Did Joseph want to "Divorce" Mary?
by Paul Sides

The Plan of Salvation - the real story - begin here

Did Joseph want to "divorce" Mary because he knew he wasn’t the father? No   Again, knowing the Torah and the standards by which they lived, you will know that is a false teaching. Why?

To end an engagement by Torah standards requires a certificate of divorce which was a PUBLIC ACT!!!!!

In fact, when Joseph learned that Mary, the woman he was engaged to and who was his wife by Torah standards, was with their child, not wanting to disgrace her, he wanted to send her away secretly TO HAVE THE BABY and she went to Elizabeth’s house.   Joseph wanted to SEND HER AWAY SECRETLY, not divorce her with a certificate of divorce. Why? Because Joseph knew it was his child!  Joseph could not possibly divorce her secretly. A certificate of divorce was a public act, just like an engagement was (and is) a public act.

Joseph and Mary were husband and wife and engaged (husband and wife before YHWH) not married (before the public ceremony) by Torah standards. They together produced Yahshua (as is clearly stated by a Miracle of YHWH in the womb of Mary using Joseph's seed) and Joseph was in a pickle.   Because while NOT prohibited in the Torah; sex prior to the wedding was NOT the norm because it was expected they would prove her sexual virginity at the wedding.

Joseph had not yet taken Mary to live with him, so he desired to send Mary to Elizabeth's house privately to have the child.  Joseph was NOT a high priest or rabbi or such, he was a simple carpenter and DID NOT KNOW the Torah standard for his situation.  Therefore, the Angel appeared to Joseph and explained it was NOT a violation of the Torah and he had nothing to fear or be ashamed of, that the child was a product of and conceived by the very breath of YHWH, in His Spirit of Truth, the fulfillment of the Messianic Promise.

And the Angel told Joseph to GO GET HIS WIFE to live with him. And Joseph did and did not have sex with Mary until after the child was born.

That is the story told in the Gospels backed up by the Torah.