JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA – WHO WAS HE?
Although from the pages of scripture very little is said about this enigmatic character, yet what we read of him is very revealing nonetheless. The first we hear about him is that in the evening following the crucifixion he went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. All four gospels say much the same thing except in John we learn that Nicodemus went with him to assist in lifting the body from the cross and taking it to Joseph’s own new tomb in a garden close to where the crucifixion took place. John 23 v.38 tells us that Joseph was a secret follower of our Lord and went to Pilate because he had a fear of the Jews. We know that he was a rich man and a counsellor (in other words a member of the Sanhedrin) and that “he was a good man and a just.” (Luke 23 v.50).
And that’s it! After that nothing more is heard of him. It must be appreciated, however, that along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, they were the two most hunted people following the knowledge of the resurrection. So it is puzzling to say the least as to why nothing more is written about them.
Secular history, on the other hand, has plenty to say about both of these people. It is interesting to read that Joseph did not go to the Sanhedrin for permission to take the body of Christ but went direct to Pilate. Pilate did not refer him to the Sanhedrin but readily gave permission having first satisfied himself that our Lord had died, by questioning his centurion. He was surprised He had died so soon. Under the state law at that time only relatives of common criminals could claim their bodies. So who was Joseph of Arimathea who could not only claim the body of Christ but also go direct to Pilate himself?
He was a relative of the Lord Jesus Christ as he was uncle to the Virgin Mary, being the younger brother of her father, Joachim, confirmed by a document showing the family tree of our Lord from the time of Adam held in the Herald ‘s Office at the English College of Arms (London). This is also substantiated by the Harl. MSS held in the British Museum.
It is commonly believed that Joseph the husband of the Virgin Mary died soon after the episode of losing Jesus after the Passover feast at the temple when he was twelve years old, as no more is heard of him. At this point Joseph of Arimathea being the closest relation became the official guardian of both Jesus and Mary. Both he and St John the Divine alone bore the titles of paranymphos which means ‘guardian’ as recorded in very early documents. The Cotton. MS. Titus testifies to the same facts.
Another reason why Joseph was able to go direct to Pilate was because he held a very powerful position with the Roman administration. In the Latin Vulgate of both St Mark’s (15:43) and St Luke’s (23:50) gospels we find the title of ‘Decurio’ used for Joseph, a designated name for an official in charge of metal mines. St Jerome’s translation gives Joseph’s official title as ‘Nobilis Decurio’ indicating his position as minister of mines.
Nonetheless we are told in Mark 15:43 that Joseph came ‘boldly’ to Pilate. It was the usual practice to seek permission from the Sadducean Priesthood when claiming a body but Joseph did not trust them knowing their fanaticism in wanting to be rid completely of Jesus even in death. It would have suited them better to have had his body cast into the common criminal pit where the shame of His extinction would be forever remembered. When they learned of His burial in a respectable tomb they were highly indignant and went at once to Pilate to request a guard. Pilate, however, was not so inclined and told them in Matthew 27.65 you have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as you can. Their ‘watch’ however, was not as well disciplined as the Roman army and could not last the time but ‘fell asleep’. Death was not a punishment for falling asleep while on duty with the Priesthood as it was with the Roman military. When they awoke they were dismayed to find the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and, that the body of Christ was no longer there. They would have hurried to the Sanhedrin to inform them of the event, hence the reason why there was no guard present when the women arrived to anoint their Lord.
Nevertheless, Joseph in spite of his superior position with the Roman administration knew he was a doubly marked man and had no trust of the Saduccean authority. Apparently there is a Jewish record (1) which states that Caiaphas ordered Joseph to be brought before the Sanhedrin to answer questions relating to the. mysterious disappearance of Christ’s body. They openly accused Joseph of being the prime instigator of the plot and demanded to know where He now reposed to all of which Joseph refused to answer.
The vicious Sanhedrin would stop at nothing to rid themselves of Joseph and certain of the disciples. It is recorded by Cardinal Baronius who was curator of the famous Vatican library and who was considered the most outstanding historian of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a man of learning, and a reliable, facile writer. The following is a quotation from his Ecclesiastical Annals concerning Joseph of Arimathea.
In that year the party mentioned was exposed to the sea in a vessel without sails or oars. The vessel drifted finally to Marseilles and they were saved. From Marseilles Joseph and his company passed into Britain and after preaching the Gospel there, died.
So who comprised this party? Various records agree in part w1th the Baronius record in that among the occupants of the castaway boat were Mary Magdalene, Martha, their handmaiden Marcella, Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, and Maximin the man whose sight Jesus restored. Then non-committally is added “and others”. Other records state that Philip and James were there while other records state that Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary the mother of Jesus were also there.
It would not have been a happy situation to have been cast on an ebbing tide in a boat with neither sails nor oars yet the little company would have had strong faith in their Lord to protect them. Furthermore, they would have tremendous trust in Joseph himself for he was a master mariner. He would have recognised their position by the star. Much of his wealth came from his trading in tin having a fleet of ships which plied regularly between the Cornish coast, Spain and Palestine. It is believed that he owned certain tin mines in Cornwall and Somerset in the Mendip Hills (derived from meindeep).
Eventually they arrived at Marseilles. Lazarus, Martha and Mary stayed in the south of France and Lazarus became their bishop. Joseph journeyed on to the British Isles with other members of the party and sailed up what is now known as the River Severn arriving at the Isles of Avalon within sight of Glastonbury Tor. It has long been believed that Joseph and his party were associated with Glastonbury and indeed it is recorded by Maelgwyn of Avalon (AD 450) “Joseph of Arimathea, the noble decurion, received his everlasting rest with his eleven associates in the Isle of Avalon. He lies in the southern angle of the bifurcated line of the Oratorium of the Adorable Virgin.“
”Across the stone lid of the sarcophagus on which his bones were later buried, under the initials J.A. are inscribed these immortal words: ‘Ad Brittanos veni post Christum Sepelivi. Docui. Quievi. ‘ (To the Britons I came after I buried the Christ. I taught, I have entered my rest.)
Queen Elizabeth I in receipt of a letter from five Roman Catholic bishops begging her to see sense and return to the Catholic fold replied they were nothing more than wolves feeding the flock on poisonous shrubs and that records and chronicles testify to the contrary that Rome planted Christianity in England. Further on in her letter she writes : “This author testifieth Joseph of Arimathea to be the first preacher of the Word of God within our realms. “
Because Joseph had the guardianship of Jesus it is highly probable that Jesus accompanied Joseph on his seafaring missions to Britain, especially since it is understood Jesus was not in Palestine for about twenty years, his obligation to pay the stranger’s tax being one reason and another in that people questioned “is not this Joseph’s son” as though they had not seen Him for sometime.
William Blake’s immortal hymn, Jerusalem, written in the late eighteenth century is also testament to our Lord’s visit to the Britannic Isles, being our second national anthem for much of the last century.
(Footnotes)
1 Drama of the Lost Disciples by George Jowett, p27
