Is St. Joseph The Father Of Jesus?

[rjzaar]

Is St. Joseph the father of Jesus?

God is obviously the Father of Jesus, but can we say Joseph is the Father of Jesus? Would this be the case in Ancient Jewish law? Is this part of Catholic Tradition? What is the standard understanding of this question?

 

All insights welcome. :)

[puellapaschalis]

St, Joseph is the foster father of Our Lord, not His biological father.

[Theoketos]

He had all the legal rights of a Father over Jesus. And the adoption as such made him apart of Joseph's line. Matthew's extremely Jewish genealogy seems to confirm this. 

[Lefebvre]

[Spem in alium]

What a great thread! (I'm a Joseph nerd and part of my postgraduate research will focus on this subject, so I'm probably biased.)

 

Joseph was given paternal authority over Jesus through his marriage to the Blessed Mother, which by Scriptural accounts had already been legally initiated before the Annunciation - making Jesus a legitimate product of the marriage. We see Joseph is responsible for naming Jesus, the distinct role of the father in Jewish tradition, and participates in Jesus' presentation in the temple. He also bestows on Jesus a Davidic heritage, is responsible for the safeguarding of Mother and Child, and he also searches with Mary for Jesus when He is lost in Jerusalem. Mary, even though she knows the truth of Jesus' divine paternity, refers to Joseph as Jesus' father, and we know from reading Scripture that Jesus was thought to be the "son of Joseph" or "son of the carpenter." All these elements indicate Joseph did hold a fatherly position, though one akin to a foster father rather than biological.

 

I particularly like what Francisco Suarez has to say: "Names which are deliberately given to a thing usually reveal its nature or the qualities on which they are based. Therefore, when the eternal Father would share His own name with this man He indicated clearly enough to what high dignity He had raised him when with the name He entrusted to him also the office and, to a great extent, the responsibility of a father."

Edited August 16, 2014 by Spem in alium

[rjzaar]

That's great discussion. I love the cartoon. So, I think I can safely say that "St. Joseph is the father of Jesus" is a true statement while there are other true statements such as "God the Father is the father of Jesus". What do you think? Yes or no?  

[Spem in alium]

That's great discussion. I love the cartoon. So, I think I can safely say that "St. Joseph is the father of Jesus" is a true statement while there are other true statements such as "God the Father is the father of Jesus". What do you think? Yes or no?  

 

Yes, that is a true statement. Joseph is Jesus' father in every sense (other than biological, of course). But he is more often referred to as Jesus' foster father, generally to avoid confusion (as this very issue has aroused a great deal of that) and to distinguish between him and God the Father. 

[AnneLine]

Spem, I'm curious.  Maybe you can help clear something up for me.  

 

I had always been told that in the Jewish community, the mother is the one who passes on the heritage, so it was/is important that one's mother be Jewish.   And the Scriptures make the point that both Mary and Joseph came from the House of David.

 

I'd always wondered why St. Matthew's gospel makes such a point of Joseph's heritage, but you have clarified why that point would have been made.  Thank you.  

 

Is the 'passing on of the heritage' through the mother something that is part of the tradition from a later date (perhaps from of the codification of the Rabbinic laws being established... or is it a case of both sides get equal weight?

 

Just curious... not trying to push for heavy duty theology here... pure curiosity!

[Spem in alium]

AL, great point! You're right that the mother is the one who passes on Jewish heritage, but I believe this is only so far as the Jewish faith is concerned. I am not entirely sure when this became a law, but precursors and references are definitely present in Scripture.The Jewish faith, not the familial ancestry, comes through the mother. So while Mary and Joseph were of the same House, it is Joseph that passes on the Davidic ancestry to Jesus. Jesus receives his name, ancestry, property and rights through Joseph - which is one reason why Joseph's position as father and husband is so important. I hope this is all clear. :)