JOSEPH THE TEACHER

Barbara Bode Snyder has written a novella entitled Joseph the Teacher.

This well-researched story of the birth and childhood and development of Jesus is given from the point of view of Joseph. He knew that not only would he need to be the protector of Mary and Jesus, but also his primary teacher. It was too dangerous to rely on Jesus being able to study under well-known Rabbis of the day. Joseph knew that his own knowledge was limited to what he had learned for his Bar Mitzvah, and he needed to learn much more to become the teacher of the Son of God.

The story shows how the visit of the Students of the Stars financed Joseph taking Mary and Jesus to safety in Alexandria in Egypt, since at that time there were many more Jews in Alexandria than in Jerusalem. There Joseph could learn from various scholars what he needed to learn to teach Jesus and yet remain relatively anonymous in order to protect his family.