Joseph is described as a descendent of the house of David (Matt 1:16). Though by Roman times, there would be plenty of those who can claim descent from David, that, nonetheless, would not have diminished the prestige of the lineage. The details given about his background in the New Testament are piecemeal, but from them we can see that he seemed to have resided regularly in Nazareth but was registered within the Roman administrative system as belonging to the district of Bethlehem, to which he—and an expectant Mary—returned for the census during which time Jesus was born (Lk 2:4). Matthew describes Joseph as a 'carpenter' (13:55), and Jesus followed in his career path (Mk 6:3). The Greek word tekton certainly refers to a craftsman though carpenter may be too specific a reading. His trade may have involved, as most ancient craftsmen did, other skills in his work.
Joseph is described by Matthew as a "righteous man" who did not want to expose his bethrothed to public disgrace by divorcing her when he discovered her with child. But he was also, clearly, a spiritually sensitive person who would listen to the voice of the angel and do the hard thing in obedience, not once, but repeatedly; first, by keeping true to Mary (Matt 1:24), then to leave for Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod (Matt 2:13), then again to return when Herod was dead (Matt 2:19-21), and finally, to withdraw to Galilee instead of settling down in Judea (Matt 2:22). Luke, similarly, portray him as a man who did "everything required by the Law of the Lord" (Lk 2:22-24, 39).
We hear of Joseph only in the narratives of Jesus' early life (mostly in Matthew) suggesting that he died early but not before giving Jesus at least four brothers and some sisters. Lk 2:41ff speaks of Jesus's "parents" in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover when he was twelve (v42). Joseph must, therefor, have passed away when Jesus was in his teens at the earliest. When Jesus began his ministry, causing amazement in those who heard him teach in the synagogue, we hear them say, "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" (Mk 6:3), and "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" (Jn 6:42). The absence of Joseph's name on their lips suggests that he had been dead a while by this time.
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