Matthew 1:18, Joseph, Jesus’ Father

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

//Bishop John Shelby Spong’s new book, Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, pointed out three interesting parallels between Joseph, the father of Jesus, and Joseph, the most-beloved son of Jacob in the Old Testament. This comparison comes from the book of Matthew, and in fact, Matthew was the first book written to identify the father of Jesus as Joseph. Did Matthew borrow his story from the Old Testament?

Here are the startling comparisons:

[1] Both Josephs had a father named Jacob
[2] God spoke to both Josephs in dreams

[3] Both saved their family by taking them down to Egypt.

Coincidence, foreshadowing, or creative license on Matthew’s part?

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