Matthew the Evangelist calls St. Joseph a just man in Matthew 1:19, and from this biblical chapter Father Donald Calloway (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2020) expands the saint’s title to “Just and Reverent Man” in his book “Consecration to St. Joseph.” Here are the two most pertinent biblical verses, according to the English Standard Version of the Bible, with three key words in bold:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matt 1:18–19).
Father Kevin Zilverberg
The first key word here is “betrothed.” Our culture has courtship or dating, which sometimes leads to engagement followed by marriage. Joseph and Mary, Jews of first-century Palestine, were betrothed and then married. Betrothal, unlike engagement, legally bound the man and woman to marry. After about one year of betrothal, the man would marry the woman, who would go to live in his home.
This legally binding arrangement brings us to the word “divorce.” Jewish law made provision for divorce, as we know from the Pentateuch (e.g., Dt 24:1) and Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels (e.g., Mt 5:31-32). Some scholars avoid the word “divorce” when translating Matthew 1:19, preferring more generic language to describe Joseph’s intended dissolution of his betrothal to Mary. Nevertheless, the same Greek verb (“apolu?”) clearly means divorce elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 5:31-32, 19:3-9). Catholics need not soften the translation “divorce” in order to portray St. Joseph in a supposedly better light. His betrothal was legally binding, and his intention to dissolve it by divorce did not imply the sinful abandonment of a wife; Joseph intended to act appropriately in accord with the Mosaic law.
Finally, Joseph is “a just man.” Biblical scholar Father Raymond Brown reviews the three most prominent interpretations of “just” (Greek “dikaios”) in Matthew 1:19, in his book “The Birth of the Messiah” (New York: Doubleday, 1993). Some say that Joseph was a just man because of his mercy — that is, his unwillingness to enforce the Mosaic law against Mary and to have her condemned for adultery. This approach fails to properly distinguish justice and mercy. Joseph tempered justice with mercy, but he was not “just” on account of his mercy.
The second approach holds that Joseph recoiled from his commitment to marry, because he so greatly revered the divine mystery of Jesus’ conception from the Holy Spirit. This, in fact, is Father Calloway’s basis for calling Joseph “reverent.” In the biblical account, however, Joseph seems to learn about the exceptional nature of Mary’s conception only in his dream, after he had already resolved to divorce Mary.
The third and best explanation holds that Joseph is just because he follows the Jewish law. Until the angel visited him in the dream, he assumed that Mary’s conception came about in the normal way, with another man. This meant that he could no longer marry her. Even so, he tempered his justice with mercy and did not wish to bring the full weight of the law upon Mary; he resolved to divorce her quietly.
St. Joseph stands as a model of justice for his fidelity to the law handed down by Moses. Since he resolved to divorce Mary quietly, he stands also as a model of mercy. Joseph did not wish to condemn Mary, a decision vindicated when he learned from the angel that Mary had, in fact, been faithful to her betrothed.
Father Zilverberg, SSD, is assistant professor of sacred Scripture at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. He is also the founding director of St. Paul Seminary Press and the seminary’s Institute for Catholic Theological Formation. Father Zilverberg adapted this essay from his July presentation for “Cuppa Joe,” a 10-part series on the spiritual wonders of St. Joseph. It was recorded at St. Joseph in New Hope.
Cuppa Joe
“Cuppa Joe” is a series of 10 talks by 10 theologians on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph, taking place at 10 locations in our archdiocese entrusted to the patronage of our spiritual father. These talks premiere the first Tuesday of the month, March through December, at 4 p.m. — just in time for your afternoon coffee. The next presentation, “Savior of the Savior” by Deacon Joe Michalak, will be posted Aug. 3. It was recorded at St. Joseph in Miesville.
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