Joseph of Nazareth

Biblical Account

Joseph appears mainly in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2, the narratives of Jesus' birth and childhood. Both Gospels present him as a descendant of David (Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:4).

• Betrothal and dream: While betrothed to Mary, Joseph learned that she had conceived by the Holy Spirit. He intended to break off the betrothal quietly, but after an angel spoke to him in a dream, he took Mary as his wife and named the child Jesus (Matthew 1:18–25). Scripture calls him "a just man" (Matthew 1:19).
• Bethlehem and Egypt: He went with Mary to Bethlehem to be registered in the census (Luke 2:1–7). Later, following instructions given in a dream, he fled with his family to Egypt to escape Herod; upon returning, he settled in Nazareth (Matthew 2:13–23).
• The Temple: In accordance with the Law, he presented the infant Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:22–24). When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph went up to Jerusalem to keep the Passover; the boy was lost, and after three days he was found in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51).

Joseph does not appear directly in the accounts of Jesus' public ministry. His name and occupation are nevertheless confirmed in passages where people call Jesus "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55) and "the son of Joseph" (John 6:42). Scripture records no words spoken by Joseph himself.

Significance Within Scripture

Joseph is portrayed not as the biological father of Jesus Christ but as his legal father. Matthew's genealogy links Jesus through Joseph to Abraham and to the royal line of David (Matthew 1:1–16). Because the narratives repeatedly show him promptly obeying instructions received in dreams, he is commonly understood as a figure of quiet obedience.

Interpretations and Debates

• The two genealogies: Matthew names Joseph's father as Jacob (1:16), while Luke names him as Heli (3:23). Proposed explanations for this difference include the view that Luke's genealogy traces Mary's line and the view that it reflects a levirate marriage (a marriage by which a man continues the line of a deceased brother).
• The brothers of Jesus: Scripture lists James, Joses, Juda, and Simon as brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3). Protestants generally regard them as children born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus. The Catholic Church holds to Mary's perpetual virginity, and a widely known view within it regards them as cousins or other close relatives. The Eastern Orthodox Church has a tradition that regards them as Joseph's children from a previous marriage.
• Later traditions: The account of Joseph as a widower much older than Mary does not appear in Scripture. It was transmitted through sources such as the second-century apocryphal Protoevangelium of James. The view that Joseph died before Jesus' public ministry is likewise not a direct biblical statement; it is an inference drawn from his absence from the later accounts.
• Veneration: The Catholic Church venerates Joseph as a saint and observes March 19 as his solemnity. Protestants do not practice the veneration of saints and instead regard Joseph as an example of faith.

In the Korean Church

At Christmas, Joseph frequently appears in Sunday school plays (stage dramatizations of Bible stories) as the one who searches with Mary for a place to stay in Bethlehem. In preaching, he is usually presented from Matthew 1 as "a just man" and "a man who obeyed in silence." He is a frequent subject of sermons during Advent and Christmas, as well as of sermons on the family and fatherhood.