Abba: The Life and Passing of Joseph of Nazareth is a novel about the life of the foster father of Jesus Christ. At eighteen Joseph finds himself in Egypt with a wife and one year old son. After a brief flashback to the birth of Jesus, the novel continues with the life of the Holy Family with emphasis on the relationship between Joseph and Jesus. The novel ends with Joseph's death at the age of forty-four, five years before the beginning of his foster son's ministry.
Throughout the ages the lack of attention given to Joseph lies in the fact there is little information about him outside a few references to him in the Bible. There is, however, much we can know about him through simple deduction, and to know Joseph is to better know Jesus. Joseph was a carpenter. He taught Jesus that trade. And he was "a just man," the Bible says. Surely he taught Jesus about justice, mercy and honesty. So Jesus was, therefore, a product of his foster father's wisdom and talents. All this through deductive reasoning.
Conflict in Joseph's mind exists throughout the novel. It exists because Joseph feels that Jesus should be the one to tell him that He is the Messiah, without Joseph saying anything about it first. He doesn't want to "put the thought" into Jesus' mind. That one percent of doubt torments him, but he manages to continue on, all the while teaching Jesus about the Scriptures and life itself, all of which gives Jesus (in his human nature) the wisdom he will later draw upon for his wondrous parables. Turn to those New Testament parables and immediately see how Joseph's influence abides in them. And rejoice with Joseph when he finally hears the truth from his foster son's own lips that he is indeed the Messiah.
In short, I bring alive the twenty-five heretofore hidden years in the life of the Holy Family. The reader will find himself dining with them and their relatives. He will pray with them as they must have prayed, and he will witness many of the religious and political discussions, which surely they must have had. He will also witness the father and son conversations, which might have occurred, along with some of the humorous events, which must certainly have taken place over the years. Indeed, the reader will discover Joseph, and he will also discover a Jesus practically unknown to most readers of non-fiction.
