Joseph was the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ.
Joseph was the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ. He was a descendant of David (Mat.1.16, 20; Luk.1.27; 2.4) and lived in Nazareth (Luk.2.4). Joseph was betrothed to Mary when she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit (Mat.1.18; Luk.1.27). Being a righteous man, he planned to divorce her quietly, but an angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus (Mat.1.19-21, 24-25). Joseph obeyed and took care of Mary and Jesus. He was present at Jesus' birth in Bethlehem (Luk.2.4-7, 16) and later took his family to Egypt to escape Herod's persecution (Mat.2.13-15, 19-23). Joseph is last mentioned in the Gospels when Jesus was 12 years old, and the family visited Jerusalem for the Passover (Luk.2.41-51). He is referred to as Jesus' father (Luk.2.33, 48; 4.22; Jhn.1.45; 6.42) and was a carpenter by trade (Mat.13.55). Joseph is not mentioned during Jesus' adult ministry, suggesting he may have died before that time.
David to Jesus through Solomon (Matthew)
FamilyStated in the textMatthew traces the royal line from David through Solomon and the kings of Judah to Jehoiachin, then through Shealtiel and Zerubbabel to Joseph, husband of Mary. It lists fourteen generations in each of three groups, selectively.
Sources: Matt 1:6-11 · Matt 1:12-16 · Matt 1:17
Joseph avoids Archelaus and settles in Nazareth
RoleStated in the textHearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea, Joseph feared to go back and was warned in a dream to withdraw to Galilee, settling in Nazareth. That put Jesus in the territory of Antipas instead.
Where the text shows it: Matthew 2:22-23 — Warned in a dream; settles in Nazareth Sources: Scripture
Clopas, Alphaeus, and the family behind them
FamilyHypothesisHegesippus (via Eusebius) says Clopas was Joseph's brother and father of Symeon, second bishop of Jerusalem. Some equate Clopas with Alphaeus (father of James the younger), but the Greek names differ and the match is a hypothesis.
Ways people read this (3)
- Clopas and Alphaeus are the same man (Aramaic Halphai behind both names).
- They are different men.
- If Alphaeus is Joseph's brother, James the younger would be a cousin of Jesus.
Sources: Eusebius, Church History 3.11 and 4.22 (citing Hegesippus)
Clopas as brother of Joseph (Hegesippus)
FamilyChurch traditionHegesippus, cited by Eusebius, says Clopas was the brother of Joseph and father of Symeon, the second leader of the church in Jerusalem. TIPNR records Alphaeus as Joseph's brother.
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas is the only NT mention. Ways people read this (1)
- No NT text states the relationship; it rests on early church report, and its reliability is assessed differently.
Sources: Hegesippus, cited in Eusebius, Church History (c. AD 324)
Mary and Joseph
FamilyStated in the textMatthew and Luke agree that Mary was betrothed to Joseph of David's line and that he took her as his wife before Jesus' birth.
Sources: Matthew 1:18-25 · Luke 2:4-5
Joseph's father: Jacob or Heli
FamilyDebatedMatthew says Joseph's father was Jacob; Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli. Africanus reconciled this with a levirate marriage; others read Luke's line as Mary's and TIPNR lists Heli as Mary's father.
Ways people read this (3)
- Levirate: Jacob and Heli were half brothers (Africanus).
- Mary's genealogy: Luke lists Heli as Mary's father through Joseph.
- Two different lines of royal and natural descent.
Sources: Matthew 1:16 · Luke 3:23 · Julius Africanus, Letter to Aristides (cited in Eusebius, Church History)
The Epiphanian view: sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage
FamilyChurch traditionEpiphanius and much of the eastern church held that the brothers were Joseph's children from a prior marriage, which preserves Mary's perpetual virginity. Its early source is the second-century Protoevangelium of James.
Where the text shows it: Matthew 13:55 — Brothers named.John 19:26-27 — Jesus entrusts Mary to the beloved disciple, not to brothers. Ways people read this (2)
- Joseph's age and absence from the Gospels after Luke 2 are often cited in support.
- No text mentions an earlier marriage.
Sources: Epiphanius, Panarion (c. AD 375) · Protoevangelium of James (2nd c.) · Origen, Commentary on Matthew (3rd c.)
The Helvidian view: younger children of Mary and Joseph
FamilyDebatedThis reads the brothers as sons of Mary and Joseph after Jesus. Helvidius argued from the plain sense of "brothers" and Jesus as "firstborn"; Jerome wrote against him. Many Protestant scholars hold it today.
Where the text shows it: Luke 2:7 — Mary's firstborn son.Matthew 1:25 — Joseph did not know her until she bore a son.Mark 6:3 — Brothers and sisters named. Ways people read this (3)
- Plain reading of adelphos and the "firstborn" phrase.
- Against: perpetual virginity held by the early church, and Jesus entrusting Mary to John at the cross.
- "Until" in Matthew 1:25 does not settle what followed.
Sources: Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383) · Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ (early 3rd c.)
Jesus and his family at Nazareth
HometownStated in the textLuke says Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth after the infancy events, and Mark shows Jesus teaching in his home town among people who knew his mother, brothers and sisters.
Where the text shows it: Luke 2:39 — They returned to Nazareth.Mark 6:1-3 — Hometown synagogue; family named.Luke 4:16 — Jesus comes to Nazareth. Sources: Luke 2:39 · Mark 6:1-3
16 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G2501