Two seemingly-obscure names were attributed to the Old Testament Joseph: "Tsaphnath-Paaneah" and "Abrek!" Pope Leo, in his 1889 Encyclical on Joseph of Nazareth, indicated that the Old Testament Joseph pre-figured Joseph of Nazareth. It is therefore quite possible that the secret to understanding the importance of Joseph of Nazareth resides with removing the obscurity of those two words.

"Tsaphnath-Paaneah": "Revealer of Hidden Things" and "Savior of the Age"
Many Christian versions of the Old Testament indicate that this is a "Hebrew transcription of an Egyptian name meaning 'The god speaks and the child lives'" (NAB). Josephus' "Antiquities of the Jews," on the other hand, says the name means "Revealer of a Secret." Similarly, the Hebrew Targum of Genesis indicates that the name means, "He to whom hidden matters are revealed."

Other sources, however, indicate that the name means "Salvation" or "Savior of the Age." Given the gravity of the subject matter at Fatima [where the three shepherd children were privileged with an additional apparition of Joseph holding a two-year-old Jesus (with them both blessing the world)], is it possible that we are being told to "Go to Joseph" (cf Genesis 41:55) to escape the dangers? Only time will bear this out.

One word for "craftsman" in Hebrew is hkm. This word can also be translated as "wise man." Certainly, Joseph was "wise on earth," and his prudence and wisdom still intercedes from Heaven in protecting the children of his extended family. If understanding the "clues" (and most importantly, heeding them) of Revelation 13:18 and 17:9 requires the intercession of the "wise" craftsman Joseph, then he truly is the "Savior of the Age." Or, perhaps the Old Testament Joseph speaks best here, in Genesis 45:7: "God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance."

"Abrek!": "Father of the King," Steward of the Royal Household"
Many Christian versions of Genesis discern this to mean "Bow the Knee," since, except for the first letter, it would be the same as a Hebrew word that mean "to bow the knee" as in receiving a blessing. On the other hand, the Akkadian word "abarakku," from which some scholars say "abrek" is derived as a "loan word," has been found to mean "temple steward," or "chief steward of a private or royal household" (cf "The Torah: A Modern Commentary," Copyright 1974, Union of American Hebrew Congregations).

Of course, Joseph of Nazareth is the Steward of the Royal Household of Christ the King. As Guardian of the Holy Family, he is similarly the guardian or "steward" of the extended members of the Holy Family, namely, the Church. He could thus be regarded as the "steward" of the Mystical Body/Temple of Christ.

On the other hand, the Jewish Talmud (b.Bathra 4a) indicates theat "Abrek!" means "Father of the King." This is taken from the first part of the word "ab," which means "father," and the second part, "rek," which some have taken to mean a shortened "reka," believed by some to be a transliteration of the Latin word "rex," meaning "ruler" or "king." Perhaps the Old Testament Joseph said it best in Genesis 45:8: "God has made me a father to Pharaoh (ie, "the King"), and lord of all his house."

Perhaps this is as good a scriptural confirmation and explanation as any as to how Joseph of Nazareth could be a father to (Jesus Christ) the King, given that he did not contribute any of his "substance" in the process, not to mention that Jesus' Father IS God. It was God (and only God) who made this possible, since with God, "all things are possible" (cf Luke 1:37). Given their innocence, little children understand all this much better than adults, whose thinking has long since been encumbered with the technicalities of the so-called "facts of life."

The Midrash Rabbah (XC. 3-4) on Genesis indicates that "Abrek!" means "Father ("ab") in wisdom though Tender ("rak") in years. Some have thus considered this interpretation to mean "Tender Father." Kind of clumsy, but no less enlightening. God through history has desired to reveal Himself as a tender, merciful Father. With the coming of Jesus, along with the continued understanding of the role of Mary in the "economy of salvation" as the Mother of Mercy, this aspect of mercy has been revealed much more clearly. Could anyone consider Joseph of Nazareth as anything but a "Tender (merciful) Father" to Jesus, and thus the rest of his family in the Mystical Body of Christ, as God the Father is merciful?

Unfortunately, this aspect of God as a tender, merciful Father, even with the coming of Jesus, has remained somewhat hidden to a larger part of humanity, even for Christians.

Could it thus be through the intercession of Joseph of Nazareth ("Tender Father"), as a "Revealer of Hidden Things," that this possibly ultimate secret of God as the "Father of Tender Mercies" (cf Psalm 145:8; 2 Corinthians 1:3) will be revealed in its fullness? We shall see.

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