Death of Joseph, Jesus' Earthly Father in Scripture
The biblical texts do not explicitly record the death of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Instead, his presence in the Gospels diminishes after the early accounts of Jesus's childhood, leading to the general assumption that he died before Jesus began his public ministry.
The New Testament refers to Jesus as "the son of Joseph" [2, 3]. For instance, in John 6:42, people question Jesus's divine claims by stating, "Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" [2]. This identification highlights Joseph's role as Jesus's legal father within the community.
While the canonical Gospels do not describe Joseph's death, some apocryphal texts, such as The History of Joseph the Carpenter, provide detailed narratives. This text, preserved in the Ante-Nicene Fathers collection, describes Joseph's life span as 111 years and places his death on the twenty-sixth of the month Abib [4]. It even claims that Jesus himself related this history [4]. These non-canonical accounts often fill in details not found in the Bible, though they are not considered authoritative scripture.
The absence of Joseph from later Gospel narratives is notable. He is present during the birth narratives (Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2) and the incident in the Temple when Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:41-52). However, by the time Jesus begins his public ministry, Joseph is no longer mentioned. For example, at the wedding in Cana, only Mary is present with Jesus [7]. This silence has led many scholars and theologians to infer that Joseph had passed away by this point.
The figure of Joseph in the Old Testament, son of Jacob, provides a parallel for understanding the significance of a patriarch's death. When the Old Testament Joseph's father, Jacob, died, Joseph "fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him" [1]. Joseph then commanded physicians to embalm his father, and the Egyptians mourned for seventy days [5]. This Old Testament account emphasizes the profound grief and elaborate funeral rites associated with the death of a significant patriarchal figure. The Midrash Rabbah even suggests that the Old Testament Joseph died before his brothers because he embalmed his father, implying a divine judgment or consequence [8].
The death of the Old Testament Joseph marked a significant transition, signifying "the end of his generation... and of the patriarchal age" [6]. His body was kept in Egypt as a "pledge of hope for slaves awaiting the Promised Land" [6]. Similarly, the implied death of Jesus's earthly father, Joseph, marks a transition in Jesus's life, from his upbringing within a traditional family structure to his independent public ministry.
The New Testament's silence regarding Joseph's death contrasts with the detailed accounts of other significant deaths, such as John the Baptist or even Jesus himself. This lack of explicit detail about Joseph's passing has allowed for various traditions and interpretations to emerge over time, particularly in non-canonical literature, but the canonical scriptures remain silent on the matter.
Sources
- Genesis “Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him. -- Genesis 50:1”
- John “They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’” -- John 6:42”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Jesus — (1.) Joshua, the son of Nun (Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:8; R.V., "Joshua"). (2.) A Jewish Christian surnamed Justus (Col. 4:11). Je'sus, the proper, as Christ is the official, name of our Lord. To distinguish him from others so called, he is spoken of as "Jesus of Nazareth" (John 18:7), and "Jesus the son of Joseph" (John 6:42). This is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was originally Hoshea (Num. 13:8, 16), but changed by Moses into Jehoshua (Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27), or Joshua. After the Exile it assumed the form Jeshua, whence the Greek form Jesus. It”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 8: Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts, Epistles, Apocrypha, Decretals — THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH THE CARPENTER (part 1): IN the name of God, of one essence and three persons. The History of the death of our father, the holy old man, Joseph the carpenter. May his blessings and prayers preserve us all, O brethren! Amen. His whole life was one hundred and eleven years, and his departure from this world happened on the twenty-sixth of the month Abib, which answers to the month Ab. May his prayer preserve us! Amen. And, indeed, it was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself who related this history to His holy”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 50 (introduction): Joseph bewails the death of his father, and commands the physicians to embalm him, Gen 50:1, Gen 50:2. The Egyptians mourn for him seventy days, Gen 50:3. Joseph begs permission from Pharaoh to accompany his father's corpse to Canaan, Gen 50:4, Gen 50:5. Pharaoh consents, Gen 50:6. Pharaoh's domestics and elders, the elders of Egypt, Joseph and his brethren, with chariots, horsemen, etc., form the funeral procession, Gen 50:7-9. They come to the threshing-floor of Atad, and mourn there seven days, Gen 50:10. The Canaanites call the place Abel-Mizraim, ”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 50:26: 50:26 Joseph’s death signified the end of his generation (see study notes on 25:7-8; 35:1-29) and of the patriarchal age. From this point forward, God dealt with Israel as a nation. • Joseph’s body was kept in Egypt as a pledge of hope for slaves awaiting the Promised Land (see Exod 13:19; Heb 11:39-40). He was eventually buried in Shechem (see Josh 24:32), where Jacob had originally sent him (Gen 37:13).”
- Mark (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Mark 15:43: And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses,.... Or Joseph, as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read: beheld where he was laid: very likely they saw Joseph, and his men, take him down from the cross, and they followed him, and observed where he laid him; or, as the Ethiopic version reads, "where they buried him"; placing themselves, as Matthew suggests, right "over against the sepulchre", Mat 27:61; so that they were witnesses of his death, and of his burial, as they afterwards were of his resurrection from the dead. Next: Mark Chapter 16”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit Rabbah 100:3: “Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept upon him, and kissed him” (Genesis 50:1). “Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. The physicians embalmed Israel” (Genesis 50:2). “Joseph fell…Joseph commanded his servants” – why did Joseph die before his brothers? Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and the Rabbis, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: Because he embalmed his father. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Was I not able to preserve My righteous one? Did I not say to him: “Do not fear [ ti’re’i ], worm of Jacob” (Isaiah 41:14) – worm, do”