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94-967: The Ordo Rachelis (Play of Rachel), Interfectio Puerorum (Murder of the Children), or Ludus Innocentium (Play of the Innocents) is a medieval dramatic tradition consisting in four plays and based on the Massacre of the Innocents , an event recorded in the Gospel of Matthew , and on the prophecy recorded in the Book of Jeremiah : "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not" (31:15, KJV ). The prophecy, which Matthew believed to be fulfilled when Herod

188-433: A pontiff . Religious iconography often depicts him with lilies or spikenard . With the present-day growth of Mariology , the theological field of Josephology has also grown and since the 1950s centers for studying it have been formed. The Pauline epistles are the oldest extant Christian writings. These mention Jesus' mother (without naming her), but do not refer to his father. The Gospel of Mark , believed to be

282-666: A zeppola (created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Naples) on Saint Joseph's Day. Maccu di San Giuseppe is a traditional Sicilian dish that consists of various ingredients and maccu that is prepared on this day. Maccu is a foodstuff and soup that dates to ancient times which is prepared with fava beans as a primary ingredient. Upon a typical Saint Joseph's Day altar, people place flowers, limes, candles, wine, fava beans, specially prepared cakes, breads, cookies, other meatless dishes, and zeppole . Foods are traditionally served containing bread crumbs to represent sawdust since Joseph

376-710: A " tekton " (τέκτων) has been traditionally translated into English as "carpenter", but is a rather general word (from the same root that gives us "technical", "technology") that could cover makers of objects in various materials. The Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. But the specific association with woodworking is a constant in Early Christian tradition; Justin Martyr (died c. 165) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs , and there are similar early references. Other scholars have argued that tekton could equally mean

470-728: A biblical story that referenced their profession. For instance, a baker's guild would perform a reenactment of the Last Supper . In the British Isles , plays were produced in some 127 different towns during the Middle Ages. These vernacular " mystery plays " were written in cycles of a large number of plays: York (48 plays), Chester (24), Wakefield (32) and Unknown (42). A larger number of plays survive from France and Germany in this period, and some type of religious dramas were performed in nearly every European country in

564-807: A coalescing of all the Epiphany themes in the Fleury ordo and of a merging of the Rachel and Herod ( Herodes ) themes in the Freising. The late eleventh-century manuscript of the Limoges ordo is now lat. 1139 in the Bibliothèque nationale de France , Paris , which contains many liturgical pieces, including the play Sponsus . The Fleury version is preserved in the famous Fleury Playbook , an important eleventh-century compilation of liturgical drama. As to

658-642: A cruel king, like Moses he has a (fore)father named Joseph who goes down to Egypt, like the Old Testament Joseph this Joseph has a father named Jacob, and both Josephs receive important dreams foretelling their future. In the Gospel of Luke, Joseph already lives in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary have to travel there to be counted in a census. Subsequently, Jesus

752-461: A diabolical threat to Christianity , especially because new converts continued to attend. Church fathers such as Tatian , Tertullian and Augustine characterized the stage as an instrument of corruption, while acting was considered sinful because its imitation of life was considered a mockery of God's creation. Roman actors were forbidden to have contact with Christian women, own slaves, or wear gold. They were officially excommunicated , denied

846-474: A distinct dramatic form around 1400 and flourished until 1550. One notable example is The Castle of Perseverance which depicts mankind 's progress from birth to death. Though Everyman may possibly be the best known of this genre, it is atypical in many ways. Everyman receives Death 's summons, struggles to escape and finally resigns himself to necessity. Along the way, he is deserted by Kindred , Goods , and Fellowship – only Good Deeds goes with him to

940-488: A highly skilled craftsman in wood or the more prestigious metal, perhaps running a workshop with several employees, and noted sources recording the shortage of skilled artisans at the time. Géza Vermes has stated that the terms 'carpenter' and 'son of a carpenter' are used in the Jewish Talmud to signify a very learned man, and he suggests that a description of Joseph as 'naggar' (a carpenter) could indicate that he

1034-416: A large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint. The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation and is a traditional part of Saint Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Giving food to the needy is a Saint Joseph's Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Neapolitan pastry known as

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1128-595: A patron saint of Kingdom of Croatia by Croatian Sabor on 9 June 1687 ) and of several main cities ( Karlovac ), dioceses and administrative regions ( Karlovac County in Croatia ). Many churches, monasteries and other institutions are dedicated to Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph's Oratory is the largest church in Canada, with the largest dome of its kind in the world after that of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome . Elsewhere in

1222-455: A play from Freising (late eleventh century), and another one from Fleury (thirteenth century). Only the last two can be regarded as "separate dramatic unit[s]". In both of them the fuga in Egyptum and the pastores themes have been incorporated, and the Fleury play contains the only extant medieval dramatic representation of the return from Egypt. Chambers has gone so far as to suggest

1316-550: A playlet complete with directions for performance. The anonymous pagan play Querolus , written around 420, was adapted in the 12th century by Vitalis of Blois . Other secular Latin plays, such as Babio , were also written in the 12th century, mainly in France but also in England. It is also known that mimes , minstrels , bards , storytellers, and jugglers travelled in search of new audiences and financial support. Not much

1410-518: A previous marriage. A popular position held by many Catholics, derived from the writings of Jerome , is that Joseph was the husband of Mary, but that references to Jesus' "brothers" should be understood to mean cousins. Such usage is prevalent throughout history, and occurs elsewhere in the Bible. Abraham 's nephew Lot (Genesis 11:26-28) was referred to as his brother (Genesis 14:14), as was Jacob 's uncle Laban (Genesis 29:15). Jesus himself frequently used

1504-411: A problem: they stated clearly that Mary conceives Jesus virginally, and Joseph is not his father; however, Jesus was described unambiguously by John and Matthew as "Joseph's son" and "the carpenter's son", and Joseph's paternity was essential to establish Jesus' Davidic descent . The theological situation was complicated by the gospel references to "brothers and sisters" of Jesus , who may have been: (1)

1598-630: A re-working of the Wakefield Cycle and others. It was revived in 1985 (whereupon the production was filmed for Channel 4 Television ), and again as a part of the theatre's millennium celebration in 2000. The productions won Bill Bryden the "Best Director" title in both the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the Olivier Awards for 1985, the year the three plays first appeared together in performance at

1692-519: A time period (500–1500) far too large and complex to understand in short descriptions. And within it, there was "a vast and varied spectrum of kinds of performances: ludus , jeu, ordo, representatio, officium, pagina, miraculum, mystère, processus, interlude, morality, mumming , disguising, and, of course, play." These had little to do with stage performance in the 21st century. As the Western Roman Empire fell into severe decay through

1786-446: A tradition intended to protect Mary's perpetual virginity. In the original Greek the words used to describe Joseph describe him as middle-aged. This fits with Joseph's duties and aligns with the saints who said he was 33 when he married Mary. Mauro Gagliardi presents a hypothesis that Joseph was assumed into Heaven with body and soul because he belongs to the few saints who left no bodily relics. The Gospel of James (also known as

1880-685: Is Hans Sachs (1494–1576), who wrote 198 dramatic works. In England, The Second Shepherds' Play of the Wakefield Cycle is the best-known early farce. However, farce did not appear independently in England until the 16th century with the work of John Heywood (1497–1580). A significant forerunner of the development of Elizabethan drama was the Chambers of Rhetoric in the Low Countries d Henry VII both maintained small companies of professional actors. Their plays were performed in

1974-874: Is a solemnity (first class if using the Tridentine calendar ), and is transferred to another date if impeded (i.e., 19 March falling on Sunday or in Holy Week). Joseph is remembered in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church on 19 March. Popular customs among Christians of various liturgical traditions observing Saint Joseph's Day are attending Mass or the Divine Service , wearing red-coloured clothing, carrying dried fava beans that have been blessed , and assembling home altars dedicated to Saint Joseph. In Sicily , where Saint Joseph

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2068-404: Is known about these performers' repertoire. One of the most famous of the secular plays is the musical Le Jeu de Robin et Marion , written by Adam de la Halle in the 13th century, which is fully laid out in the original manuscript with lines, musical notation, and illuminations in the margins depicting the actors in motion. Adam also wrote other plays. Performance of religious plays outside of

2162-510: Is made of him thereafter. The story emphasizes Jesus' awareness of his coming mission: here Jesus speaks to both Mary and Joseph of "my father," meaning God, but they fail to understand. Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son. Joseph is not mentioned as being present at the Wedding at Cana at the beginning of Jesus' mission, nor at the Passion at

2256-449: Is performed throughout the world in Lent . Saint Joseph Joseph ( Hebrew : יוסף , romanized :  Yosef ; Greek : Ἰωσήφ , romanized :  Ioséph ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels , was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus , and was the legal father of Jesus . Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in

2350-602: Is regarded by many as their patron saint , and in many Italian-American communities, thanks are given to Saint Joseph ( San Giuseppe in Italian ) for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages . According to legend, there was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron saint to bring them rain. They promised that if God answered their prayers through Joseph's intercession, they would prepare

2444-493: Is that both Joseph and his father were the sons of Levirate marriages. A third explanation proposed by Augustine of Hippo is that Joseph was adopted, and his two genealogies trace Joseph's lineage through his biological and adopted families. In the Gospels, Joseph's occupation is mentioned only once. The Gospel of Matthew asks about Jesus: Is not this the carpenter's son ( ho tou tektōnos huios )? Joseph's description as

2538-559: Is told by an angel in a dream to take the family to Egypt to escape the massacre of the children of Bethlehem planned by Herod, the ruler of the Roman province of Judea . Once Herod has died, an angel tells Joseph to return but to avoid Herod's son, and he takes his wife and the child to Nazareth in Galilee and settles there. Thus in Matthew, the infant Jesus, like Moses, is in peril from

2632-402: Is well known as the patron saint of fathers, both families and virgins, workers, especially carpenters, expecting mothers and unborn children. Among many others, he is the patron saint of attorneys and barristers, emigrants, travelers and house hunters. He is invoked against hesitation and for the grace of a holy death. Many cities, towns, and locations are named after Saint Joseph. According to

2726-763: The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus , Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family ; since he only appears in the birth narratives of the Gospels, Jesus is depicted as a child when with him. The formal veneration of the Holy Family began in the 17th century by François de Laval . In 1962, Pope John XXIII inserted the name of Joseph in the Canon of the Mass , immediately after that of

2820-536: The Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox Church , Oriental Orthodox Church , Anglicanism and Lutheranism . In Catholic traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days . The month of March is dedicated to Saint Joseph. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of

2914-603: The Charterhouse in London. Poel then partnered with British actor Ben Greet to produce the play throughout Britain, with runs on the American Broadway stage from 1902 to 1918, and concurrent tours throughout North America. These productions differed from past performances in that women were cast in the title role, rather than men. Film adaptations of the 1901 version of the play appeared in 1913 and 1914, with

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3008-532: The Council of Constance . In 1889 Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Quamquam pluries in which he urged Catholics to pray to Saint Joseph, as the patron of the church in view of the challenges facing the church. Likewise, Leo stated that Saint Joseph "set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for

3102-646: The Late Middle Ages . Many of these plays contained comedy , devils , villains and clowns . The majority of actors in these plays were drawn from the local population. For example, at Valenciennes in 1547, more than 100 roles were assigned to 72 actors. Plays were staged on pageant wagon stages, which were platforms mounted on wheels used to move scenery. They allowed for abrupt changes in location. Often providing their own costumes, amateur performers in England were exclusively male, but other countries had female performers. Morality plays emerged as

3196-761: The Lyceum Theatre . An adaptation of Harrison's play was staged at Shakespeare's Globe in 2011 as The Globe Mysteries . In 2001, the Isango Ensemble produced an African version of the Chester Cycle at the Garrick Theatre in London as The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso , performing in a combination of Xhosa , Zulu , English, Latin and Afrikaans . They revived an adapted version of the production at Shakespeare's Globe in 2015 as The Mysteries . In 2004, two mystery plays (one focusing on

3290-706: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency , the Spanish form, San Jose , is the most common place name in the world. Probably the most-recognized San Joses are San José, Costa Rica , and San Jose, California , United States , given their name by Spanish colonists . Joseph is the patron saint of the New World and of many countries ( Austria – especially venerated in Carinthia , Styria , and Tyrol , Croatia – proclaimed as

3384-614: The United Kingdom as well as the U.S., such as the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia . What relation they may bear to their medieval antecedents is unknown. The surviving texts of this oral tradition were recorded in the 18th century, at a time when the Industrial Revolution began to break up the rural communities in which the plays were performed. Mystery plays are still produced regularly throughout

3478-765: The United Kingdom . The local cycles were revived in both York and Chester in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain , and are still performed by the local guilds. The N-Town cycle was revived in 1978 as the Lincoln mystery plays , and in 1994 the Lichfield Mysteries were inaugurated (now the largest community theatre event in the United Kingdom). In 1977, the National Theatre commissioned Tony Harrison to create The Mysteries ,

3572-522: The great hall of a nobleman's residence, often with a raised platform at one end for the audience and a "screen" at the other for the actors. Also important were Mummers' plays , performed during the Christmas season, and court masques . These masques were especially popular during the reign of Henry VIII , who had a house of revels built and an office of revels established in 1545. Changing political and economic factors greatly affected theatre at

3666-416: The sacraments , including marriage and burial , and were defamed throughout Europe. For many centuries thereafter, clerics were cautioned to not allow travelling actors to perform in their jurisdiction. Hrosvitha (c. 935–973), an aristocratic canoness and historian in northern Germany , wrote six plays modeled on Terence 's comedies but using religious subjects in the 10th century. These six plays are

3760-420: The synoptic Gospels share a scene in which the people of Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, doubt Jesus' status as a prophet because they know his family. In Mark 6:3, they call Jesus "Mary's son" instead of naming his father. In Matthew , the townspeople call Jesus "the carpenter's son," again without naming his father. In Luke 3:23 NIV: "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He

3854-602: The 1913 film being made in Kinemacolor , an early two color process. Another well-known version of the play is Jedermann by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal , which has been performed annually at the Salzburg Festival since 1920. The play was made into a film of the same title in 1961. A direct-to-video movie version of Everyman was made in 2002, directed by John Farrell, which updated

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3948-566: The 4th and 5th centuries A.D., the seat of Roman power shifted to Constantinople and the Eastern Roman Empire , later called the Byzantine Empire . While surviving evidence about Byzantine theatre is slight, existing records show that mime , pantomime , scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies , dances , and other entertainments were very popular. Constantinople had two theatres that were in use as late as

4042-587: The 5th century A.D. However, the true importance of the Byzantines in theatrical history is their preservation of many classical Greek texts and the compilation of a massive encyclopedia called the Suda , from which is derived a large amount of contemporary information on Greek theatre. In the 6th century, the Emperor Justinian permanently closed the theatres. Theatres were considered by many to be

4136-616: The 9th century, and continued growing to the 14th century. Thomas Aquinas discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have stoned her and that in his youth Jesus needed the care and protection of a human father. In the 15th century, major steps were taken by Bernardine of Siena , Pierre d'Ailly, and Jean Gerson . Gerson wrote Consideration sur Saint Joseph and preached sermons on Saint Joseph at

4230-566: The Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2013, Pope Francis had his name added to the three other Eucharistic Prayers . 19 March, Saint Joseph's Day, has been the principal feast day of Saint Joseph in Western Christianity since the 10th century, and is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans , Lutherans , and other denominations. In Eastern Orthodoxy , the feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated on 26 December (Synaxis of

4324-516: The Creation and the other on the Passion) were performed at Canterbury Cathedral , with actor Edward Woodward in the role of God. The large cast also included Daniel MacPherson , Thomas James Longley and Joseph McManners . The first modern stage production of Everyman did not appear until July 1901, when The Elizabethan Stage Society of William Poel gave three outdoor performances at

4418-432: The Fleury version, she sings a series of four plancti before two consolatrices come out to catch her as she faints. The consolatrices fail to comfort her, but lead her away. In both versions they sing the final lines. In the Fleury version the drama began with a procession of young boys per monasterium (down the aisle of the church's nave) and a lamb bearing a cross appears running "to and fro" ( huc et illuc ). Then

4512-661: The Great ordered the slaughter of all boys under two in Bethlehem , looks backwards to Rachel , the matriarch of the Hebrews , and towards her lamentation over the death of her children, the Hebrew children, in the massacre. The Ordo Rachelis plays were probably performed as part of the liturgy for Innocents Day (28 December). The first modern critical edition of the Rachel plays was made by Karl Young in 1919. Young believed

4606-400: The Mother of God and flight of the Holy Family into Egypt ), the First Sunday after the Nativity of Christ , on 19 March and on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Nativity ) and on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before the Nativity ), when he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus . In the Catholic Church, the Feast of Saint Joseph (19 March)

4700-417: The Protoevangelium of James), written about 150 AD, presents Joseph as an old man chosen by God to watch over the Virgin. Jesus' brothers are presented as Joseph's children by an earlier marriage. The History of Joseph the Carpenter , written in the 5th century and framed as a biography of Joseph dictated by Jesus, describes how Joseph, aged 90, a widower with four sons and two daughters, is given charge of

4794-432: The Wednesday in the second week after Easter, and gave it an octave . In 1955, Pope Pius XII introduced in its place the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on 1 May in the General Roman Calendar as an ecclesiasical counterpart to the International Workers' Day on the same day. This reflects Saint Joseph's status as patron of workers. Pius XII established the feast both to honor Saint Joseph, and to make people aware of

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4888-412: The action shifts to Herod receiving his sceptre and Saint Joseph at the manger receiving a message from Gabriel to flee to Egypt . Joseph and the holy family exit secretly while Herod attempts suicide as news is brought that the Magi avoided telling him the Christ child's location. After he regains his composure, he orders the massacre. The lamb is then led off stage and the massacre begins, despite

4982-404: The carpenter to whom she had been betrothed, as having been guilty of adultery, and that she bore a child to a certain soldier named Pantera ." Origen, however, argues that Celsus's claim was a fabricated story. The earliest records of a formal devotional following for Saint Joseph date to the year 800 and references to him as Nutritor Domini (educator/guardian of the Lord) began to appear in

5076-480: The church began sometime in the 12th century through a traditionally accepted process of merging shorter dramas into longer plays, which were then translated into vernacular and performed by laymen, and thus accessible to a wider segment of society inclusive of the working class. The use of vernacular enabled drama to be understood and enjoyed by a larger audience. The Mystery of Adam (1150) gives credence to this theory, as its detailed stage direction suggest that it

5170-403: The dignity of human work. The Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary is observed in some liturgical calendars (e. g. that of the Oblates of Saint Joseph ) on 23 January. Pope Francis on 8 December 2020, released the apostolic letter Patris corde on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the declaration by Pius IX, on 8 December 1870, of Saint Joseph as patron of the Universal Church; for

5264-449: The end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Modern Era . First, the Protestant Reformation targeted the theatre, especially in England, in an effort to stamp out allegiance to Rome. In Wakefield , for example, the local mystery cycle text shows signs of Protestant editing, with references to the pope crossed out. It was not just Protestants who attacked the theatre: The Council of Trent banned religious plays in an attempt to rein in

5358-399: The end. If he had been present at the Crucifixion , he would under Jewish custom have been expected to take charge of Jesus' body, but this role is instead performed by Joseph of Arimathea . Nor would Jesus have entrusted his mother to the care of John the Apostle if her husband had been alive. While none of the Gospels mentions Joseph as present at any event during Jesus' adult ministry,

5452-432: The events which Christian ritual celebrates. The Whom do you Seek (Quem-Quaeritis) Easter trope, dating from ca. 925, is an example of performing the events surround Christ's empty grave. The text was sung responsively by two groups and was not considered to be "acting" in the sense of impersonation. Sometime between 965 and 975, Æthelwold of Winchester composed the Regularis Concordia (Monastic Agreement) which contains

5546-420: The extrabiblical material. A revival of interest in ancient Roman and Greek culture changed the tastes of the learned classes in the performing arts. Greek and Roman plays were performed and new plays were written that were heavily influenced by the classical style. This led to the creation of Commedia dell'arte and influenced Renaissance theatre . A change of patronage also caused drastic changes to

5640-499: The father of James and his three brothers ( Joses , Simeon , Judah ) and two sisters (a Salome and a Mary or a Salome and an Anna ) with James being the eldest sibling. James and his siblings were not children of Mary but were Joseph's children from a previous marriage. After Joseph's first wife died, many years later when he was eighty, "he took Mary (mother of Jesus)". Eusebius of Caesarea relates in his Church History (Book III, ch. 11) that " Hegesippus records that Clopas

5734-433: The father of Jesus and in a "variant reading in Matthew". Matthew and Luke both contain a genealogy of Jesus showing his ancestry from David , but through different sons; Matthew follows the major royal line from Solomon , while Luke traces another line back to Nathan , another son of David and Bathsheba . Consequently, all the names between David and Joseph are different. According to Matthew 1:16 "Jacob begat Joseph

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5828-485: The first gospel to be written and with a date about two decades after Paul , also does not mention Jesus' father. The first appearance of Joseph is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke , often dated from around 80–90 AD. Each contains a genealogy of Jesus showing ancestry from King David , but through different sons; Matthew follows the major royal line from Solomon , while Luke traces another line back to Nathan , another son of David and Bathsheba . Consequently, all

5922-426: The first known plays composed by a female dramatist and the first identifiable Western dramatic works of the post-Classical era. In order to preempt criticism from the Church, Hrosvitha declared that she sought to imitate the "laudable" deeds of women in Terence's plays and discard the "shameless" ones. They were first published in 1501 and had considerable influence in the sixteenth century. Another nun who wrote plays

6016-414: The first part of a two-part marriage, is frequently translated as "betrothal". Couples who fulfill the requirements of the kiddushin are married, until death or divorce. The New Testament has no mention of Joseph's death, but he is never mentioned after the story of finding Jesus in the temple when Jesus was 12. This is in contrast with some eastern traditions that made Joseph out to be 90 years old,

6110-433: The following hymn is chanted: Verily, Joseph the betrothed, saw clearly in his old age that the foresayings of the Prophets had been fulfilled openly; for he was given an odd earnest, receiving inspiration from the angels, who cried, Glory to God; for he hath bestowed peace on earth. In the Catholic tradition, just as there are prayers for the Seven Joys of Mary and Seven Sorrows of Mary , there are also prayers for

6204-438: The general population, and the opposition of the clergy, there are few surviving sources from the Early and High Medieval periods. However, by the late period, performances began to become more secularized; larger number of records survive. Because contemporary conceptions about theatre differ radically from the performance culture of the pre-modern world, it is difficult to find appropriate terms. First, "medieval" denotes

6298-447: The grave. The earliest secular drama is The Play of the Greenwood by Adam de la Halle in 1276. It contains satirical scenes and folk material such as faeries and other supernatural occurrences. Farces also rose dramatically in popularity after the 13th century. The majority of these plays come from France and Germany and are similar in tone and form, emphasizing sex and bodily excretions. The best-known playwright of farces

6392-436: The husband of Mary", while according to Luke 3:23, Joseph is said to be "the son of Heli ". The variances between the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke are explained in a number of ways. One possibility is that Matthew's genealogy traces Jesus' legal descent, according to Jewish law , through Joseph; while Luke's genealogy traces his actual physical descent through Mary. Another possibility proposed by Julius Africanus

6486-408: The latter thought the Freising text also developed from the Limoges original. An older theory of origins was put forth by William Meyer ( Fragmenta Burana , 1901). He hypothesised that a south German original, large and complex, disintegrated into a Freising play that was largely a whittled-down copy and three divergent French plays that were influenced by the French liturgy. Peter Dronke believes it

6580-421: The names between David and Joseph are different. Like the two differing genealogies, the infancy narratives appear only in Matthew and Luke and take different approaches to reconciling the requirement that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem with the tradition that Jesus in fact came from Nazareth . In Matthew, Joseph obeys the direction of an angel to marry Mary. Following the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Joseph

6674-459: The occasion, and a certain amount of burlesque and comedy may have entered the liturgical drama as a result of its influence. Economic and political changes in the High Middle Ages led to the formation of guilds and the growth of towns, and this would lead to significant changes for theatre starting in this time and continuing into in the Late Middle Ages . Trade guilds began to perform plays, usually religiously based, and often dealing with

6768-556: The one and the other for nourishment and clothing" Josephology , the theological study of Saint Joseph, is one of the most recent theological disciplines. In 1989, on the occasion of the centenary of Quamquam pluries Pope John Paul II issued Redemptoris Custos ( Guardian of the Redeemer ), which presented Saint Joseph's role in the plan of redemption, as part of the "redemption documents" issued by John Paul II such as Redemptoris Mater to which it refers. Together with

6862-558: The origins of the tradition Karl Young concluded, like Heinrich Anz before him ( Die lateinischen Magierspiele , 1905), that it was initially an independent trope at Limoges and then appended to the Officium stellae at Laon, representing a French tradition. This tradition was merged with a German one that arose at Freising at Fleury, though the ecclesiastical affairs that brought about this transmission (from Laon, Limoges, and Freising to Fleury) are unknown. Young differs from Anz in that

6956-547: The plays developed from dramatic kernels in the Epiphany plays of the ninth and tenth centuries into full dramatic treatments of their own in the eleventh and twelfth. The four extensive treatments which Young classified as ordines Rachelis differ considerably. There are the Lamentatio Rachelis from Saint-Martial at Limoges (eleventh century), a lengthy part of an Epiphany play from Laon (twelfth century),

7050-454: The pleas of the mothers and the children to the angels above. After the Rachel scenes, an angel conducts the children to the choir and a dumb show shows Herod being succeeded as king by Archelaus before the holy family returns from Egypt. The entire Fleury play ends with a singing of the Te Deum . Medieval theatre Due to a lack of surviving records and texts, low literacy in

7144-665: The poor. The first Josephites in America re-devoted their part of the order to ministry within the newly emancipated African American community. The Oblates of St. Joseph were founded in 1878 by Joseph Marello . In 1999 their Shrine of Saint Joseph the Guardian of the Redeemer was named after the Apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos . In the Eastern Orthodox Church, during the feast day of Saint Joseph

7238-413: The rebuilding. Specifically the large theatre in the city has been suggested, although this has aroused much controversy over dating and other issues. Other scholars see Joseph and Jesus as the general village craftsmen, working in wood, stone, and metal on a wide variety of jobs. The name "Joseph" is found almost exclusively in the genealogies and the infancy narratives. The canonical gospels created

7332-479: The same reason he declared a Year of Saint Joseph , from 8 December 2020, to 8 December 2021. Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870. Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words, the patron of a happy death. Saint Joseph

7426-549: The setting to the early 21st century. An adaptation by Carol Ann Duffy , the British Poet Laureate , was performed at the National Theatre (UK) in 2015 with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role. Performances of Christ's Nativity are frequent during the Christmas season, and many schools and Sunday school groups regularly perform scenes from the bible with children. The reenactment of Jesus Christ's Passion

7520-406: The sick and of a holy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. Joseph has become patron of various dioceses and places. Being a patron saint of virgins, he is venerated as "most chaste". A specific veneration is attributed to the pure and most Chaste Heart of Joseph . Several venerated images of Saint Joseph have been granted a decree of canonical coronation by

7614-534: The sons of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph; (2) sons of Mary, the wife of Clopas and sister of Mary the mother of Jesus; or (3) sons of Joseph by a former marriage. Modern positions on the question of the relationship between Joseph and the Virgin Mary vary. The Eastern Orthodox Church , which names Joseph's first wife as Salome , holds that Joseph was a widower and betrothed to Mary, and that references to Jesus' "brothers" were children of Joseph from

7708-461: The theatre. In England, the monarch and nobility started to support professional theatre troupes (including Shakespeare's Lord Chamberlain's Men and King's Men ), which catered to their upper-class patrons' tastes. Finally, the construction of permanent theaters, such as The Theatre , signaled a major turning point. Permanent theaters allowed for more sophisticated staging and storytelling. Mummers plays are still performed regularly throughout

7802-544: The twelve-year-old Mary, who then lives in his household raising his youngest son James the Less (the supposed author of the Protoevangelium) until she is ready to be married at age 14½. Joseph's death aged 111, attended by angels and asserting the perpetual virginity of Mary , takes up approximately half the story. According to the bishop of Salamis, Epiphanius , in his work The Panarion (AD 374–375) Joseph became

7896-668: The village, it is estimated that the population was at most about 400. It was, however, only about 6 kilometers from the city of Sepphoris , which was destroyed and depopulated by the Romans in 4 BC, and thereafter was expensively rebuilt. Analysis of the landscape and other evidence suggest that in Joseph's lifetime Nazareth was "oriented toward" the nearby city, which had an overwhelmingly Jewish population although with many signs of Hellenization , and historians have speculated that Joseph and later Jesus too might have traveled daily to work on

7990-478: The word "brother" as a generic term for one's fellow man. This custom has continued into modern times, with close friends, colleagues, and fellow churchgoers often called "brothers and sisters." Generally, most Protestants read "brothers and sisters" of Jesus as referring specifically to children born of Mary. The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary means among other things that Joseph and Mary never had sexual relations. The term kiddushin , which refers to

8084-569: The world churches named after the saint may be known as those of San Giuseppe , e.g. San Giuseppe dei Teatini , San José , e.g. Metropolitan Cathedral of San José or São José , e.g. in Porto Alegre , Brazil. The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded as an order in 1650 and have about 14,013 members worldwide. In 1871, the Josephite Fathers of the Catholic Church were created under the patronage of Joseph, intending to work with

8178-535: Was a brother of Joseph and an uncle of Jesus." Epiphanius adds that Joseph and Cleopas were brothers, sons of "Jacob, surnamed Panther." Origen quotes the Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity Celsus (from his work On the True Doctrine , c. 178 AD) as controversially asserting that Joseph left Mary upon learning of her pregnancy: "...when she was pregnant she was turned out of doors by

8272-541: Was a carpenter. Because the feast occurs during Lent, traditionally no meat was allowed on the celebration table. The altar usually has three tiers, to represent the Trinity. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Joseph patron of the Universal Church and instituted another feast, a solemnity to be held on the third Sunday of Eastertide. Pope Pius X, in order to restore the celebration of Sundays, moved this feast to

8366-687: Was born there. Luke's account makes no mention of him being visited by angels (Mary and various others instead receive similar visitations), the Massacre of the Innocents, or of the flight into Egypt. The last time Joseph appears in person in any of the canonical Gospels is in the narrative of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old, which is found only in Luke. No mention

8460-518: Was considered wise and highly literate in the Torah. At the time of Joseph, Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee , about 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the Holy City of Jerusalem , and is barely mentioned in surviving non-Christian texts and documents. Archaeology over most of the site is made impossible by subsequent building, but from what has been excavated and tombs in the area around

8554-493: Was staged outdoors. A number of other plays from the period survive, including La Seinte Resurrection ( Norman ), The Play of the Magi Kings ( Spanish ), and Sponsus ( French ). The Feast of Fools was especially important in the development of comedy. The festival inverted the status of the lesser clergy and allowed them to ridicule their superiors and the routine of church life. Sometimes plays were staged as part of

8648-571: Was the abbess Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179), who wrote a drama called Ordo Virtutum in 1155. Faced with the problem of explaining a new religion to a largely illiterate population, churches in the Early Middle Ages began staging dramatized versions of particular biblical events on specific days of the year. The dramatizations were included in order to vivify annual celebrations. Symbolic objects and actions ( vestments , altars , censers , and pantomime performed by priests) recalled

8742-581: Was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,"; or alternatively punctuated: "(ὡς ἐνομ. τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ) τοῦ Ἡλί, ‘the son (as supposed of Joseph, but in reality) of Heli'". In Luke the tone of the contemporary people is positive, whereas in Mark and Matthew it is disparaging. This incident does not appear in John , but in a parallel story, the disbelieving neighbors refer to "Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know". Joseph appears in Luke as

8836-508: Was to the dialogic poem Quid tu, virgo by Notker the Stammerer , written probably in the 860s, that the eleventh-century dramatists were responding with their Rachel sequences. The Rachel of the play is symbolically every Hebrew mother who lost her child to the massacre. In the Freising version, she opens the action by singing a planctus over her children's bodies before a consolatrix (female comforter) arrives to soothe her spirit. In

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