Overview

He is a man of many titles. Head of the Holy Family. Spouse of the Blessed Virgin. Guardian of Our Lord. Terror of Demons. Though he is only briefly mentioned in the Bible, and never once has a quote attributed to him. St. Joseph is likely the best-known "" silent"" character in all of history, but theologians have spent centuries contemplating him. In St. Joseph and His World, author Mike Aquilina skillfully paints a portrait of St. Joseph by contrasting him with someone who affected his life in many ways- King Herod the Great. Aquilina invites readers into the life of St. Joseph- an heir of David with quiet beginnings, anticipating the promised Messiah. Conversely, he reveals Herod for who he was a sociopathic warlord, prone to wicked jealousy and paranoia. Drawing on modern and archaeological texts, Aquilina sheds light on a remarkable number of mysteries in the life of this revered saint. Was Joseph the decrepit old man he is often depicted as in art? Did the residents of Nazareth expect the Messiah to be one of their own? What did Joseph' s education and job training entail? Why would he contemplate divorcing Mary after the angel Gabriel' s visit? Was the flight to Egypt meticulously executed, or hastily carried out? What did the Holy Family do during the memorable trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was found in the Temple? Josephologists across the centuries have contemplated the life and character of the Angelic Man. In this definitive work, Mike Aquilina takes the brilliantly uncomplicated approach that, by familiarizing ourselves with St. Joseph' s world: his hometown, his trade, and his faith, we can draw closer to him and ultimately, draw closer to Christ.

Full Product Details

9781594173936

Table of Contents

Reviews

Foreword By Scott Hahn In the second century, the Greek historian Plutarch wrote his Parallel Lives, a collection of biographical profiles organized in pairs. Each pair consisted of one eminent Greek and one eminent Roman. It was a convenient format, enabling its author to enhance each profile with implicit comparisons to its complement: Alexander the Great with Julius Caesar, Demosthenes with Cicero, and so on. Plutarch wrote forty-eight biographies, all told. In writing these biographies, he had the distinct advantage of writing as a pagan historian for a pagan audience. And why should that be an advantage? Because no one was expecting Plutarch to write a biography of St. Joseph. There are few subjects so challenging, especially for authors who respect historical method. St. Joseph seems to go out of his way to be uncooperative with history, even as he's faithful to Providence. In all the reliable records, he is as tight-lipped as an NSA agent, as unforthcoming as a Carthusian. Christian authors down through the ages have tended to make up for the dearth of information by supplying an excess of pious homiletics. At the end of such books, Joseph can seem more distant than he was on page one. Faced with this challenge, Mike Aquilina succeeded by doubling the difficulty. Though he never shows his hand, he has, in the pages of St. Joseph and His World, pulled a Plutarch on us. He has composed parallel lives of the most improbable pair. He tells the story of the Holy Family's patriarch alongside the life of the man's arch-nemesis. He gives an account of Joseph's days as they were bound up with the career of one of history's vilest despots: King Herod the Great. And this is a tremendous breakthrough, because we cannot begin to understand the life of either until we appreciate the life of the other. In the pages of the book, you'll learn about Nazareth-and how it was created almost ex nihilo shortly before Joseph's birth. You'll learn about religious practice and education in that place and time. You'll travel to Egypt and encounter the fascinating settlements of the Jewish people in that land. You'll also find out-in literally nuts-and-bolts terms-how a carpenter worked in those days: what tools he used, what items he crafted, where he got his training, and how he got to and from his job sites. You'll learn how large construction jobs proceeded and what role carpenters played in the work crew. Aquilina even weaves international affairs into the story. Who knew that Cleopatra had her part to play? Who cared about the political rivalries between Syria and Egypt, Persia and Rome? Joseph knew, and he cared, because all of these matters were contributing factors in his professional life. Then there is the religious dimension, which in Joseph's culture was bound up with everything else. This book renders first-century Jewish life in vivid terms, with carefully chosen, telling details. The author has managed to convey its complexity without bogging down the narrative with academic minutiae. What we discover between the lines is that there were, in the first century bc, two guiding hands in history: there was the providential hand of the Lord God working God's will, and there was the demonic hand of Satan manipulating the mad King Herod. As a result, there were two rival accounts of kingship, two rival ideas of temple-building, and two rival stories of salvation. Joseph was not the only Jew to recognize this dualism, but he was perhaps the most important one. Those who recognized it were forced to make difficult choices-and face terrifying consequences. Scott Hahn, PhD, is author of many books, editor of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, and founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Author Information

Mike Aquilina is a popular author of Church history, especially the study of the early Church Fathers. He is executive vice-president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a research center based in Steubenville, OH. He is a contributing editor of Angelus News and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He hosts "" The Way of the Fathers,"" a podcast produced by CatholicCulture.org. Aquilina is the author or editor of more than seventy books, including St. Joseph and His World, also published by Scepter.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available