Saint Joseph was of royal descent. Jacob married his brother's wife and gave birth to Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Joseph was, as already said, the son of two: by nature of Jacob, and by law of Elijah. That is why the holy Evangelist Luke, setting forth the genealogy of Christ, named Elijah as the father of Joseph, saying of Christ thus: "he was, as they thought, the son of Joseph, Iliev, Matatov" indicating Elijah instead of Jacob. Having this Salome, the daughter of Haggai, as his wife, Saint Joseph begat four sons: James, Simon, Judas, Josiah, and two daughters, Esther and Tamar, or, as others say, Martha; and the synaxar on the Sunday of the holy Myrrh-bearers adds a third daughter, named Salome, who was married to Zabedeus. When he was already old, eighty years old, the Virgin Mary was betrothed to him and given to him for the preservation of her virginity, not for actual marriage. He was not the father, but he did not cast out the Virgin Mary, as Jewish tradition dictates, but raised the child. Joseph and Jesus were not related by blood, but Joseph is hidden as the earthly father of Jesus, because it is not so important to create as to raise.