The Other Person in the Picture: The Portrayal and Interpretation of Joseph the Carpenter

By Philip Walker Jacobs

In this thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated volume, Jacobs invites us to reconsider the significance of Joseph of Nazareth and the role and influence he had in the life of Jesus. Relying on a careful reading of Scripture and recent archaeological studies, he challenges the historic and contemporary assumptions of those who have sought, through their writing and art, to marginalize Joseph and his importance in Christian history and the life of the church. Recognizing that Joseph is often minimized or left out of religious and cultural representations of the holy family, in plays and in Christmas cards, he reminds us that like Mary, Joseph was chosen by God to care, teach, and shape the one who would bring salvation and hope to the world. In the process, Jacobs encourages us to see Joseph as Scripture presents him--as believer, dreamer, prayer, protector, teacher, husband, and father--and as more than just the other person in the picture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Release date: Sep 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666796575

Philip Walker Jacobs

Philip Jacobs is the author of five academic texts: A Guide to the Study of Greco-Roman and Jewish and Christian History and Literature, The Life and Photography of Doris Ulmann, Glossary of Foreign Terms for the Study of Works of Art on Paper and Books, Joseph the Carpenter: His Reception in Literature and Art from the Second to the Ninth Century (History of Biblical Interpretation Series) and, The Other Person in the Picture. He teaches Art History at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina

Book preview

The Other Person in the Picture

And when Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him; Joseph took his wife but knew her not until she had borne a son; and Joseph called his name Jesus. (Matt

1

:

24

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25

)

In his powerful and beautiful narrative of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the evangelist Matthew unveils a host of details about the birth of the Christ, not the least of which is the detail that Joseph was the father of Jesus.

Now, for some, the mention that Joseph was the father of Jesus, the recollection of this point, may seem strange, and even puzzling. In response to it, some might say, so . . . what is the purpose of mentioning this? Everybody knows who Joseph was. How could anyone forget him? Everyone knows about Joseph. To which I would respond: With the greatest of ease. Easily. Simply.

For in most nativity scenes and portrayals Joseph plays the part of a supporting actor; a secondary character . . . who just appears along for the ride. Because both church and society have taught and instructed us over the years to see Joseph as simply another person in the stories and pictures of the nativity and life of Jesus; as a bit player in this holy drama. Because all of this instruction and teaching has permitted you and me to forget, to forget, in point of fact, the real and important role that Joseph played in the birth and life of Jesus.

Take a few moments to examine Albrecht Dürer’s engraving of the Nativity, found in the front of this book, which Dürer created in 1498.

Take a few moments to examine it.

Look at it carefully.

There are a lot of things going on in this picture.

As we can see, even this great master engraver, one of the greatest in the history of art, places Joseph in a subsidiary and supporting role.

Looking closely at this picture, we notice the artist has placed Joseph behind and off to the right of the central figures of Mary and Jesus.

Not beside Mary and Jesus.

Not together with them in the bed of straw in this image.

Not even directly behind them, in a pose like we might find in a modern family portrait. Instead, Joseph stands apart, away from Mary and Jesus.

With coat, and hat, and staff in hand, it looks as if the time has come for Joseph to leave; as if having protected Mary and the baby up to this point, Joseph must exit. After all, his presence with Mary has made sure that no one would consider Jesus an illegitimate child, born as a result of the relationship between Mary and another man, a man other than Joseph.

So Joseph has fulfilled his role. He has acted as the great legitimizer, hidden the inexplicable and incomprehensible action of God in the life of this young virgin.

Women in Jewish society who violated their vows of betrothal and had sexual relations with another man faced the threat of banishment and even the possibility of stoning. So Joseph has protected Mary. He has also made the baby Jesus appear legitimate, to those who were aware of Mary’s pregnancy.

Now as the artist shows us in this print, the baby Jesus is safe and seemingly asleep in his mother’s arms, and unaware of the departure of Joseph. And, does this not make sense? Why should Joseph not depart? He has done all he can do, all that was ever expected of him. Everyone believes this. Even God, it would appear, as Dürer’s image suggests, who, as Joseph departs, sends his angels to crown Mary and recognize and celebrate the central role she plays in this holy drama.

But there is something wrong with this picture and it is not just that Mary and Jesus are center stage in this print; centered in the middle of the image, and angels are approaching to further confirm her and her role.

It is that these things being so, Joseph has been set off to the side, suggesting he was never a leading character in this holy drama, never more than a supporting actor. That is what is wrong, here, and in many of the thousands of other paintings and prints and sculptures of the birth of Jesus created over the centuries.

For that is not the way it was, not the way that Matthew describes the events. Matthew reminds us that Joseph was, in fact, a leading character. Matthew emphasizes Joseph’s central role.

As we read Matthew’s Gospel we discover, among other things, that Joseph was a faithful and just man; a man of mercy; who cared for the child Jesus and Mary; and treated Jesus as if he was his own biological son.

We, also, discover that Joseph was a man who stood against the prospect of religious bigotry and gossip in his small town and religious community in order to protect the reputation of Mary and Jesus.

We discover many good things about Joseph.

Now I know that it is important that we also remember the role Mary had in the birth and life of Jesus, and honor the important role she played in the revelation of the Christ to the world.

It is important that we honor the woman who bore the anxiety, and embarrassment of her unexpected pregnancy and carried Jesus in her womb for nine long months, and additionally endured the pains of labor to bring us the Christ. We need to remember Mary. It is good and right to do so.

But, in our efforts to give honor and glory to the Christ child, and to his mother, need we forget the earthly father of our savior, the other person in the picture, one who also endured anxiety and embarrassment, and yet, in the face of it all, showed courage and faith? Need we forget Joseph? Need we relegate him to the backstage? I think not, and yet, he is often forgotten and even ignored.

But this is no longer acceptable. You’ll see what I mean if you go back and carefully read the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, which I have included at the end of the following chapters.

You will see that Joseph is not a bit player.

He does not just act in the first scene and leave.

He does not just stand around while others act.

He is not just the other person in the picture.

He acts.

He does what needs to be done.

He is center stage.

Which is exactly where Joseph was and where he belongs, according to the testimony of the early Christian Gospel writers Matthew and Luke; and according to the art of some of our more biblically astute artists, who point to the central role Joseph played in the life of the holy family. At this point, I offer three examples to get you thinking and reconsidering the role of Joseph.

Here, in this first example, we see Joseph’s importance on full display as Joseph is acknowledged and recognized as Jesus’ father and the husband of Mary in the painting of the The Holy Family at Table, created by the Dutch painter, Jan Mostaert.

In this composition the artist has placed all three members of the family close together at their kitchen table. There, Joseph is seen cutting bread for his family while Mary feeds the child Jesus. However, while Mary is holding him, he is watching Joseph and appears quite intrigued by his father’s actions; an intrigue that seems to elicit an ever-slight smile from Joseph.

Joseph’s significance is also revealed in this next example, a compelling painting by the Italian painter Caravaggio. Although faced with much tragedy in his own life, here, in his portrayal of the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, in contrast to many other artists who portrayed this scene, Caravaggio beautifully highlights Joseph’s spirituality and love for his wife and child, as he listens to the music and direction of the angel while they rest on their journey to Egypt.

Joseph’s position and role in the life of the holy family is further highlighted in the touching seventeenth-century painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, entitled, The Holy Family with a Little Bird. An intimate work, it conveys the belief that Joseph would have held Jesus and fed him and played with him and told him the stories of his people and done everything he could to engage him and keep him safe. In so doing, Joseph acted, not only as the father of Jesus and the head of his household, but also as the guardian of the one who was to bring the new covenant and salvation to all humanity.

And, yet, when many of us think about the holy family, the pictures in our mind are not like those seen in the work of these three artists. Rather, when we think of the holy family, the picture in our mind is more like that of a modern one-parent family, a family of a mother and child. Biblically literate as we may imagine ourselves, if we are honest, we have to admit that we just don’t think about Joseph much, if at all. Oh, we know he was around but assume his role was largely functional; his part a bit part; as was suggested to most of us when we were being instructed in Sunday School or in catechetical class at an early age. The truth is we assume we know more than we probably do. Examples of this abound. A personal one sticks in my mind.

Some years ago, when I mentioned my interest in writing about the subject of Joseph to a friend, a brilliant medical researcher and practicing Christian, I well remember his initial silence and astonished look. They were followed by a certain amount of verbal disfluency—which was most unusual for this individual—and then, differently, a bit of protest, representative of what I often hear when I bring up the issue of Joseph: Well, Joseph, is hardly mentioned in the New Testament. It would be one thing if this very bright person was the only person who believed this. But, in my discussions about the subject, I have discovered that his opinion is representative of many people, if not most. They may well have read the words in Matthew and Luke pertaining to the birth and infancy of Jesus in which Joseph appears, as so many have. But this does not mean that they have understood and comprehended the role and importance of Joseph, of the third person in the holy family, the other person in the picture. Quite the