There is no evidence in the Bible that Joseph was older than Mary. But according to ancient Jewish customs, Mary was married at about 12-13 years of age, and Joseph was about 18-19 years old at that time. Thus according to this calculation, there was a difference of about 6-7 years between the ages of Mary and Joseph.
Very commonly, the age gap was 2–4 years just as it is today in the Western world, though having an older wife than the husband was virtually unheard-of. Mosaic law, such as the law regarding sacrifices, is only applicable to men between 20 and 50, so it can be conjectured that Joseph was at least 20 at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Joseph’s death is probably the most likely explanation of his absence at Mary’s side during the crucifixion; however, even if Joseph had died, we don’t know that it was from old age. There are many things that can cause a young man to die in our time and probably many, many more that could have caused it in the first century.
Mosaic law, such as the law regarding sacrifices, is only applicable to men between 20 and 50, so it can be conjectured that Joseph was at least 20 at the time of Jesus’ birth. Assuming an “average” marriage gap of between 2 and 4 years, an age of 20 for Joseph and 16 for Mary at the time of Jesus’ birth is not unreasonable.
How old is a child in Genesis 5?
In Genesis 5, it’s well after 100 years old, sometimes hundreds of years old. In Genesis 11, however, scripture seems to normalize the late 20s and early thirties as the age of a man’s first child.
In fact, people married and worked at that age up until the beginning of the 20th century. Girls married young because the best chance to produce healthy children (and lots of them) was to start early .
You will get different answers on different forums. I have read that Catholics believe that Joseph was an older man with children from a previous marriage. As others have mentioned, the protestant bible doesn’t tell us much. Early writings by Christian saints (that Catholics use in addition to the bible) may shed more light and underscore their faith in Mary as the new Arc of the Covenant. She was kept holy and pure throughout her entire life. Only someone pure and holy could carry in her womb and subsequently raise someone as perfect and holy as Jesus Christ. It’s a very interesting topic to research online. I’m not sure that this is a belief of all Catholics, as I am not Catholic.
False, Joseph was in his 30s, Mary was 14 at the time of her pregnancy, 15 when Jesus was born, there are records, and also there are clues in scripture. The Romans were as good at keeping records as the U.S., and the records from the tax collection, believe it or not, are possessed by the Catholic church.
Why is Mary considered a teenager?
Many assume that the virgin Mary was a teenager because that was the age that young women often got married at that time. The assumption, based on practices at the time, is that Joseph would have been older than Mary, but how much older is unknown. The fact that Joseph’s parents are never mentioned in conjunction with the marriage arrangements …
When the New Testament speaks of Jesus’ brothers and sisters ( Matthew 13:55–56 ), one Roman Catholic interpretation is that these are Joseph’s children from a previous marriage.
The fact that Joseph’s parents are never mentioned in conjunction with the marriage arrangements might indicate that he is older and no longer under his parent’s authority. However, Mary’s parents are never mentioned, either, yet many still assume that Mary was a teenager when Jesus was born.
Although Mary is mentioned several times in the gospels, Joseph is never mentioned after the incident of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple ( Luke 2:42–52 ). Joseph is not at the foot of the cross with Mary, and Jesus commits His mother to the care of His disciple John ( John 19:26–27 ).
ADVERTISEMENT
