Judging Joseph

Ὅλην τὴν διάνοιαν πρὸς τὸ σαρκικὸν φρόνημα κατανεύεις, καὶ λέγεις τό· Ἔγνω αὐτήν· εἴ γε καὶ ἔγνω, μίξιν ὑπαινίττεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ γνῶθωι, κομψότατε, ὅτι οὐ φιλήδονος, οὐδὲ λάγνος ὑπῆρχεν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ θεοσεβής τε καὶ δίκαιος. Ἀκούσας δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου εἰπόντος περὶ τῆς Παρθένου ἐπιτόκου τυγχανούσης, ὅτι Τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου, καὶ τεχθήσεται, καὶ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, προσέθετο εὐλαβεῖσθαι ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, φρίξας τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἔκπληκτον, καὶ παραδοξότατον μυστήριον. Διόπερ οὐκ ἔτι λοιπὸν ὡς μνηστὴρ, καὶ ἀνὴρ, ἀλλ' ὡς λατρευτὴς, καὶ διάκονος Θεου ἐμβριθέστατος, συσφίγξας τῇ σωφροσύνῃ τοὺς οἰκείους λογισμοὺς, ἐξυπηρετεῖτο σὺν πάσῃ ὁσιότητι, καὶ πολλῇ ἀγνότητι, καὶ φόβῳ θείῳ τῇ λεγομένῃ, οὐ μὴν καὶ οὔσῃ, γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ Μαρίᾳ. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΟΑ' Κυριλλῳ Πρωτευοντι Source: Migne 79.181c-d

Your whole mind bent down in carnal thought, you say, 'He knew her; if he knew her, he had intercourse with her.' 1 But you should know, clever fellow, that Joseph was not given to pleasure or lust, but he was a most pious and righteous man. He understood when he heard from the angel about the Virgin birth: 'That in her is conceived of the Holy Spirit, and He that is born will save His people, and rule in eternity,' 2 that it was a warning coming from the face of God, striking him with fear account of its wonderous and admirable mystery. Whence after, not as a suitor or a husband, but as a most faithful worshipper and servant of God, bound to continence by his own thoughts, with all piety and chastity, by the fearful Divine words, not as his own did he receive Mary. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 271, To Cyrillus The Primate 1 Mt 1. 25 2 Mt 1. 23