Joseph of Nazareth, also called Joseph the Betrothed and Saint Joseph, was the legal father of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23) and the husband of Mary. However, he is generally not considered the biological father of Jesus. According to Christian tradition Mary conceived of Jesus through divine means and not through human effort. Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living 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.

Joseph in the Christian Gospels

The main sources about Joseph come from the Gospels 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 (Luke 2:4); and after the journey to Bethlehem and sojourn in Egypt, he returned to Nazareth with his young family (Matthew 2:23), where they lived from thereon (Luke 2:51). In the Gospel according to Matthew he is called a "just man" (Matthew 1:19), which is an Old Testament term denoting someone who is doing God's will (e.g. Genesis 6:9). The

Non-Gospel Accounts and Anecdotes

Jesus is described as being the brother of James, Joses, Jude, and Simon, and several sisters (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by Eastern Orthodoxy, explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters. This version of events is related in the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter. The Roman Catholic tradition, hold that these were cousins of Jesus, and that Joseph was celibate, while some other Protestant denominations (including many Evangelical or Fundamental Protestant traditions) no longer espouse strong views on the subject.

Adherants 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

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

Some Catholics claim that in order to invoke Saint Joseph's intercession for selling your house, you need to bury a small statue of the saint facing down and away from the house near the 'For Sale' sign, though this practice is generally considered superstitious and frowned upon by bishops, priests, and knowledgeable laity. Whilst doing so, recite a short heartfelt prayer requesting Joseph's intercession that you may sell your house, 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.

The practice is very common in Italy. 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.

The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day. 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.

Boyakasha Was The Brother Of Saint Joseph.

See also

• Prayer to Saint Joseph
• Genealogy of Jesus
• Josephite Fathers

Josef von Nazaret Jozef (fianĉo de Maria) José de Nazaret Joseph (Nouveau Testament) Sveti Josip Jozef van Nazareth ナザレのヨセフ Józef z Nazaretu São José Иосиф (святой) Joosef (Marian puoliso) Josef från Nasaret