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Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus: The Complete Life, Theology, and Devotional History of St. Joseph
Never before has all this wealth of intensely interesting and little known facts about St. Joseph been compiled into a single book. This can truly be called a "little Summa" of St. Joseph, as the only survey existing in any language of the *complete* life, theology, and devotional history of St. Joseph. Four previous books of Father Filas are the basis for the present "Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus". Complete revision, expansion of all material that needed updating, and the re-issuance of earlier sections of permanent value make it possible to offer this full thesaurus of facts (sometimes published here for the first time in English) about St. Joseph.
The present book is composed of six units. The first analyzes the source material for our knowledge of St. Joseph; the second develops what we can know about St. Joseph's ancestry, his relationship to other biblical figures, his trade, and his age when he married our Lady. The third unit is completely devoted to questions concerning his marriage, such as the question of its genuinity, and St. Joseph's doubt over Mary. In the fourth unit, we are presented with Father Filas' comprehensive survey of Joseph's fatherly relationship to Jesus. The fifth section takes up the topics of Joseph's dignity, holiness, supernatural privileges, patronage, and possible advancement in the liturgy. The concluding section surveys the complete history of the devotion to St. Joseph, from the earliest years of the Church to the present, and quotes (with accompanying commentary) all modern papal pronouncements concerning St. Joseph.
An appendix offers a new translation of all indulgenced and other new prayers honoring St. Joseph. Fully indexed for handy reference. (Book description)
The present book is composed of six units. The first analyzes the source material for our knowledge of St. Joseph; the second develops what we can know about St. Joseph's ancestry, his relationship to other biblical figures, his trade, and his age when he married our Lady. The third unit is completely devoted to questions concerning his marriage, such as the question of its genuinity, and St. Joseph's doubt over Mary. In the fourth unit, we are presented with Father Filas' comprehensive survey of Joseph's fatherly relationship to Jesus. The fifth section takes up the topics of Joseph's dignity, holiness, supernatural privileges, patronage, and possible advancement in the liturgy. The concluding section surveys the complete history of the devotion to St. Joseph, from the earliest years of the Church to the present, and quotes (with accompanying commentary) all modern papal pronouncements concerning St. Joseph.
An appendix offers a new translation of all indulgenced and other new prayers honoring St. Joseph. Fully indexed for handy reference. (Book description)
- GenresReligion
679 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 31, 2017
This is the best book on St. Joseph I have ever read. It is thorough, complete, and the definitive resource on the Guardian of the Redeemer.
October 16, 2016
A refreshing break from the dreary academic stuff that English professors have to read, Filas’ work on St. Joseph should be read in a quiet place where one will not be disturbed so that the numerous facts about the saint (derived from scripture, the apocrypha, and theological argumentation) can be appreciated.
As every Christian (Catholic and Protestant) knows, secular American society does everything possible to attack Christianity. Thus, devotion to St. Joseph is imperative for religious persons. Consider: if St. Joseph protected the earliest form of Christianity (the Holy Family of Nazareth), then, as Filas’ work makes clear, he will certainly assist Christians today who have to defend their faith as never before.
The political ramifications of reading this otherwise theology-based book are obvious. Two examples will suffice.
First, the United States has a couple generations of “lost boys”—those older and young men who have grown up without a father or father figure who think only with what they see below their belts. Focusing on St. Joseph as a guide for any male is obviously crucial.
Second, reflecting on how this saint protected marriage by devotedly serving the Virgin Mary and Jesus can assist religious citizens (both Catholic and Protestant Christian and our Jewish brothers and sisters) to reassert the heterosexual normativity opposed by gay activists.
Thus, although written in 1962, when atheistic communism was at its height in attacking the West, one can argue that the book’s final claim (that St. Joseph can aid Christians assaulted by secular forces) is even more relevant today.
Of course, many colleges, especially those which purport to be Catholic, may not have this volume; it may be considered too patriarchal, since attention given to any male saint, even St. Joseph, may be construed as an attack against feminist principles which reign in most academic circles. However, ordinary people (the ones who live humbly and vote for pro-life candidates like Trump over anti-life ones like Hillary Clinton) will appreciate not only the intellectual depth of Filas’ work, but also his smooth writing style.
A final note: even though the volume is 678 pages, virtually all are larger font. Thus, this work is about 300 substantial pages of commentary about St. Joseph.
As every Christian (Catholic and Protestant) knows, secular American society does everything possible to attack Christianity. Thus, devotion to St. Joseph is imperative for religious persons. Consider: if St. Joseph protected the earliest form of Christianity (the Holy Family of Nazareth), then, as Filas’ work makes clear, he will certainly assist Christians today who have to defend their faith as never before.
The political ramifications of reading this otherwise theology-based book are obvious. Two examples will suffice.
First, the United States has a couple generations of “lost boys”—those older and young men who have grown up without a father or father figure who think only with what they see below their belts. Focusing on St. Joseph as a guide for any male is obviously crucial.
Second, reflecting on how this saint protected marriage by devotedly serving the Virgin Mary and Jesus can assist religious citizens (both Catholic and Protestant Christian and our Jewish brothers and sisters) to reassert the heterosexual normativity opposed by gay activists.
Thus, although written in 1962, when atheistic communism was at its height in attacking the West, one can argue that the book’s final claim (that St. Joseph can aid Christians assaulted by secular forces) is even more relevant today.
Of course, many colleges, especially those which purport to be Catholic, may not have this volume; it may be considered too patriarchal, since attention given to any male saint, even St. Joseph, may be construed as an attack against feminist principles which reign in most academic circles. However, ordinary people (the ones who live humbly and vote for pro-life candidates like Trump over anti-life ones like Hillary Clinton) will appreciate not only the intellectual depth of Filas’ work, but also his smooth writing style.
A final note: even though the volume is 678 pages, virtually all are larger font. Thus, this work is about 300 substantial pages of commentary about St. Joseph.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews