Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 34

Luke 2:33, "And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him."

"The child tarried behind in Jerusalem, and his parents knew not of it." "And when they saw him they were amazed, and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing?" ver. 43, 48. Ibid, 4:22, "And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" See also John 1:45, "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph"; and ibid. 6:42, "Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?"

These passages afford a complete refutation of the doctrine of the miraculous conception of Jesus, and thereby undermine the groundwork of the Christian faith.

This objection is kind of silly if you have been reading along. Repeatedly, Troki asserts that Jesus cannot be Messiah since he did not descend biologically from Joseph. Here, Troki argues that Jesus did descend from Joseph. The New Testament has called Jesus the son of Joseph, and why would we reckon things any differently?

Parents of adopted children are generally considered the mother and father of that child. One rabbi that I know has an adopted daughter. People in the community still talk of the rabbi as her father, even though he is not her biological father.

Again, according to Jewish and Roman law, Joseph would have been legally considered the father. Mary had good reasons to keep her virgin conception a secret, particularly that few if any people would have believed her anyway.