Joseph's Dream and The Possibility of an Honor Killing

Here is an excerpt from my chapter in The Case Against Miracles titled, "Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence."

Joseph was incredulously convinced Mary was a virgin because of a dream, yes, a dream (see Matthew 1:19-24), one that solved his dilemma of whether to “dismiss her quietly” or “disgrace” her publicly which would have led her to be executed for dishonoring him. Joseph’s dream is used in Gospel of Matthew’s narrative to help explain why Mary was not put to death for dishonoring him because of adultery. There are five other dreams in this gospel account which were all intended to save someone’s life. So, Joseph’s dream was probably meant to save Mary’s life too (Matthew 1:19-23; 2:12; 2:19-23; & 27:19). 

Matthew J. Marohl is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He holds a PhD in New Testament from the University of St Andrews. In his book, Joseph’s Dilemma: “Honor Killing” in the Birth Narrative of Matthew, he shows that “Joseph’s dilemma involves the possibility of an honor killing. If Joseph reveals that Mary is pregnant, she will be killed. If Joseph conceals Mary’s pregnancy, he will be opposing the law of the Lord. What is a ‘righteous’ man to do?” “Early Christ-followers understood Joseph’s dilemma to involve an assumption of adultery and the subsequent possibility of the killing of Mary.” 

This was part of their culture. Honor killings were justified in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus even agreed with the Mosaic Law (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9) against his opponents on behalf of honor killings of children who dishonored their parents (Mark 7:8-13). The tale of the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of her accusers, doesn’t change what Jesus thinks of the law either (John 8; Matthew 5:18).