Lecture 6 — Joseph’s dream

^1:24^ And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. [n. 152]

^1:25^ And he did not know her until she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. [n. 155]

151. Above, by two things, namely by the revelation of the angel, and by the prophet’s foretelling, the Evangelist confirmed that the mother of God conceived of the Holy Spirit; here he aims to show the same thing by Joseph’s obedience, who would not have assented to the angel’s command that he should take Mary as his wife unless he had known that she was impregnated of the Holy Spirit.

And concerning this he does two things:

first, he sets down her spouse’s obedience to the angel;

second, he describes the manner of the obedience, at and took.

152. And notice that since we fell into sin through the disobedience of the first man, for as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners (Rom 5:19), therefore obedience is put forward at the beginning of our renewal.

And we can note four things which are necessary for obedience. The first is that it be set in order. And I say set in order, because first vices should be given up, and afterwards one should obey unto the working of the virtues; break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns (Jer 4:3). And so it says here that Joseph rising up from sleep, namely the sleep of laziness and unbelief. It is said about this sleep: rise you who sleep, and arise from the dead (Eph 5:14).

The second is that it ought to be prompt; and this is what it is said*: delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day* (Sir 5:8). And so it says here that he immediately did as the angel commanded him. The Gloss: whoever is taught by the Lord, let him scatter the obstacles, rise from sleep, and do what is commanded.

The third, that it should be perfect, so that not only does what is commanded come about, but it comes about in the way in which it was commanded by the one who ordered these things. Hence it says here, as the angel of the Lord had commanded. The Gloss: perfect obedience. Children, obey your parents in all things (Col 3:20). The fourth, that it should be discerning, so that he is obeyed who should be obeyed, and in what he should be obeyed, so that nothing will come about against God; hence he says, as the angel of the Lord had commanded, not a bad angel but an angel of God. Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

153. And took. Here is shown in what things he obeyed. And three things are set down. First, the obedience which he showed to the angel; second, the reverence which he showed to the mother; third, the service which he gave to Christ after birth.

154. The angel commanded Joseph, **do not fear to take unto you Mary your wife **(Matt 1:20). And Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded. It is clear here that he found the woman good.

But did he not have her in his house? So why does it say, rising . . . he took?

Chrysostom responds: because he had not thrown her from the house, but from his heart. Or because she was first betrothed, and afterwards the nuptials were to be celebrated, and at that point she is called, and is, a married person.

155. And lest someone should suspect that a bodily union came in the meanwhile, he adds, and he did not know her.

Here one should understand that this word ‘to know’ is taken in two ways in Sacred Scripture: sometimes for recognition, and from henceforth you will know him, and you have seen him (John 14:7); sometimes for bodily union: and Adam knew Eve his wife (Gen 4:1), that is, bodily.

156. But it is objected that because it does not say simply he did not know her but until she brought forth her firstborn son, therefore he knew her afterward; hence Helvidius also said: although a virgin conceived Christ, yet afterwards she had other sons by Joseph.

And so Jerome says that ‘until’ sometimes indicates something limited and determinate, as I say, I will not come until I eat, because I signify that I will come afterwards; sometimes it indicates something unlimited and indeterminate, for example: he must reign, until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25). Will he not reign afterwards? Yes indeed, but Scripture uses such a way of speaking because it aims to remove that which could be a doubt. For there could be a doubt as to whether he was reigning when his enemies had not been put under his feet. Similarly, since the Blessed Virgin had given birth, there could be a doubt as to whether she had been known by Joseph before the birth, because the first should never come into doubt by anyone; namely because the angels have sung, glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke 2:14). And so the Evangelist aimed at this.

And Jerome argued most well against Helvidius: you say, Helvidius, that Joseph did not know her before, because he had been warned in a dream by the angel. If therefore a warning in sleep was so strong that he did not join himself to Mary, how much more the knowledge of the angels, of the shepherds, and of the wise men?

157. But Chrysostom takes knowledge as intellectual recognition. He did not know her, that is, how great her dignity was; but after she bore the child he knew. Others say that it is taken as sensible recognition; and in a certain way the opinion of these men is probable enough. For they say that Moses had such a brightness on his face from the Lord’s speech that the children of Israel could not look at his face (2 Cor 3:7). So if Moses had this from close association with God, much more did the Blessed Virgin, who bore him in the womb, have such a brightness on her face that Joseph did not know her. But the first explanation is more literal.

158. Again, Helvidius says that the text says, until she brought forth her firstborn son. The firstborn is said with respect to what comes after. Therefore she had others.

Jerome responds that it is customary in Sacred Scripture that the one whom others do not precede is called the firstborn; Exodus says that the firstborn of the Jews were offered to the Lord (Exod 13:12). Jerome asks: was it necessary to think that they would not be offered until the second was born? Therefore those whom others do not precede are called the firstborn; and so it is understood here.

159. Then follows the service. Luke follows this up more completely (Luke 2:21), but Matthew touches upon it briefly. For so the Holy Spirit wished it to be, that those things which one has said, the other should touch upon.

He called his name Jesus; this name indeed was more than slightly famous and longed for among the ancients; I will look for your salvation, O Lord (Gen 49:18). And, but I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus (Hab 3:18).