Unfortunately, in their zeal to portray Mary as an untouched virgin, gospel writers and early church fathers diminish Joseph’s importance in the life of Jesus. They even argued he married Mary after God made her pregnant (which would have breached Jewish Law) or perhaps he was an old man too fragile to father a baby (which ignores the energy required to raise seven children). But as I researched first century Jewish culture and whatever information I could find about Joseph, it became evident the only way to properly judge him is by his accomplishments and his devotion to the God he valued.
To write about Joseph is to develop a deep respect for this boy who was married at 15, always supported and loved his wife, and was a good father to seven children. He fulfilled his commitment to Micah by raising Jesus to be the son of God. With Mary’s help he taught Jesus the job skills of a carpenter and artisan, made sure Jesus knew how to read, acquire a working knowledge of mathematics, understand Jewish (religious) law, and learn the rules of human social interaction. And he did all this despite the incredible stress of ever present danger from famine, disease, villainous bandits, Roman soldiers, Roman mercenaries, Jewish zealots, and the bloodshed of rebellion. By working as a carpenter in Nazareth and Sepphoris, he earned enough money to support his family. Joseph rejected the ever present temptation to become a Jewish nationalist - a decision that could have easily left him maimed or dead.
In Jewish culture, a boy becomes a man, a "bar mitzvah," on his 13th birthday, automatically assuming full religious and legal responsibility for observing the commandments.
Research suggests Joseph was born in 21 BC, betrothed at age 14 (7 BC), married at age 15 (6 BC), and became a father to Jesus when he was 16 (5 BC). In my novel about the life of Jesus, Joseph dies in 26 AD, at age 46. Death at this age was not uncommon. In the 1st century, children who were still alive at age 10 could look forward to an average life expectancy of 47.5 years.
Given his probable diet, and genetic heritage, it is likely Joseph was about 168 cm (5 feet five inches) tall, had brown eyes, dark brown or black hair, and a slender build. Given the latitude of Galilee, he would have been a white man with a light honey-brown complexion.
Joseph was educated by his parents and the men of Nazareth. He may also have attended the Temple school in Sepphoris. We know he could read because he read from the law in the Synagogue. It is highly likely Joseph mastered the fundamentals of mathematics because in order to be a successful carpenter, artisan, or stone mason, he would have to be proficient in addition, subtraction, division and multiplication, as well as the skills of basic geometry. Joseph may also have had a working knowledge of Koine Greek, the language of commerce and government. These intellectual achievements meant he had a better education than 85 percent of his peers. Being a good father, Joseph would have passed whatever knowledge he accumulated on to his children – including .. very specifically .. Jesus.
A skilled carpenter and stone mason could make a good living during his lifetime in Israel. Joseph would have been able to find work in Nazareth and the nearby town of Sepphoris. After the failed rebellion of 4 BC, (King) Herod Antipas started an ambitious construction program to make Sepphoris his capitol in 3 or early 2 BC. A relatively easy walk from Nazareth, work would have been available from the Romans and wealthy Jews who moved there. It is possible Joseph found additional work in Tiberias when Antipas moved his government center there in ~18 - 20 AD. With these employment opportunities, it is likely Joseph was able to provide his family with a comfortable life style.
By age 10, it is highly likely Jesus accompanied his father to find work in Sepphoris. Joseph provided an anchor of maturity for Jesus, increased his knowledge, trained him to be a carpenter (and perhaps a stone mason or ceramicist) and helped to create the character of the man we encounter in the four Gospels. Joseph would have been acutely aware of his obligation to God, and he apparently carried it out with wisdom and determination.
Ron
Thoughts from my novel “Am I Your Son”
Note 1: Joseph's grandfather Mattan (a descendant of Solomon) had a wife called "Esther" (not recorded in the Bible) with whom he fathered Jacob (Joseph's father). We know very little about Ruth, Joseph’s mother.
Note 2. Sepphoris ... (In Hebrew - Tzipori) is located in the central Galilee region of Israel, three or four miles north-northwest of Nazareth. It is over 900 feet above sea level and overlooks the Beit Netofa Valley. Before the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, it had a population of up to 6,000. After 3 AD Herod Antipas made it the Capitol of Galilee and the population increased to over 10,000. Although Jesus and his father would have been aware, and sometimes involved, in the events that happened in Sepphoris, and would certainly have had many opportunities to find work there, the name does not appear anywhere in the Bible.
Note 3. There is some thought that Joseph actually met and fell in love with Mary while working in Sepphoris. But given the traditional involvement of Jewish parents in the selection of a mate and the relative disruption of the political rebellion that was engulfing Sepphoris at the time, the weight of evidence favors the idea that Mary’s parents fled to Nazareth for their own safety. Once there, they eventually worked with Joseph’s parents to encourage the union.
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