Re: How did Matthew and Luke get the name of Joseph of Nazareth?
Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 3:55 pm
Philo seems to suggest in On the Confusion of Tongues that 'Joseph' is an anthropomorphisation of 'the pride of wordly life' or 'the god that is' (or both), and an associated dialogue box that comes up on cursor rollover on ""Joseph - footnote 1 - suggests Philo generally refers to Joseph as meaning "political, generally indicating a plane of life lower than the philosophical and sometimes even materialistic."
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[71] These are they who know not even Joseph, the many-sided pride of worldly life, and give way to their sins without veil or disguise, husbanding no vestige or shadow or semblance of honourable living. [72] For there rose up, we are told, another King over Egypt, who “knew not” even “Joseph”1 (Ex.2 1:8)—the good that is, which is given by the senses, the last and latest in the scale of goods. It is this same King who would destroy not only all perfection but all progress; not only the clear vision such as comes of sight, but the instruction also that comes of hearing. He says, “Come hither, curse me Jacob, and come hither, send thy curses upon Israel” (Num. 23:7), and that is equivalent to “Put an end to them both, the soul’s sight and the soul’s hearing, that it may neither see nor hear any true and genuine excellence.” For Israel is the type of seeing, and Jacob of hearing.
Philo. (F. H. Colson, G. H. Whitaker, & J. W. Earp, Trans.) Vol. 4, p. 49. London; England; Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann Ltd; Harvard University Press.
[71] These are they who know not even Joseph, the many-sided pride of worldly life, and give way to their sins without veil or disguise, husbanding no vestige or shadow or semblance of honourable living. [72] For there rose up, we are told, another King over Egypt, who “knew not” even “Joseph”1 (Ex.2 1:8)—the good that is, which is given by the senses, the last and latest in the scale of goods. It is this same King who would destroy not only all perfection but all progress; not only the clear vision such as comes of sight, but the instruction also that comes of hearing. He says, “Come hither, curse me Jacob, and come hither, send thy curses upon Israel” (Num. 23:7), and that is equivalent to “Put an end to them both, the soul’s sight and the soul’s hearing, that it may neither see nor hear any true and genuine excellence.” For Israel is the type of seeing, and Jacob of hearing.
Philo. (F. H. Colson, G. H. Whitaker, & J. W. Earp, Trans.) Vol. 4, p. 49. London; England; Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann Ltd; Harvard University Press.
- political, generally indicating a plane of life lower than the philosophical and sometimes even materialistic. L.A. iii. 179, 237, Cher. 128, Det. 5, Deus 119, Conf. 71, Mig. 203, Her. 256, Mut. 89, 215, Som. i. 78, 219, ii. 1–109 passim, Jos. passim.
. - Exodus 1:1-10 (NIV)
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”