I have read part of the History of Joseph the Carpenter, the apocryphal book about the father of Jesus. It seems to be very "catholic" in its theology, portraying Joseph as an old man who had children before marrying Mary. It says he died at age 111, and never had sex with Mary. Propaganda! Are there any books out there giving a more factual account of Joseph? Why is there so little information about Joseph, considering he was the one who taught Jesus about God?... Obviously he was a righteous man, or else God would not have chosen him. Joseph is a mystery to me. I want to do some research on him, but I don't know where to start or where to go. -- Michael Barnes (Athens, Georgia)
This apocryphal history, available in Volume VIII of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, probably contains a number of shreds of history. There is also the Gospel of Joseph the Carpenter, dating from the 4th century. You have already put your finger on the problem with all the apocryphal gospels, acts, letters, and apocalypses: they are written so late that they reflect and justify theological bias, rather than convey true history.
As for Joseph's still being alive during Jesus' public ministry, this seems unlikely, as he is never mentioned in the four gospels in this respect. Identifying a person by his parents' names in no way suggests the parents are still alive. That would be a non sequitur. As to Joseph's living to age 111, if that is so, it is extremely odd that he is never mentioned as living after Jesus' thirteenth year (at the end of Luke 2, we see Joseph and the twelve-year-old Jesus together).
While Joseph is mentioned in many scholarly books, I am afraid you will find no more accurate information than we have in the gospel accounts. (You may, however, find a good deal of helpful background information on the times of Joseph and social conditions in Judea and Galilee in the first century, for example in the late Bargil Pixner's writings.)
Many would like to research Jesus' "hidden years" (ages 3-11 and 13-about 30), but the stuff of historical inquiry simply isn't there--hundreds of popular speculations notwithstanding! So it is with Joseph, the father of Jesus. At this website, you probably already checked Q&As 0204, 0265, and 0464, and failed to find anything solid. For a 2-CD exploration of the "lost books of the Bible," please see my audio set by that name. Alas, I wish I could help you more!
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