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 Testament
Marriage 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 Jesus
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. Joseph
The 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. Joseph
"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
"We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." ~ Closing Prayer for 12 December, Liturgy of the Hours
As today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I did a little searching on the subject and came across several fine finds. (An aside: Another bit to add to the "Everywhere You Go, Franciscans!" file: It was a Franciscan friar, Bishop Juan Zumárraga, OFM, to whom St. Juan Diego displayed his tilma.)
For a quick overview on Our Lady of Guadalupe, see The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helpfully provided by the ever-awesome Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (who have placed themselves under the protection and guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, btw).
Check out this a super-short clip (25 seconds) of the interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico City) on YouTube:
basilica guadalupe
And for All Things Guadalupe, check out Our Lady of Guadalupe, which provides extensive information about Our Lady of Guadalupe along with other aspects of Marian devotion. I especially like the picture gallery; there's an awesomeSt. Michael statue shown there! Seriously, anyone know how we can order a (small) replica of that sucker?!
I first posted this pondering a few years ago in an online forum, and it's something I still think about from time to time:
Let's say we eventually manage to set up a colony on/terraform Mars, or some other non-Earth location. Seein' as how no matter where we go, God is with us, wouldn't it be entirely possible that Our Lady would appear to us there?
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.
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 ... :-)
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?
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)
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
As I've Wanted To See The Danged Roses In Bloom at a nearby public garden for quite a long time, Husband Mike finally indulged me this past Saturday afternoon (yay!), and so off we went to wander amid the blooms.
As we meandered, I thought about the rose in comparison to other flowers. I'm not dissin' daisies, lilacs, or cherry blossoms, mind you. It's just that whenever I think of flowers, they fall into two categories: Roses, and All The Other Flowers ... sort of like Mary, and all the other saints. Every one exquisite, beautiful, unique, and giving glory to God in their own right. And yet, the Rose has priority, just as Our Blessed Lady has priority.
And then I started thinking of all the associations between Our Mother and roses ... of how her apparitions are frequently accompanied by the scent of roses ... the Rosary ... and all the rose-related titles that've been applied to her.
So, I thought it fitting to weave some of those titles (more here) among the pictures we took. (And look! No fingers over the lens! That's a personal best for me.) Hope you enjoy them. :-)
Rose giving back to all the destiny of salvation
Rose soothing the afflicted
Fragrant rose of the heavenly court
Rose ever blooming
Rose ruddy in trampling vices
Rose white in purifying the affections
Rose of paradise, transplanted into this valley of tears
Rose in whose gentle bosom God was laid
Mystic rose in the flowering garden of the Church
Bonus robin picture: "Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us greet Him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms." (Psalm 95)
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.
"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
