Saint Joseph
In the Bible, two great characters named Joseph played an important role in God's plan for the salvation of the world: a Joseph in the Old Testament and Saint Joseph in the New Testament. In addition, the two Josephs have a common bond.Old Testament
Joseph of the Old Testament
The Joseph of the Old Testament is one of Jacob’s sons, the first he had with Rachel. Jacob had a special affection for Joseph, which aroused the jealousy of his brothers to the point of selling him to a caravan that took him to Egypt where he was reduced to being a slave to a butler of Pharaoh.
However, Joseph had a talent for interpreting dreams. One day, he was called to court to interpret the two dreams of the Pharaoh that no one around him could interpret.
Joseph revealed their meaning and in recognition, Pharaoh appointed him his steward, a very powerful person at court.
When a great famine swept through the land of Israel, Joseph brought all his family members to Egypt and saved them from certain death. The frescoes that can be admired in the nave present the highlights of the life of this Joseph.
New Testament
Saint Joseph of the New Testament
Saint Joseph of the New Testament is the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, the son of God. He was already engaged to Mary when God chose her to be the mother of his son and the Holy Spirit begat Jesus. When Mary revealed to him that she was pregnant, Joseph wanted to repudiate her in secret, but in a dream, the angel of the Lord proposed to him to participate in the great project of the salvation of the world by keeping her with him and by accepting to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Joseph accepted and became the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus.
At the time of the great census, Joseph had to go with Mary to Bethlehem to register because he was a descendant of David. Mary gave birth to her son Jesus in Bethlehem. It is therefore thanks to Joseph that Jesus is a descendant of David.
Later, God spoke to St. Joseph again in a dream: after the visit of the Magi to tell him to flee to Egypt with Jesus and Mary, and a few years later to tell him that he could return to Israel, the dangers for the child having been removed. Each time, Joseph answered present and committed himself to the path that God proposed to him.
The man of dreams
What is this famous link between the two Josephs that the Bible presents to us?
The importance of dreams in their destinies. Indeed, Joseph, the son of Jacob, succeeded in gaining the confidence of Pharaoh by his gift of interpreting dreams.
And St. Joseph of the New Testament listened to God every time God spoke to him in dreams. Dreams have therefore greatly influenced the destiny of these two important characters of the Bible.
