Paintings of the Holy Family with a young St. Joseph?

Paintings of the Holy Family with a young St. Joseph?

There are numerous paintings depicting the foster father of Our Lord as a relatively young man. In fact, this seems to be one of those traditions within the Church that does not have a strong historical backing to it. It seems to be more of a popular tradition than actually related to Sacred Tradition.

Saint Joseph in the teachings of Saint Josemaría

From his earliest writings, Saint Josemaría describes Saint Joseph as a young man, perhaps a bit older than our Lady, but imbued with vigor and strength: "The Holy Patriarch was not an old man, but a young, strong, upright man, a great lover of loyalty, a man with fortitude. Holy Scripture defines him with a single word: just (see Mt 1:20-21). Joseph was a just man, a man filled with all the virtues, as was fitting for the one who was to be God's protector on earth."

Underlying these words is the conviction that God, on giving a vocation, gives the graces suitable to the one who receives it, and therefore he adorned Saint Joseph with all the gifts of nature and grace that made him a suitable spouse of our Lady and head of the Holy Family.

Saint Josemaría's emphasis on the youthfulness of Joseph finds support in three fundamental reasons: in reading Sacred Scripture with common sense (which presents his espousal to our Lady as something normal, and the marriage of a young girl with an old man would not have been viewed as normal); in the communion of spirits proper to marriage (the love existing between them); and above all in the conviction that holy purity is not a question of age, but rather stems from love.

"I don't agree with the traditional picture of St Joseph as an old man, even though it may have been prompted by a desire to emphasis the perpetual virginity of Mary. I see him as a strong young man, perhaps a few years older than our Lady, but in the prime of his life and work. You don't have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love; and the strength and joy of youth are no obstacle for noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures."

For Saint Josemaría it was "unacceptable" to present Joseph as an old man for the purpose of silencing the "evil thinkers." And it was equally unacceptable to doubt the truth of his marriage to our Lady, as well as to fail to take into consideration the love that existed between them.

Saint Josemaría was enamored of Joseph's life of work, and he considered him a teacher of interior life in that life of intense and humble work. "For he teaches us to know Jesus and share our life with him, and to realize that we are part of God's family. Joseph "can teach us these lessons, because he is an ordinary man, a family man, a worker who earned his living by manual labor—all of which has great significance and is a source of happiness for us." The figure of Saint Joseph also speaks to us of the need to be always apostolic, for he knew how to turn his work into an opportunity to "make Jesus known." - Saint Josemaria and the Role of Saint Joseph in Christian Life

In Bartolomé Esteban Murillo‘s painting of the Holy Family with Bird, c. 1650, St. Joseph is portrayed as a relatively young man.

During the Middle Ages, Joseph the senior citizen became a stock figure in literature and art. Portrayals of Joseph as old and grey reached their height in Renaissance and Baroque-era paintings, such as Guido Reni’s 1640 “St. Joseph and the Christ Child,” in which a kindly, grandfatherly Joseph cradles the baby Jesus in his arms. Such images were a far cry from the earliest depictions of the saint. In the 5th century mosaics at Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Joseph appears hale and hearty and somewhat buff, in keeping with his stated profession in the Gospels as a tekton, a Greek word which could mean carpenter, but might more accurately be translated into modern English as “construction worker.” - Joseph Wasn’t Twice Mary’s Age.

The Matthean annunciation to Joseph is represented in seamless transition from the Lukan annunciation to Mary. The greater prominence given to the annunciation to Mary suggests a prioritization of Luke over Matthew in chronology and significance, though both announcements are parallel. The rod held in Joseph’s hand derives from the Infancy Gospel of Matthew, and it symbolizes Joseph’s divine commission as Mary’s protector. - S. Maria Maggiore, Rome