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According to Matthew 13:55 and [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3, Joseph was a tekton, which means a mechanic in general and a carpenter in particular.  The oral tradition, accepted since the earliest times, was that Joseph was indeed a carpenter by trade, and it is likely that [[Jesus]] initially followed in his footsteps.

According to Matthew 13:55 and [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 6:3, Joseph was a tekton, which means a mechanic in general and a carpenter in particular.  The oral tradition, accepted since the earliest times, was that Joseph was indeed a carpenter by trade, and it is likely that [[Jesus]] initially followed in his footsteps.

It is assumed that Joseph was deceased by the time of [[Jesus]]'s preaching and [[Passion]], as there is no mention of him after Jesus' childhood. It was common for a husband to be substantially older than a wife and for women to live longer than men.  [[Catholics]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] believe that Mary remained a virgin.

It is assumed that Joseph was deceased by the time of [[Jesus]]'s preaching and [[Passion]], as there is no mention of him after Jesus' childhood. It was common for a husband to be substantially older than a wife and for women to live longer than men.  [[Catholics]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] believe that Mary remained a virgin. Many other denominations interpret the lack of scripture confirming this in conjunction with Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, and John 2:12 to refer to other biological children.<ref>People's New Testament - 1889 (public domain) on John 2:12</ref><ref>Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (public domain) on Mark 6:3 - "The fair interpretation of this passage is, that these were the sons and daughters of Joseph and Mary. The people in the neighborhood thought so, and spoke of them as such."</ref>