Saint Joseph's dreams are four

dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

s described in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

in which

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, the legal father of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, is visited by an angel of the Lord and receives specific instructions and warnings of impending danger. All four dreams come from the period around the

Nativity of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...

and his early life, between the onset of Mary's

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

and the family's return from the Flight to Egypt. They are often distinguished by numbers as "Joseph's first dream" and so on. Especially in art history, the first may be referred to as the Annunciation to Joseph.

Biblical accounts

The four dreams are as follows: :* First dream: In , Joseph is told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because she has conceived by the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

. (See also the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

in , when an angel visits Mary and she agrees to conceive "through the power of the Most High".) :* Second dream: In , Joseph is warned to leave

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

and flee to Egypt. :* Third dream: In , while in Egypt, Joseph is told that it is safe to go back to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. :* Fourth dream: In , because he had been warned in a dream, Joseph awakens to depart for the region of

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

instead of going to

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

Commentary

Roger Baxter, in his ''Meditations'' reflects on the second dream, writing: "Ponder the particulars of this command. 1. The angel commands in the name of God, who is the supreme Lord. 2. He delivers the command not to Mary, though she was the more worthy; but to Joseph, because he was the head of the family, and its ordinary superior. 3. He appeared to him in sleep, by which we learn, that even while we sleep the care of God is exerted over us, and He is continually watching for our good. 4. He tells him to take the Child and His mother, without mentioning anything else. Oh that Jesus and Mary were your only care! 5. He assigns them the place of their banishment. Learn, hence, not to choose for yourself, but receive everything in the ordinary way of God's providence, and as coming from His hands, in regard to place, employment, prosperity, and adversity."

In art

The dreams have sometimes been depicted in art, though they have never been among the most common subjects from the Life of Jesus in art or the Life of the Virgin. It is often unclear which dream is intended. The second dream is probably most often depicted, and if there is no other indication it can be assumed that is the subject. If the Virgin Mary is present (but no infant Jesus), especially if visibly pregnant or shown spinning, this suggests the first dream, which tends to be shown in an indoor setting. An outside setting may suggest the second dream, as does the angel pointing outside the picture space, urging Joseph to leave. The tools of his carpentry workshop are often shown around him, probably indicating the second dream, although logically there seems to be no reason why these should not be present for the first and third dreams as well. The presence of the ox or ass from the Nativity scene suggests the second dream. In the absence of a place in a sequence, inscribed text, a title, or decor showing a setting in Egypt, the third and fourth dreams can generally be ruled out where there is uncertainty. File:T'oros Roslin - Joseph's Dream - Walters W53917R - Detail A.jpg, Toros Roslin, 1262 File:Bregenz Martinskapelle Fresken 05.jpg, The first dream, as shown by the angel's banderole, fresco, 1360 File:Rembrandt van Rijn 195.jpg, Second dream, Rembrandt and workshop, 1645, with ox File:Cavallino Dream of Saint Joseph.jpg, Bernardo Cavallino, c. 1645. Given the size of Jesus, and the basic accommodation, this might be the 3rd dream. File:Il sogno di San Giuseppe by Antonio Ciseri.jpg, Antonio Ciseri, 19th century, probably the 1st dream. File:Daniele Crespi - Saint Joseph’s dream (Kunsthstorisches Museum Wien).jpg, The 2nd dream, by Daniele Crespi, 1620–1630. Back in the Nazareth workshop, but Jesus in the room to the left seems still a baby. File:Mengs, Traum des hl. Joseph.jpg, Mengs 18th century File:'Joseph's Dream', painting by Gaetano Gandolfi, c. 1790.jpg, Gaetano Gandolfi, c. 1790

Depictions with articles

* ''Joseph's Dream'' (Crespi), 1620s, 2nd dream * ''Joseph's Dream'' (Rembrandt, 1645) * ''Joseph's Dream'' (studio of Rembrandt, 1650–1655) * ''Dream of Saint Joseph'', (de La Tour, 1628–1645)

Sleeping Joseph statues

A statue of the "Sleeping Joseph" is a devotional object found in some Catholic homes. It was popularised by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

, who said during a 2015 visit to the Philippines, "when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a piece of paper and put it under St. Joseph, because he dreams about it! This gesture means: pray for this problem!"

Notes

References

*James Hall, ''A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art'', 1983, John Murray, London, *Schiller, Gertud, ''Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I'', 1971 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London,

External links

Pope Francis. "Joseph the Dreamer", March 20, 2017, Libreria Editrice Vaticana
{{Nativity of Jesus, state=collapsed Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament Christian iconography Saint Joseph (husband of Mary) Angelic apparitions in the Bible Gospel of Matthew Biblical dreams and visions *