St. Joseph in Genesis

The parents of Joseph of the Old Testament (OT) were Jacob and Rachel; the parents of St. Joseph were named Jacob and Rachel. We are told in Holy Scripture of the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, how he labored seven years each for Lia and Rachel, the daughters of Laban. Lia was “bleary eyed,” and represents Eve, and the Jews of the OT; Rachel is well favored and represents the Blessed Virgin, and the New Testament. Lia betrayed Jacob by going along with her father’s plan to “go in to Jacob according to custom,” knowing that she was not her sister, Rachel. The Jews, “bleary-eyed” like Lia, betrayed Christ, because of their blindness. Christ said, “Let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind.” (Matt. 15: 14) Jacob labored fourteen years under Laban to gain the hand of Rachel; Joseph married the Blessed Virgin when she fourteen. And Rachel’s father Laban, means “white,” the color of virginity. Rachel was a virgin until she married Jacob and bore him Joseph. The birth of Joseph coincides with the fourteenth time that the name Rachel appears in Genesis. (Gen 30:22)

Joseph is the second most-mentioned name in the book of Genesis, 88 times; eight is the number of Mary, the Blessed Virgin. The feast of her Immaculate Conception is December 8, and the feast of her Nativity is September 8. Only Jacob is mentioned more often than the name Joseph, 101 times. The breakdown following is: Abraham 81, Isaac 59, Noe 31, and Adam 22. The last verse of Genesis (Gen. 50:25) says, “And being embalmed he was laid in a coffin in Egypt.” To emphasize the importance of Joseph, the book of Genesis closes with his death and burial. The theme of Joseph runs for twenty straight chapters in Genesis, covering chapters 30-50. Joseph is the dominant figure in the book of Genesis.

The number thirty is important in Sacred Scripture. St. Joseph was thirty when he was betrothed to the Blessed Virgin. The marriage of Joseph and Mary lasted thirty years. St. Joseph died at the age of sixty, in the year 30 Anno Domini. Our Lord was thirty when he began his public ministry. In the Old Testament, Joseph, the son of Jacob, first appears in the thirtieth chapter of Genesis, vs. 25, “And when Joseph was born, Jacob said his father in Law: send me away that I may return into my country, and to my land.” Joseph of Old was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh and ruled over Egypt, “Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao.” (Gen 41: 46) King David, another figure of Christ, and primary author of the Psalms, began his reign at the age of thirty, “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” (2 Samuel 5:4) The four Evangelists mention the name Joseph thirty times, but only thirteen times refer to St. Joseph. There was another Joseph

As in life, Joseph and Mary were side by side, so it is in Scripture. Mary, the sister of Moses, appears in the fifteenth chapter of Exodus, “So Mary the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand: and all the women went forth after her with timbrels and with dances.” (Ex. 15:20) Joseph, as we have already seen, appeared in Genesis. This fifteenth chapter of Exodus reminds us of the fifteen decades of the Rosary. Mary is our Exodus. We “exit” this world as Catholics and fly to Mary. The name “Joseph” appears 150 times in the Old Testament, which is another reference to the rosary.

The Dream of Joseph, Gen 37:9

“He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.”*¹ (Gen 37:9) Like Joseph of Old, St. Joseph had divine dreams. He was informed to take Mary as his wife, to seek refuge in Egypt, and to return into the Holy Land. “The sun” represents Christ, “the moon” Mary, and “the eleven stars” the eleven faithful Apostles. It is very probable that the eleven Apostles either worshipped (offered respect) St. Joseph prior to his death, or during the time period between the Resurrection and Ascension. We are told in Scripture, “And the graves were opened: and many of the bodies of the saints that had slept arose.” (Mt. 27: 52) St. Francis de Sales assures us that it is certain that St. Joseph was taken, body and soul, into heaven at the time of the Ascension. This also likely means that St. Joseph received sacramental baptism, and that he prayed, as a Catholic, with the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin, for the needs of the Church. There were forty days in between the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ into heaven. St. John informs us, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you.” (Jn. 20:26) For thirty-three days (from this 8th day mentioned by St. John, up to the 40th day, the Ascension) the Apostles were preaching and most likely baptizing.

This aforementioned incident is the third time that Christ said to the Apostles, “Peace be to you,” and it is very likely that St. Joseph was one of those “disciples within” spoken of by St. John. In the Litany of St. Joseph (a litany, the greater portion of which, is undoubtedly of Apostolic origin) the last title given him is “Protector of Holy Church.” Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical on St Joseph, Quamquam Pluries, says of him:

But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men.

Joseph a Figure of Christ

Joseph was the seventh son born to Jacob, but the first son of Rachel. “The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb.” (Gen. 30:22) And Israel (Jacob) “loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of diverse colors.” (Gen 37: 3) St. Joseph had all the virtues, and his coat is adorned with “diverse colors.”

The “Ismaelites” travel to Egypt, and they are carrying “spices, balm and myrrh.” These are the Three Kings who come to rescue the young Joseph from his betraying brothers, just as the Three Kings played a role in rescuing the child Jesus from Herod.

Benjamin is St. John; Ch. 43 The Mass

St. Joseph was very likely forty-three years old when he and Mary found the Christ child in the Temple. St. Luke, chapter 2, verse 43, says, “And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.”

The younger brother of Joseph, Benjamin, whom Rachel bore on her deathbed, represents St. John the Evangelist. Benjamin’s name appears fifteen times in Genesis; as we have said, fifteen is one of the two numbers which signify Mary. August 15th is the Assumption of Mary into heaven. And among the Jews, the 15th of Nissan (the first Jewish month) is the celebration of the Passover. Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob. It is he who leans his head upon Joseph’s breast and receives the greater apportionment at dinner:

And when Joseph had seen his younger brother Benjamin (St. John), he commanded the steward to prepare a feast and “kill the victims” because “they shall eat with me at noon.” (Gen. 43:16) The Last Supper began at noon, just as the crucifixion lasted from noon to three.

“They sat before him (Joseph), the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his age. And they wondered very much: taking the messes which they received of him: and the greater mess came to Benjamin, so that it exceeded by five parts. And they drank and were merry with him.” (Gen. 43: 33-34)

At the Last Supper it was St. John, the youngest of the Apostles, who sat to the immediate left of Christ. It was he who first received Holy Communion, and it was he who received “the greater mess,” for he became the spiritual father of the Blessed Virgin after the Crucifixion. It is this same Benjamin who had the silver cup placed in his sack of wheat. This is a clear reference to St. John the Evangelist being in possession of the Holy Grail, the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, as some traditions maintain. Artists often depict St. John at the Crucifixion with chalice upraised, catching the Sacred Blood, as Christ dies upon the cross.

“And having brought them into the house, he fetched water, and they washed their feet, and he gave provender to their asses.” (Gen. 43:24); the Apostles’ feet were washed at the Last Supper.

Simeon of Old is St. Peter

It was Simeon, the brother of Joseph, who drew out the sword against the family of Sichem, the man who raped his sister, Dina. (Ch. 34) Likewise, it was Simon Peter who drew his sword, cutting off the right ear of Malchus. And Simeon was bound in the presence of his brethren (Gen. 42:25), just as St. Peter was bound in chains. “And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains.” (Acts 12: 6)

Juda (Judas) Sells his Brother and Ruben Repents

Juda, the brother of Joseph, convinces his brothers that they should sell Joseph to the Ismaelites, “It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites: and that our hands be not defiled.” (Gen. 37: 27) And he was sold for twenty pieces of silver and led into Egypt, “And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.” (Gen. 37:28) Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver and led into the courts of Pilate and Caiaphas, “Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients.” (Matt. 27:3)

It was Joseph’s firstborn son, Ruben, meaning “red,” who convinced his brothers not to kill Joseph, but throw him in a pit. Red is the color of martyrs, and we are led to believe that Ruben somehow alludes to the Martyr of martyrs, Christ. Joseph of Old, like St. Joseph, would not die the death of a martyr. The fifteenth century nun, Maria Baij, OSB, recounts how St. Joseph was abused by his own brothers, who beat him and deprived him of an inheritance which was justly his.

Probatica: The Man Infirm Eight and Thirty Years

We are told in St. John 5:5 about the man who had been “eight and thirty years under his infirmity.” Remember that the number eight represents the Blessed Virgin and the number thirty, St. Joseph. The Pool of Probatica was very near the house of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin; and some commentators say that this pool might have likely belonged to the blessed parents. It is possible that St. Anne bathed the infant Mary in these very waters, giving the water its holy and efficacious powers. Mary as an infant would have very likely seen this man at the fountain Probatica, taking pity on his perseverance. Joseph and Mary, on one their several trips to Jerusalem would have seen this man. Jesus waited until the man had been been infirm for thirty-eight years, saying to the man in the eighth verse of Jn. 5, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” This sick man had come down with his “infirmity” when the Blessed Virgin was seven years old. And Christ performed this miracle on the Sabbath, a Saturday, the seventh day of the Jewish week, the day devoted to Mary.

This miracle at the pool of Probatica was the third worked by Christ in St. John’s Gospel. There are eight miracles in the Gospel of St. John total (even though a Google search says seven). In the 21st chapter of St. John it is related that the apostles caught 153 fish at the command of Christ, after a long night of catching nothing. Surely this must be a miracle.

“The Occupation of St. Joseph”: Dr. Latkovski

*We have decided to conclude this essay on St. Joseph by introducing this short essay written by the late Dr. Latkovski. Dr. Lenard Latkovski was a traditional Catholic professor in the Louisville, Ky. area. He died in 1991, having received a Catholic, Latin, Requiem Mass, according to the ancient rite. This two-page essay was written in 1981. Dr. Latkovski says:

There is only one reference to the occupation of St. Joseph in the New Testament: that is Matthew 13:55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Douay trans.) In the Greek text, the word used is o tekton tektonos, one who makes rooms, houses, courtyards, patios, etc. Generally, the word signifies a craftsman, workman, builder, master of various arts. The Sanskrit has: taksan, “carpenter.” The Latvian has: test, “to hew, to plane.” To the same root belong the English words technical, technician, technology, technique, etc.

From a linguistic viewpoint, it seems that it would be more correct to describe St. Joseph as a “builder” than a “carpenter.” The point may be considered a minor one, and, of course, is in no way a question of sacred doctrine. Both scriptural knowledge and doctrinal insight advance through making such small distinctions.

The Gospel of St. Matthew was originally written in Aramaic; only later was it re-written (“redacted,” as the Scripture scholars put it) in Greek (by someone other than St. Matthew, the original author). The word used in Aramaic to refer to St. Joseph’s trade does not mean “carpenter,” but “builder, constructor.” Our Lord was ben hechoresh, “son of the builder” (Mt. 13:55).

As was said above, the Douay version translates the passage: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude? And his sisters, are they not all with us?”

One of the apocryphal (uninspired and spurious) gospels gives a long story about the first wife of Joseph, by whom he had children. She died and Joseph lived many years as a widower; then he married the Blessed Virgin. This is an effort to explain how Our Lord could have had “brethren” and “sisters.” This fable also explains how St. Joseph is often portrayed as much older than our Lady.

There are difficulties in interpreting St. Joseph's occupation as that of a carpenter. For one thing, woodwork in those times was much less common than masonry. Also, a carpenter would not be likely to change his residence, would not move from one place to another. Masons did, however, because they had to go where their work was needed. St. Joseph’s occupation would probably be more accurately described as that of a “construction worker.”

Silvije Grubisic, a book written in the Serbo-Croatian language, states that the tradition of St. Joseph as a carpenter was not established before the seventeenth century, and that by poets and artists. According to its author, there is no biblical evidence to support the idea of St. Joseph’s being a carpenter.

The Church Fathers say nothing about the occupation of St. Joseph. They only praise his virtues of chastity, humility, loyalty, obedience, righteousness, devotion. Although he was of royal descent, he was not rich. He was a poor man (better to say, “in the lower income bracket”), a fact which can be discerned by the offering of two turtle doves which he brought to the Temple on the occasion of Mary’s Purification (Lk. 2:24). This offering was a symbolic act in fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, rather than a substantial contribution.

In the poverty of the Holy Family, God teaches us that money and worldly prominence are of little use for salvation; what matters is virtue, such as was most admirably exemplified by Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Because the point may never be over-emphasized, I note that Our Lady and St. Joseph have a role in the mystery of salvation, Mary’s an essential one. St. Joseph is the Protector of Holy Church, having been so during the early life of its Head. Also, Joseph, likeMary, his beloved wife, provided the Lord with his regal descent, both having been of “the house and family of David” (Lk. 2:4).

It pleased the Son of God to be born into the family of Joseph, to be considered his son, and to take up his trade. Like His father, the Savior exemplified for the world those traits which should be the inspiration of “the common man,” the working man, the man who earns his bread by the sweat of his brow and the skill of his hands: industriousness, patience, humility, and obedience to the divine will - though I do not wish to suggest that the Lord Jesus had less affinity to professional people , those of the managerial class, nor of those who are on a higher rung of the economic ladder.

If I may make a personal observation: in Joseph’s occupation and that which Christ followed, there is this symbolism: St. Joseph was a builder of dwellings - houses, residences, abodes - here on earth, while Christ was the builder of the heavenly kingdom, the Church, which is the abode of the faithful on earth, the sufferers in Purgatory, and the saints in Heaven. Our Lady said to Jesus, when she found Him in the Temple: “Thy father (Joseph) and I sought thee sorrowing.” But Jesus responded, “…I must be about my Father’s (God the Father’s) business” (trade, occupation), that of building an everlasting residence for those who “hear my voice” (Jn. 10:16).

Addendum: The “Brothers and Sisters” of Christ (Mt. 12:46; 13:55)

Most Catholics know that many Protestants do not believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary. They hold that she was a virgin until she gave birth to Our Lord, but not afterward. They believe, therefore, in the Virgin Birth; but they believe that the Evangelist indicates in these verses that Mary had other children. Mt. 12:46 reads, “As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.” Mt. 13:55, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude: and his sisters, are they not all with us?”

In Semitic usage, it should be understood, there is no special word for cousins and nieces, since not infrequently, several families lived under one roof, married sons and daughters of their common parents. Relatives and neighbors would refer to all the children of such households as brothers and sisters. The words for brothers and sisters, then, were used to refer to cousins and nieces and nephews, “brother” and “sister” connoting only a close blood relationship. Catholic tradition has consistently affirmed that Christ had no brothers or sisters, that Mary was “ever a Virgin.” In fact, Our Lady’s perpetual virginity is a doctrine of the faith.

Moreover, it is worth noting that the Hebrew word for “brother” is och (pl. ochim) is derived from the numeral echod, “one,” and refers to relatives having common ancestors, sharing a single descendancy, but not necessarily the same parents. Again, due to the closeness of the families among the Jews, cousins, nieces, and nephews were called as brothers and sisters.

It may be remarked further, that if the Apostles James, Simon, and Jude were Mary’s sons, Christ would not have given her into the care of John the Evangelist on the cross.” -L. Latkovski-

1. The word “worship” is from the old Anglo-Saxon ‘weord’ and ‘scipe’ meaning “to honor greatly.” Literally translated it means “worthy ship.” For a mature understanding of the term we suggest the article “Mary Worship” by the late Orestes Brownson.