How Old Was Joseph When He Married Mary? This article will discuss the various documents that mention Joseph’s age. We’ll also explore his relationship with Zechariah and Elizabeth. And, last but not least, we’ll explore his relationship with Mary’s parents. After all, they were both Jewish. So, the age of Mary’s parents was probably around twenty years old. Joseph and Mary were very young at the time.
St. Joseph’s age at the time of his marriage to Mary
According to Christian tradition, St. Joseph was ninety years old when he married Mary. Before the Annunciation, Joseph was a rabbi. Two years later, the Holy Spirit chose him as a husband for Mary. Joseph had a tender heart and a great love for Mary. He also accepted the role of God’s servant and loved Jesus as his own. While he was very old, his age was probably no greater than ninety.
Several early Christian texts mention St. Joseph’s age when he married Mary. Some scholars argue that he was around forty years old at the time. Other Christians, however, estimate his age at fifty or sixty years. There are four common claims regarding Joseph’s age when he married Mary. One of them is that he was a widower and had already married another woman months before Mary. A third claim says that St. Joseph had a son by a woman who had died months earlier.
In the Bible, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. But, the two were separated before the marriage, and it was discovered that Mary was pregnant before the wedding. Since Joseph was a just man, he resolved to divorce Mary quietly. However, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to take Mary as his wife. Apparently, the baby Joseph bore was born of the Holy Spirit.
In the apocryphal writings, there are several stories about Joseph’s marriage. In one of these stories, St. Joseph married a woman named Melcha at age forty, and another woman called Salome at age fifty-nine. This couple had six children, with James the least. Although the Gospels do not state the age of Mary’s first husband, it’s likely that she and St. Joseph were already old when he married Mary.
Documents that mention his age
In the first two gospels, the virgin Mary is described as being betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. The text says that Joseph was twenty-one when he married Mary, presumably because he was her betrothed. The document Luke cites, however, translates the word mnesteuo as “married” rather than “betrothed.”
While the Holy Book Bible doesn’t specifically mention Joseph’s age when he married his future wife, some scholars believe Joseph was around 16-18 years old at the time, while Mary was a year or two younger. According to other accounts, Joseph was a carpenter, so he supported the family with his hard work. He and Mary had five sons and two daughters. But while we can’t know for sure when Joseph was married, we do know that he had children and was still a young man when he married Mary.
Other sources note that Joseph and Mary were full-fledged husband and wife when they traveled to Bethlehem. While they weren’t married yet, under ancient Jewish law, they would have been considered full-fledged husband and wife. And, under these laws, they were legally married by the time they got to Bethlehem. As far as the age of Mary when he married Mary, it is estimated that Joseph was around forty.
Christian tradition and modern science disagree over this question. Some believe that Joseph was older than Mary, but others say that she was a virgin and had no children of her own. While the Bible does not mention a precise age, the document’s mention in the Gospels gives us a rough idea of how old he was. It is also possible that Joseph had half-siblings.
Relationship with Zechariah
There are many theories about Mary’s relationship with Zechariah. In the Bible, she was Elizabeth’s cousin, and her father was a temple priest. Zechariah may have been a local hick, or he could have been a temple priest because he had married a woman from the temple. Either way, Elizabeth may have helped prepare Mary for pregnancy, marriage, and being anointed by the Lord.
Elizabeth was comfortable in her life, happy with Zechariah’s marriage, and she worshipped God. In contrast, Mary was rejoicing in the role that God had given her. In her unsure state, Zechariah’s advice and comfort may have been just what she needed. Mary may have sought comfort and advice, but she wasn’t sure whether or not to marry Joseph.
Zechariah’s faith in God and his role as a priest in the temple can help Mary cope with the news. Though Mary’s response was less than favorable, Zechariah’s decades of temple service can help her cope emotionally and spiritually. Although Zechariah is not the ideal person to be the mother of the Messiah, he is an important spiritual support system for Mary.
Zechariah and Joseph were friends. Elizabeth was Zechariah’s godparent. Joseph married Mary for two reasons: to honor Zechariah’s father and to bring Jesus to earth. Zechariah’s first wife was an illegitimate mother. She would later give birth to the baby, and Zechariah would be his spiritual father. Ultimately, Zechariah would be a godly father.
Relationship with Elizabeth
The first recorded reference to the relationship between Joseph and his wife, Elizabeth, was in the Gospel of Luke. On the day of her circumcision, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. This announcement brought her neighbors and relatives together to celebrate the new baby. They all asked her father what she would name him. Joseph took out a writing tablet and wrote the name John. When Elizabeth heard the name, she was amazed.
After the birth of their son, John, Elizabeth goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. This is the first time she sees her cousin and a baby is expected. Elizabeth and Zechariah are happy for Mary’s arrival. The baby would be called John the Baptist because of this. Elizabeth is happy to see her cousin and her new family, and Joseph is happy for her. However, she must not want the birth of her baby to become a publicity stunt.
Although Joseph and Mary were not yet married, they were considered to be a full couple in ancient Jewish law. They traveled to Bethlehem as husband and wife. In fact, they would have paid the bride price to Mary’s father. However, the angel’s command to marry Mary had prompted them to follow the angel’s orders. Despite the fact that there is no record of sexual relations between Joseph and Mary, they began living together after a period of betrothal.
The angel had told Mary how she would have a child in old age. She had been barren for her entire life, but God had worked a miracle and she became pregnant. After Elizabeth had recovered from her experience, Joseph and Mary were able to give birth to the baby. Elizabeth also received a holy spirit, which was a gift from God. And because of this, Elizabeth is pregnant.
Relationship with Elizabeth’s father
There’s a lot of speculation about the relationship between Elizabeth and her father when Joseph and Mary were married. It is unknown exactly how their relationship started, but it is likely that Elizabeth was close to Zechariah, the priest of the temple, because Zechariah was also married to a woman named Elizabeth. This relationship may have been important for Zechariah, who was likely a priest himself. However, Elizabeth’s father may have been just another village hick, since people didn’t normally have children after 60.
Luke records that Mary spent three months with Elizabeth before giving birth to John. Possibly, Mary was with Zechariah until he named him John, and this is why she didn’t want to make the announcement public. Later, Mary left Zechariah and Elizabeth behind and returned to Nazareth. Perhaps she did not want the attention to be on the birth of her son, so she decided to go home to Nazareth.
It is not known how Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, but he remained secretive, fearful that his wife might be exposed to public disgrace. However, it is possible that Joseph and Mary were legally married before consummation, since Jewish law provided that a betrothed couple could be stoned to death. The rape hypothesis is hard to explain, but it is possible that Joseph and Mary’s relationship was complicated by a complicated situation.
Zechariah are likely to have a happy relationship with one another. Elizabeth may be relieved to learn she is pregnant, but the two cannot tell anyone. Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a surprise to her, but the shame would have been unbearable. Zechariah might not believe her, so she has to remain secretive. In fact, Zechariah was likely too old to believe the baby was a child.