The Bible does not specify Joseph's age when Jesus was born.
Biblical Silence
Scripture describes Joseph as Mary's husband and a carpenter from Nazareth but provides no birth year or age details. Gospels mention him during Jesus' infancy and childhood events, like the flight to Egypt, but he disappears from narratives by Jesus' adulthood, suggesting he likely died before then.
Historical Traditions
Later Christian traditions, especially in Catholic and Orthodox apocrypha like the Protoevangelium of James, portray Joseph as an elderly widower (perhaps 80–90) chosen to guard Mary's virginity. This view aimed to explain Jesus' "brothers" as Joseph's prior children and emphasize Mary's perpetual virginity.
Scholarly Estimates
Modern biblical scholars favor Joseph as a young adult, likely late teens to early 30s, aligning with 1st-century Jewish marriage norms where men wed around 18–25 after trade apprenticeships. Cultural evidence supports early unions, and his absence at Jesus' ministry (age 30) fits average lifespans of 40–50 without implying extreme old age at Jesus' birth.
