The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Joseph

The Lives of the Saints 136 Joseph March 19 and May 1 While he is the most discreet among the characters of the Gospels, Saint Joseph has had a very prominent place in iconography. Beyond the events surrounding the birth of Christ, the foster father of Jesus appears only once more in Scripture: when the child, aged 12, stays behind at the Temple to discourse with the doctors of the Law. The apocryphal writings, notably the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, fill the gaps in this scanty biography. We read there that the choice of Joseph as spouse of Mary was the outcome of a miracle—of all the candidates, he was the only one whose dry stick, when planted on the soil, brought forth flowers The flight into Egypt is also rich in dramatic and touching episodes . Pursuing the Holy Family, the soldiers of Herod were fooled by a peasant who actually told them the truth, that is, that he had seen the three refugees when he was sowing his seeds. However, in a matter of a few hours, the wheat had grown, had ripened, and was ready to be reaped, which misled the pursuers. Shortly afterwards, the travelers stopped below the shade of a palm tree. At an order of the Infant Jesus, the tree bent over to offer its dates to the hungry Family, and its roots parted revealing a hidden spring. When they arrived at the Egyptian town of Hermopolis, the 365 idols of the local temple fell and were shattered to pieces. Aphrodisis, the master of the town, then came to render homage to the refugees, along with the entire population of Hermopolis. These anecdotes figure often in the background of illustrations of the flight into Egypt. Quentin Massys (1465–1530) Repose during the Flight to Egypt Museum of Art, Worcester, Mass. ...