How old was Josef when he married Maria ? (Full Version)

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ilyama -> How old was Josef when he married Maria ? (4/14/2008 3:29:20 PM)

According to this site
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08504a.htm


Maria was 12 - 14 years and Josef was 90 years.

Can this be true ?

Do you know the sources of this text ?



WesP -> RE: How old was Josef when he married Maria ? (4/14/2008 3:34:29 PM)

This is a catholic website that relies heavily on apocryphal writings to further their beliefs. Most protestants do not acknowledge the apocrypha as a substantial basis for truth. So....truth in this case is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. I do not believe in its veracity.



LCannon -> RE: How old was Josef when he married Maria ? (4/14/2008 3:49:57 PM)

Probably the only surety is he was 'older'(by a generation? 15/20 years?) then she was. At 15, Joseph was 35(?) so 30 years later Mary would be 45 and Joseph 65 and a 65 yr old man was 'well seasoned' and probably had died since there's no mention of him at Jesus' cross.



JimboFletch -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 4:00:12 PM)

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)

Of course, he was a mighty healthy 90 year-old to have made the trip to Jerusalem from Nazareth, then to Egypt for a few years, and a trip back to Nazareth.



WesP -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 4:14:31 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)

Of course, he was a mighty healthy 90 year-old to have made the trip to Jerusalem from Nazareth, then to Egypt for a few years, and a trip back to Nazareth.


Well, I tried not to state it quite like that, but that did occur to me, too. [:D]



Ps103 -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 4:19:05 PM)

No one knows.

Perhaps the OP missed these parts of the article he linked:

quote:

The chief sources of information on the life of St. Joseph are the first chapters of our first and third Gospels; they are practically also the only reliable sources, for, whilst, on the holy patriarch's life, as on many other points connected with the Saviour's history which are left untouched by the canonical writings, the apocryphal literature is full of details, the non-admittance of these works into the Canon of the Sacred Books casts a strong suspicion upon their contents;


and

quote:

It will not be without interest to recall here, unreliable though they are, the lengthy stories concerning St. Joseph's marriage contained in the apocryphal writings...


After the above sentence the story of a 90-year-old Joseph is recounted. The writer of the article clearly states that it is merely an interesting anecdote and not thought to be true[;)]



WesP -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 4:33:21 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ps103

No one knows.

Perhaps the OP missed these parts of the article he linked:

quote:

The chief sources of information on the life of St. Joseph are the first chapters of our first and third Gospels; they are practically also the only reliable sources, for, whilst, on the holy patriarch's life, as on many other points connected with the Saviour's history which are left untouched by the canonical writings, the apocryphal literature is full of details, the non-admittance of these works into the Canon of the Sacred Books casts a strong suspicion upon their contents;


and

quote:

It will not be without interest to recall here, unreliable though they are, the lengthy stories concerning St. Joseph's marriage contained in the apocryphal writings...


After the above sentence the story of a 90-year-old Joseph is recounted. The writer of the article clearly states that it is merely an interesting anecdote and not thought to be true[;)]


Why, that makes us sound almost mean! [X(]

Sorry. [:)]



Ps103 -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 4:41:03 PM)

You aren't mean, Wes[:)]



9drtr -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/14/2008 7:43:40 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)

Of course, he was a mighty healthy 90 year-old to have made the trip to Jerusalem from Nazareth, then to Egypt for a few years, and a trip back to Nazareth.


What do you mean, "might be?"



rcjames -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/16/2008 9:51:25 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)


Spot on JimboFletch

The RCC reminds me of; "What a wicked web we weave When first we practice to deceive ..." making up stuff to cover for other stuff they have made up.

Thanks
RC



mcleod -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/16/2008 11:56:52 AM)

There was one time on that PBS show where thet have antiques on and people with knowledge will guess some times how old the article is that is being shown to them.
What happen at one time was that a person who was quite gifted in doing forgeries in that field. Did a piece of paper and not one, but several of them said that the document was probably the real thing and was made in the 1500's. To much of their surprised it was created just the day before of the show came through town. That is not the only thing these experts failed in. they had a problem with the furniture . That was created to look old and seem to be made in the 1700's. Which kind a tells you that what has been said there is a sucker born every minute of the day.



Ps103 -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/17/2008 12:20:17 PM)

Did anyone read the article the OP linked?

It clearly said that was "unreliable."



DaveW -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/17/2008 3:00:08 PM)

I see no reason to believe that Yosef was any older than Mary. The RCC and EOC have put that forward to explain his absence after the opening of the Gospels, and (in the case of EOC) to say he was married before and James et al were children from that earlier marriage.

It is all conjecture.



9drtr -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/17/2008 8:19:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: rcjames

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)


Spot on JimboFletch

The RCC reminds me of; "What a wicked web we weave When first we practice to deceive ..." making up stuff to cover for other stuff they have made up.

Thanks
RC


And it reminds me of some Protestant groups selectively interpreting the Bible to cover other selective interpretations they made to justify their prohibition on alcohol for example. No organization has a monopoly on believing what they believe because they believe it, and doing fancy footwork to cover it up.



WesP -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/18/2008 8:45:07 AM)

quote:

And it reminds me of some Protestant groups selectively interpreting the Bible to cover other selective interpretations they made to justify their prohibition on alcohol for example. No organization has a monopoly on believing what they believe because they believe it, and doing fancy footwork to cover it up.


While this is true, we need to focus on what scripture tells us. There is no apparent proof of age, so we should remain silent on the issue. None of us should base doctrine on supposition. We can sit here and discuss possibilities, but beyond that is treading dangerous waters.



JimboFletch -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/18/2008 8:45:27 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: 9drtr

quote:

ORIGINAL: rcjames

quote:

ORIGINAL: JimboFletch

It might be an attempt to have Joseph unable to father a child due to age or have him dead before Mary could have other children besides Jesus. (The Catholic desire for a perpetually virgin Mary.)


Spot on JimboFletch

The RCC reminds me of; "What a wicked web we weave When first we practice to deceive ..." making up stuff to cover for other stuff they have made up.

Thanks
RC


And it reminds me of some Protestant groups selectively interpreting the Bible to cover other selective interpretations they made to justify their prohibition on alcohol for example. No organization has a monopoly on believing what they believe because they believe it, and doing fancy footwork to cover it up.

I try to take the Word for what it says and it says that Jesus had brothers and sisters. I have no doctrinal imperative to make Mary into more than Jesus' human mother, only a desire to understand the Bible. There is only biblical solid evidence that Mary had no sexual relations until after Jesus birth. And theologically, it doesn't matter a teeny bit whether she had a dozen children after Jesus.



Ps103 -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/18/2008 11:44:50 AM)

quote:

While this is true, we need to focus on what scripture tells us. There is no apparent proof of age, so we should remain silent on the issue. None of us should base doctrine on supposition. We can sit here and discuss possibilities, but beyond that is treading dangerous waters.


Which is, in fact, what the article said[;)]

PS--might want to take some of this discussion to the Perpetual Virginity thread...



9drtr -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/18/2008 6:59:13 PM)

All we know for certain about their ages is that Mary was old to bear children, and Joseph was old enough to get married.



JesKlu -> RE: How old was Joseph when he married Mary? (4/18/2008 8:26:25 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DaveW

I see no reason to believe that Yosef was any older than Mary. The RCC and EOC have put that forward to explain his absence after the opening of the Gospels, and (in the case of EOC) to say he was married before and James et al were children from that earlier marriage.

It is all conjecture.


There is a huge possibility that Joseph was older than Mary, even by a generation. That was not uncommon back then. But anything beyond what scripture says is a speculation, and it is not wise to go into those. So I choose to not really say anything.
Again, scripture is silent on the issue.

Your sister in Christ Jesus,
Jessica



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