates such an average age when the male was considered marriageable. The Essene community wished its members to delay marriage (if they were to marry at all) until well after the customary time, and the twenties were considered beyond that time. We can conclude, then, that the normal age for the male to enter marriage would have been in his middle teens. In such a hypothesis, Joseph would have been about 16 at the time of his espousal to our Lady.
"... On the surface, it is true, the widespread and long-standing tradition of the body of the faithful was in error concerning St. Joseph's age, but fundamentally it did not err. ... The tradition of Joseph's age was manifestly concerned not so much with explicitly fixing the duration of his life. Its real purpose was to elevate the virginal dignity of the Mother of God beyond all doubt."
~Fr. Francis L. Filas, SJ;
Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus: The Complete Life, Theology and Devotional History of St. Joseph; 1962.
* * *
"While the apocrypha surround this detail with much fantasy, Holy Scripture says nothing at all about [Joseph's age when he was espoused to Mary]. ... The apocrypha paint a very picturesque story but it is not worthy of our consideration, even though it has exerted its influence in Christian art. It is more correct and in accord with the Gospel that Joseph was not a man of eighty when he married the Blessed Virgin, but rather a young man. The Gospel says nothing explicitly, but its simple narration inclines us to this interpretation and there is certainly no statement in Scripture which opposes it. On the contrary, the exegetes observe:
"1) In this marriage, it was fitting and in accord with the custom of the times that there should be no great difference in the ages of the couple.
"2) The ministry divinely committed to him, namely, to conceal the mystery of the Son of God, would require that St. Joseph be a young man. He was selected as Mary's spouse to defend her honor; therefore, Jesus, Mary's son, was thought to be Joseph's son also. He would have to be physiologically capable of fatherhood, otherwise Mary's dignity would not have remained unchallenged.
"3) God willed this union for the consolation, defense and assistance of Mary with her Divine Child. In order to bear the burdens of domestic life, Joseph would have to be a man able to do physical work.
"4) Finally, while the venerable old man of painters and sculptors was meant to inspire devotion and avoid wrong insinuations, it was not necessary to put forth senility as the only safeguard of the purity of this holy pair. Would not virtue and the power of the Holy Spirt more than supply any defect, if in truth any existed?"
~ Boniface Llamera, OP;
Saint Joseph, 1962
Labels: joseph, josephology, mary
Joseph-tastical humor
Ah, the pictures alone made me hoot out loud -- check out
The Curt Jester's take on the (misguided) "practice" of homeowners burying statues of Joseph in the hopes of selling their homes.
Praying to Joseph for his intercession in selling your house is perfectly OK, as is purchasing a statue and using that as an aid to prayer. But burying his statue -- upside-down, even! -- is just plain
stupid and smacks of superstition.
Labels: humor, joseph, josephology
Josephology: On Joseph's Age at His Betrothal to Mary
Previously,
I'd talked 'bout my love of Joseph, Holy Husband of Mary and Virginal Father of Jesus, and said I'd be sharin' more info. about him. So, awaaay we go!
In trying to better understand the life and person of Joseph it's necessary to address the misunderstandings that're still floatin' around about him -- namely, 1) he was old, and 2) he was previously married and had kids. Happily, we have access to tons of serious Josephological resources (books, articles, videos, etc.) to help us out.
Let's kick things off by dealin' with Joseph's age: He wasn't an old, decrepit man. Studies show that he was most likely only a few years older than Mary. In addition, his youth and perpetual virginity -- though not declared dogmatically -- are echoed and affirmed throughout Church teaching and by a multitude of scholars, saints, and theologians. (We'll look at his perpetual virginity in later posts.)
So, here are some splendid resources that address the question of Joseph's age; more to come later:
"Providence chose to keep [Joseph] in a most complete obscurity during the first centuries of Christianity. Better yet: it, as it were, blurred traces of him. In our modern jargon, we would say that the operation was one of 'misinformation'. To misinform is to spread false rumors the better to lead people astray. Thus, James' Protoevangelium ... invents details about Mary and Joseph. Joseph is presented as an old man who has already been married and has had children with a former wife.
"... Such is the origin of the imagery which presents this young Jew in the guise of a pensive old man, retreated in the corner of pictures, fulfilling a function which is obviously beyond him, his role being reduced to enhancing the presence of his radiant wife."
~ Fr. Andrew Doze,
Saint Joseph: Shadow of the Father, 1992
* * *
"Were any faith to be put in certain apocryphal writings (especially
The Epistle attributed to St Jerome and
The Gospel of the Infancy), we might think that Joseph was an old man when he married Mary. St Epiphanius was probably influenced by this idea when he unhesitatingly stated that Joseph had passed his eightieth year. Writers who accepted this theory were evidently trying to prove our Lady's perpetual virginity. Rather a detestable argument, since it attributed Joseph's continence to senility.
"On the contrary, in those days as well as in our own, such an ill-assorted marriage would have been roundly condemned and looked upon almost as a profanation. Ordinary common sense demands that Joseph be in the flower of his age so that, on one side, the fatherhood of the child Jesus might be attributed to him, and that, on the other, he would be able to fulfill the duties of protector and foster father which God was to confide in him.
"Custom in Israel required that young men be married at eighteen or shortly after. Nothing obliges us to think that Joseph was older than others. Some documentary iconographs picture him as a beardless young man. (In the catacombs of St Hippolytus in Rome he is thus pictured on a gravestone of the third century as also on the sarcophagus of St Celsus in Milan, which belongs to the fourth century.) When later artists make him appear an old man, it is probably less in order to accent his age than to underline the perfection of his virtues, especially his prudence and maturity of character."
~ Michel Gasnier, OP;
Joseph the Silent, 1960
* * *
"We must ... give a few words of consideration to the disputed question as to the age of Joseph at the time of his espousals with Mary. Three opinions have been held; one of which would make our saint far advanced in years. This opinion was accepted by some of the Fathers and ancient ecclesiastical writers, chiefly Greek; and in support of it has been urged the custom prevailing among painters of representing St. Joseph as an aged man, sometimes as almost decrepit. This view has, however, been strongly opposed, not only because it had no other ground to rest upon than the statements of Pseudo-Gospels which were current in the third and fourth centuries, and were coupled with the assertion that Joseph was a widower with many children, an assertion forcibly condemned by St. Jerome and a host of other Fathers and theological writers down to the present times, but also as in itself presenting insuperable difficulties.
"As we have already observed, these apocryphal writings, while probably recording some true traditionary facts, are entirely devoid of authority, and contain, moreover, much that we naturally reject as both improbable and unbefitting.
"In the absence, then, of any authentic document on the point, it is reasonable to have recourse to arguments drawn from suitability and decorum. Now, when the tender age of Mary at the time of her espousals is considered, and the providential object of that marriage, which was to shield her reputation and to hide for a time the mystery of the Incarnation; to provide her also with a fitting companion and protector, who was to be an aid and a support to her, especially during their flight into Egypt and in all the labours and sufferings which their exile must have entailed; it would seem surprising, not to say incredible, in the absence of any solid proof, to suppose that it pleased God to select for her husband a man weighed down by the burden of years.
"Again, as regards the evidence to be drawn of Joseph's great age from pictorial representations, we may say that it has become quite valueless ever since patient research has brought to light monuments of much earlier date in the sculptures and paintings of the very first centuries. St. Joseph, the Cavaliere de Rossi tells us, is portrayed in the most ancient marbles and ivories as very young and almost always beardless. Later on, he was given a thick beard and a more mature and even aged appearance. Of the youthful representations he mentions many examples .... However, it was in about the fifth century that the habit of depicting the saint of, at least, a mature age seems to have commenced. Clearly, then, as De Rossi observes, the most ancient monuments, those of the third and fourth centuries, are so far from following the apocryphal legend that, on the contrary, they picture to us the spouse of the Virgin in the flower of his youth."
~ Edward Healy Thompson, MA;
The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, 1888
Labels: joseph, josephology
CFotD: Two nifty Joseph-related groups
Cool Find of the Day #1:Pious Union of St. Joseph
"All members ardently honor St. Joseph on March 19th and every Wednesday. Daily, we pray our prayer, suffering, sacrifice and good deeds for suffering and dying people."
Membership is free, and they publish a bimonthly pastoral magazine,
Now and at the Hour, which fosters devotion to St. Joseph. My only complaint about their site (not the group itself) is that on most every page is an "under construction" message.
Cool Find of the Day #2:St. Joseph's Workers for Life and Family
"Promotes and defends the sanctity of life and family in accordance with the Faith and teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church through prayer and education."
Wowzers! Ooodles and oodles of pro-life resources everywhere you look! This Canadian-based organization also has a lot of great stuff on the theology of the body.
Most impressive.
Labels: cfotd, joseph, josephite
Why I love Joseph
I've had a fondness for Joseph, the Holy Husband of Our Lady and Virginal Father of Jesus, since childhood, and so I find it sad how we tend to overlook him -- the third member of the Holy Family -- when discussing Mary and Jesus. (Thankfully, this has been steadily changing over the centuries!) It's also unfortunate that when folks do think of him, misconceptions (he was old, he was previously married and had children) abound. In future posts, I'll share some resources that address those misconceptions, and that also explain why he's such a powerful intercessor -- he ain't the Patron of the Universal Church fer nuthin'! :-P
But to start, I'll share how my Josephite devotion grew and flourished, since I'm often asked that question, along with why don't I have a devotion instead to St. Francis, since as Franciscan, shouldn't he come first?
To address the second question: Such a devotion is, in fact, a very "Franciscan thing". Franciscans have long promoted and contributed to Josephite devotion, which I'll get into later. Also, folks in religious Orders throughout the ages have had deep devotions to Our Blessed Lady, for example, as well as her Holy Husband, so that's nothing unusual. Of course, I love and strive to imitate St. Francis in everything I do, but it doesn't mean I can't firstly be devoted to the Two Pre-Eminent Saints of all, the Holy Spouses, Parents of Christ.
As to my devotion to Joseph ... Well, as a tyke, I remember always needing to find his statue whenever entering a different parish, and I'd feel discombobulated until I found it. Then I'd sigh with relief, "There are Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph! Now I'm 'at home'." And it always bothered me when folks thought only of Mary as Jesus' parent, acting like she lived in a vacuum with Jesus being the only other person in her life.
Then in recent years as I grew in obedience to and love for our Holy Mother Church, I had a corresponding growth in my love for Joseph. What really "sealed" things was when I entered the Secular Franciscan Order and also began praying the Rosary daily. I began meditating on the absolutely pivotal role Joseph played in salvation history and his humility, steadfastness, and obedience to God's will (all Franciscan qualities, btw) ... and the love just grew. And the more I meditated on the priceless gifts we have in the Word Incarnate and Mary our Mother, the more I realized that we can't ignore the man that protected, provided for, and loved them with all his heart and every fiber of his being -- Joseph. What an incredible gift to live with the Immaculate Conception
and the Incarnation!
The man Jesus called "daddy" cared for Him, taught Him the Law and a trade, walked with Him, laughed with Him, and marveled at Him. Once Jesus reached about 5 years old, Mary would've turned Him over to Joseph, His virginal father, for instruction. Think about it -- Joseph truly was the man closest to Christ. Because they worked together every day, Joseph was the one who spent the most time with Him during His "hidden life". How spectacular is that?
And not only was he "daddy" to the Savior of the World, he was the husband of our Blessed Mother! Just as Original Sin came into the world through a
married couple, so our Redeemer came into the world through a
married couple. No, Mary wasn't an "unwed mother" at the moment of the Incarnation, nor was she merely "engaged". She was truly and legally
married to Joseph. A
wife. Jesus was conceived, as is proper,
within the bond of Holy Matrimony, not outside it.
Throughout their marriage, Joseph worked to provide safety and shelter to his wife. He acted quickly to protect her and Jesus when Jesus' life was threatened. He loved Mary more deeply and more passionately than any of us could ever hope to. He talked with her, prayed with her, ate the food she prepared, and supported her in every way.
One of the things I love meditating upon while praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary is Mary's Assumption, 'cause I picture that as a big ole family reunion, not just with her and Jesus, but her, Jesus, and Joseph. The Holy Family reunited! Can you imagine the joy those Holy Spouses must've felt to be together again? How thrilled Joseph must've been to watch Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth? His heart must've felt like bursting! It brings tears to my eyes every time (not kidding) I think about it.
So, please, stop putting asunder what God has joined together. Keep Joseph in mind when thinking of our Blessed Lady -- these Holy Spouses always lead us to Christ, and honoring him only adds to the honor given to God.
Labels: joseph, reflections
