'''Joseph''' "of the House of [[David]]" (also '''Saint Joseph''', '''Joseph the Man''', '''Joseph of Nazareth''', and '''Joseph the Worker''') was, according to Christian Gospel accounts and tradition, the husband of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]]<ref>[[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:16</ref> and the legal father of [[Jesus|Jesus of Nazareth]],<ref>[[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:25; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 3:23</ref>, although most Christian faith traditionstradition holdholds that Joseph did not physically beget Jesus, but that Mary had conceived him through [[Incarnation|divine means]] (''see [[Virgin Birth]]'').<ref> Belief in the virgin conception and birth are held by Christians of most faith traditions [http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=36], including Evangelicals [http://www.biola.edu/about/doctrinal_statement.cfm], Roman Catholics [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15448a.htm], Eastern Orthodox, and most traditional Protestants [http://www.ancient-future.net/marynew.html]. </ref><ref>[[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 1:18, 20; [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 1:35</ref> Little else is known of Joseph except that he was apparently a skilled craftsman (often held to have been a [[carpenter]]) and for many years lived in the town of [[Nazareth]]. Joseph's death is not recorded; he is thought to have still been alive when Jesus was around 12 years old, due to scriptural mention,<ref>Luke 2:41-42</ref> but the lack of any mention of him in the Biblical accounts of Jesus' adult ministry (some 18 years later) is often taken to imply that he had died before then.
In the Roman Catholic and other traditions, he is the [[patron saint]] of workers and has several [[feast day]]s (''see [[Saint Joseph's Day]]''). Saint Joseph was also declared to be the patron saint and protector of the Universal Catholic Church (along with [[Saint Peter]]) by [[Pope Pius IX]] in 1870, and is the patron of several countries and regions.
