Josephology

Josephology is the theological study of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Records of devotions to Saint Joseph go back to the year 800 and Doctors of the Church since Saint Thomas Aquinas have written on the subject. With the growth of Mariology, the theological study of Saint Joseph also grew and in the 1950s specific centers for it were formed. The modern study of the theology of Saint Joseph is one of the most recent theological disciplines.

History and background

Early period

The earliest record of a formal devotional following for Saint Joseph in the Western Church is in the abridged Martyrology of Rheinau in Northern France, which dates to the year 800. References to St. Joseph as nutritor Domini (educator/guardian of the Lord) from the 9th to the 14th centuries continued to increase as Mariology developed, and by the 12th century, along with greater devotion to Mary, the writings of the Benedictine monks began to foster a following for Saint Joseph and they began to enter his name in their liturgical calendars or in their martyrology.