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I. 5 -- Joseph, the Man of Dreams
In the New Testament, only the Gospel of Matthew explicitly presents
dreams as a means of revelation. Matthew relates six instances
of divine communications in dreams, five of which are in the infancy
narrative, one to the magi and the other four to Joseph. Of these
five revelations, two are reported in the same abbreviated form "being
warned in a dream" (Mt 2:12,22), while the other three
(Mt 1:20-25; 2:13-14,19-21) are described according to
an artificial pattern with the following elements:
1) an introductory description of the situation;
2) with very minor variations, the phrase "Behold, an angel of
the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying;"
3) the message of the angel, containing a command with a form
of the same Greek verb for "take," and a reason for the command;
4) faith response of obedient execution of the command;
5) a Scripture citation containing a form of the same Greek verb
for "call" and a title of Jesus.
These three stereotyped formulas and one of the abbreviated forms
all center around Joseph and regard, respectively: 1) taking
Mary as wife and naming the child "Jesus;" 2) fleeing to Egypt
to rescue the child and his mother; 3) returning from Egypt
to Israel with the child and his mother; 4) withdrawing to
Galilee and establishing residence in Nazareth. Joseph's cooperation
with these divine revelations is in accord with the cited fulfillment
of prophecies (the last two dreams being two stages of a single
fulfillment) involving the child's titles of "Jesus" (Mt 1:25), "Son
[of God]" (Mt 2:15), and "Nazarene" (Mt 2:23).
The geographical movement from Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth of
Galilee is also accomplished in response to dreams (Mt 2:13,20,22)
and shown to fulfill prophecies (Mt 2:6,15,23).
I. 5.1 Background on Dreams and Angel Appearances
While rare in the New Testament, dreams are rather common in
the Old Testament, and a variety of significances accompany them.
When foreigners such as Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar dream, a Hebrew
man of God, such as Joseph or Daniel, is needed to interpret for
them (Gen 40:5--41:36; Dan 2:1-49; 4:1-25). Israel,
however, needs no help in interpreting dreams, which are often
means of divine communication. Yahweh, whom no one can see and
still live (Ex 33:20), commonly reveals in dreams and
night visions his plans for his people and the role they are to
play in those designs, as seen in the examples of Abraham (Gen 15:12-13),
Abimelech (Gen 20:3,6), Laban (Gen 31:24), Jacob-Israel
(Gen 28:12-13; 46:2-4), Joseph (Gen 37:5-11),
Samuel (1 Sam 3:1-14), Nathan (2 Sam 7:4-17),
Solomon (1 Kgs 3:5), and Daniel (Dan 2:18-23).
In righteous Joseph's dreams (and not in that of the magi), it
is the "angel of the Lord," who appears to him. This exact phrase
is found repeatedly and consistently in the Septuagint as a translation
for "the angel of Yahweh," who is sent with most important messages
to Hagar (Gen 16:7-12), Abraham (Gen 22:11,15),
Moses (Ex 3:2), the people of Israel (Jgs 2:1-4),
the barren wife of Manoah (Jgs 13:3-5), Elijah (1 Kgs 19:7; 2 Kgs 1:15),
and Joshua the high priest (Zec 3:1-10). The types of
communications in the dreams cited above and those through the
angel of the Lord are most similar, and it is not so surprising
that for Joseph these two forms are combined, so that he invariably
awakes with total faith and no doubt whatsoever about their interpretation.
Gideon has both the appearance of the angel of the Lord addressing
him with the title "man of valor," and God speaking to him at night
with instructions as to what he is to do (Jgs 6:11-12,25).
Balaam has the Lord come to him at night, and the angel of the
Lord standing before him in the day (Num 22:20,31-32).
The angel of God comes to Jacob in a dream (Gen 31:10-11),
and Zechariah speaks with an angel in the night (Zec 1:7-9).
Matthew has shown how Joseph received the vocation to be a key
personage in Jesus' infancy, and how that role can only be fulfilled
by a special charism, a charism which was communicated to him by
an angel of the Lord in dreams, in the way that God communicated
to his patriarchs and prophets in the Old Testament. Joseph receives
an initial revelation about the identity of the child Jesus, conceived
of the Holy Spirit to save his people from their sins. He then
receives subsequent messages about how he is to cooperate in that
work of salvation by guarding and protecting the child and his
mother. In the New Testament, this role and this manner of divine
communication are unique to Joseph, so that he alone can be called
a "man of dreams," a title previously given to his namesake, the
patriarch Joseph (Gen 37:19).
I. 5.2 Parallels with the Patriarch Joseph
Of all the Old Testament recipients of dreams mentioned here,
probably none is more important than the patriarch Joseph. He not
only interprets the dreams of Pharaoh and his court, but first
of all is himself the recipient of divine communications in dreams,
regarding his role in the history of the chosen people (Gen 37-50).
Though Matthew's infancy narrative also contains other resonances
and is by no means a systematic allusion to Genesis, there are
many significant parallels between the two Josephs, which it will
be well to catalog and examine:
1) Name. The name of New Testament Joseph could
not help but recall that of Old Testament Joseph, so often repeated
in the history of salvation, occurring almost 200 times in the
Old Testament and at least eight times in the New. The name is
built on the name of God, and means "Yahweh increases" or "Yahweh
adds." It is given by Rachel at Joseph's birth in grateful appreciation
that the Lord had "opened her womb," with the explanation that
it means that God has added another son (Gen 30:22-24).
Applied to New Testament Joseph then, it would mean: "God grants
him descendence."
2) Name of Father. As already noted, Matthew differs
from Luke by listing Joseph's father as "Jacob" (Mt 1:16),
a name used for no one else in Scripture except the father of the
patriarch Joseph.
3) Mention of name "Rachel." The name of the mother
of New Testament Joseph is not given, but the citation in Matthew
2:18 mentions Rachel, the mother of the patriarch.
4) Dreams. In each Testament the respective Joseph
is the person most known for dreams. The patriarch also has dreams
revealing his future role (Gen 37:5-9 realized in Gen 42:6-9
when his brothers come to Egypt and bow before him). He becomes
famous also for interpreting God's message in other people's dreams
(Gen 41:12,16,25). Both Josephs are able to understand
correctly God's communications in dreams.
5) Threats of Death. In Genesis Joseph's brothers
want to kill him (Gen 37:18-20), while in Matthew Herod
wants to kill the child entrusted to Joseph's care (Mt 2:13,16).
6) Egypt. The flight of New Testament Joseph into
Egypt immediately recalls Old Testament Joseph's being saved from
the pit and taken into Egypt where he lived long and prospered
(Gen 37:28; 45:9; Acts 7:9), protected from the
famine that would later afflict his homeland. In each Testament,
a Joseph is the person most associated with Egypt.
7) Involvement with King. New Testament Joseph's
stay in Egypt is determined by the hatred king Herod nourishes
until his death. Old Testament Joseph's stay in Egypt becomes important
because he wins the trust of the pharaoh who puts him in charge
of his affairs (Gen 41:41). New Testament Joseph's return
from Egypt is occasioned by the death of king Herod (Mt 2:19),
while the great Exodus event in the time of Moses begins when there
arises "a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph" (Ex 1:8; Acts 7:18).
Joseph had predicted the exodus, and Moses carried his bones along
with him (Gen 50:24-25; Ex 13:18-19; Heb 11:22). "Egypt
was glad when they departed" (Ps 15:38).
8) Virtuous and Chaste. In Genesis Joseph resists
repeated attempts of Potiphar's wife to seduce him and he suffers
unjust imprisonment for it (Gen 39). In Matthew
Joseph is a just or upright man and he has no carnal knowledge
of Mary.
9) Given Responsibility. Old Testament Joseph becomes
overseer of officer Potiphar's house in charge of all that he has
(Gen 39:4), keeper of the prison with all the prisoners
under his care (Gen 39:22), and finally lord of pharaoh's
house and all the land of Egypt (Gen 41:41-45; Ps 105:21).
New Testament Joseph is responsible for Jesus and Mary in Bethlehem,
Egypt, and Nazareth.
10) Favored and Fruitful. God favors the patriarch
Joseph and makes him prosper (Gen 39:3,21,23). He becomes
a "fruitful bough," with "blessings of the breasts and womb," and
is called a nazîr, one "set apart" or "consecrated" (Gen 49:22,25,26).
The people multiply in the land of Egypt (Ps 105:23-24).
Joseph, son of David, is favored with the fulfillment of the promised
descendence in Jesus, whom he names as his son, and with the fruitful
mother of the Savior for his wife. God's guidance protects him
from Herod and Archelaus.
11) Patriarchal. Old Testament Joseph is listed
with the greatest patriarchs in the history of Israel, as is summed
up in Psalm 105 which names him among the elite group of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron; through them the promise first made
to Abraham was fulfilled. New Testament Joseph is almost like another
patriarch, the last in the chain, who receives in a dream the final
assurance of a son and continued blessing.
I. 5.3 Joseph's Patriarchal Role
Matthew has thus presented Joseph as the recipient of a combination
of two means of divine communication common in the Old Testament:
dreams and appearances of the angel of the Lord. The dreams and
appearances are described as multiple, and are related according
to a stereotyped pattern repeating the same expressions. Old Testament
prophecies are fulfilled by Joseph's obedient cooperation with
the messages. The prophecies are related to Jesus' titles, and
to his geographical movement during the first years of his life.
Matthew's Joseph is presented in a way that parallels his namesake,
the patriarch Joseph, especially in his association with dreams
and Egypt, but also in escaping threats of death, and in being
protected and blessed for his faithful exercise of the responsibility
entrusted to him.
Matthew's portrayal thus communicates the multi-leveled truth
that Joseph has a patriarchal role to play in connection with the
prophetic mission of Christ. As a privileged recipient of multiple,
combined forms of divine communications, and as a perfectly obedient
man of faith who collaborates with all that is commanded him, he
recapitulates the history of salvation of Israel, which has reached
its definitive culmination in the child he names, protects and
raises. The man of dreams who took the child and his mother to
Egypt and back is the last of the patriarchs, who receives revelations
about the promised descendence in the style of the Old Testament
shared by no one else in the New Testament or thereafter.
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