When Father Donald Calloway went looking for artwork for his new book “Consecration to St. Joseph,” he wanted to depict the guardian of the Holy Family as a strong, virile, royal figure. But he ran into a problem.
In a May 1 blog post for the National Catholic Register, author Joseph Pronechen quotes Father Calloway as saying, “As I went through classic images on St. Joseph through the centuries, the majority of them pictured St. Joseph as old. And he is in the background and not very prominent.” He thought, “We’ve got to do something about that.” So Father Calloway commissioned new works of art, which can be viewed and purchased at consecrationtojoseph.org.
One of the artists, Bernadette Carstensen, is quoted saying, “In reality, St. Joseph could have really been a very strong, young man close in age to Mary… Father wanted to counter the tradition of St. Joseph as very old, as a caretaker. St. Joseph was young and strong.” Father Calloway says, “I’m hoping other artists will see these, come up with their own ideas, and get some fresh presentations of St. Joseph out there, especially in parishes where a lot of the images they have of St. Joseph (show him) very old.”
These newly commissioned images are beautiful and inspiring, but do they depict the “real” St. Joseph? Why do so many traditional paintings of St. Joseph show him looking rather grandfatherly? Historical information about Joseph is scarce. The most reliable information comes from Matthew and Luke’s gospels, but they provide very little background information on Joseph’s life. The earliest extra-biblical account is the second-century “Protoevangelium of James.” The historical veracity of this text is uncertain, but it is the oldest written source for many of the traditions we have about the Holy Family, including the names of Mary’s parents, Sts. Joachim and Ann.
In that account, Mary is 3 years old when she is dedicated by her parents as a Temple Virgin in Jerusalem. When she comes of age, the priests decided to betroth her to an older widower who has already raised a family, to provide for Mary while preserving her vow of virginity. The man they chose was St. Joseph, who is called an “old man.” This sheds light on Mary’s question to St. Gabriel when the angel announces she will conceive and bear a son. “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Lk 1:34). It also helps explain why St. Joseph is absent from the gospel narratives after the finding of Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12. He likely did not live into Jesus’ adulthood.
Other early accounts put Joseph at 80 years old (the fourth century “Panerion”) or 90 years old (the fifth century “History of St. Joseph the Carpenter”) at the time he was betrothed to Mary. While these early sources differ on the details, the universal testimony of the early Church is that St. Joseph was rather advanced in years at the time of Jesus’ birth. By contrast, there is a complete absence of any early tradition describing Joseph as a younger man.
We don’t start seeing a young St. Joseph in Christian art until the turn of the 16th century.
Father Calloway observes that Joseph is often depicted as being “in the background.” This is true, but is in no way meant to minimize his sanctity. There is a tradition in Eastern iconography that St. Joseph is never depicted alone. He is always shown either holding the Christ child, or as part of the Holy Family. This is most fitting for the “silent saint” who more than any other exemplifies the virtue of humility. Even in art, St. Joseph testifies to the truth expressed by St. John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
Modern arguments for a young St. Joseph are based neither in history nor tradition, but in a concept of masculine virtue tied to virility. For example, in “The World’s First Love” by Venerable Fulton Sheen (1952), he writes, “Joseph was probably a young man, strong, virile, athletic, handsome, chaste, and disciplined; the kind of man one sees sometimes shepherding sheep, or piloting a plane, or working at a carpenter’s bench… He was not in the evening of life, but in its morning, bubbling over with energy, strength, and controlled passion.” In the artwork for his new book, Father Calloway has a similar desire to show St. Joseph as powerful and strong, the “Terror of Demons.” But it’s not the strength of Joseph’s arm that terrifies the demons. It’s the strength of his humility.
So while I understand the desire to depict Joseph as a young and virile model for both priests and husbands to follow, it would be a shame to disregard the tradition of the early Church reminding us that St. Joseph’s true strength is his holiness, not his youthful vitality. Virility, after all, is an accident of nature. As a middle-aged husband, father and deacon, I find myself getting less virile with the passage of time. There’s nothing much I can do about that. Venerability, on the other hand, comes only with discipline, patience and trust in God. And in that respect I pray to become more and more like St. Joseph in the years to come.
Deacon Matthew Newsome is the Catholic campus minister at Western Carolina University and the regional faith formation coordinator for the Smoky Mountain Vicariate.
Celebrate the Year of St. Joseph
At www.yearofstjoseph.org: Find educational resources, prayers and devotions to help you and your family commemorate the “Year of St. Joseph” this year in the Diocese of Charlotte.