| Joseph of Arimathea | |
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| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion |
| Feast | March 17 in the West, July 31 in the East |
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Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus was crucified. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament A sepulchre, or sepulcher, is a type of Tomb or Burial chamber Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from A native of Arimathea, he was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin, which is the way bouleutēs, literally "counsellor", in Matthew 27:57 and Luke 23:50 is often interpreted. Arimathea, according to the Gospel of Luke (xxiii 51 was "a city of Judea " The Sanhedrin (סנהדרין συνέδριον ''synedrion'', "sitting together" hence " assembly " or "council" was an assembly Joseph was an "honourable counsellor, who waited (or "was searching") for the kingdom of God", according to Mark 15:43. Content Authorship The gospel itself is anonymous but as early as Papias in the early 2nd century a text was attributed to Mark, a cousin In John 19:38 he was secretly a disciple of Jesus: as soon as he heard the news of Jesus' death, he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. " The Scholars Version notes this act as "unexpected… Is Joseph in effect bringing Jesus into his family?" [1]
Pilate, reassured by a centurion that the death had really taken place, allowed Joseph's request. Centurion redirects here This article is about the Roman soldier Joseph immediately purchased fine linen (Mark 15:46) and proceeded to Golgotha to take the body down from the cross. "Golgotha" redirects here For other uses see Golgotha (disambiguation. There, assisted by Nicodemus, he took the body and wrapped it in the fine linen, sprinkling it with the myrrh and aloes that Nicodemus had brought (John 19:39). Nicodemus (Greek Νικόδημος was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus Myrrh is a reddish-brown Resinous material the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia Aloe, also written Aloë, is a Genus containing about four hundred Species of flowering succulent Plants The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon The body was then conveyed to a new tomb that had been hewn for Joseph himself out of a rock in his garden nearby. There they laid it, in the presence of Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, and rolled a great stone to the entrance, and departed (Luke 23:53, 55). Saint Mary Magdalen or Mary Magdalene is described both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted This was done speedily, "for the Sabbath was drawing on". Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath
Joseph of Arimathea is venerated as a saint by the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican churches. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs His feast-day is March 17 in the West, July 31 in the East. The Orthodox also commemorate him on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers—the second Sunday after Pascha (Easter)—as well as on July 31. The term Myrrhbearers ( Greek: Μυροφόραι Myrophorae; Slavonic: Жены́-мѷроно́сицы mironosiţe refers to the women who came Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. He appears in some early New Testament apocrypha, and a series of legends grew around him during the Middle Ages, which tied him to Britain and the Holy Grail. New Testament apocrypha are a number of writings of the early Christian church that give accounts of the teachings of Jesus, aspects of the life of Jesus accounts See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers
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Joseph's role in the Gospels
Christians interpret Joseph's role as fulfilling Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the Messiah would be with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9). The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos Isaiah (; Greek:, Ēsaiās; Arabic: اشعیاء, Ash-ee-yaa; "Salvation of/is YHWH " is This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived The skeptical tradition, which reads the various fulfillments of prophecies in the life of Jesus as inventions designed for that purpose, reads Joseph of Arimathea as a story created to fulfill this prophecy in Isaiah. With this in mind, it is worth quoting the passage from Isaiah, chapter 53, the "Man of Sorrows" passage, because so much of the meaningfulness of Joseph of Arimathea hinges upon these words:
- He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. You may be looking for Man of Sorrows (song or Man of Sorrows (painting Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified
The Greek Septuagint text is not quite the same:
- And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practised no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth. The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the
In the Qumran community's Great Isaiah Scroll, dated at c. For the country that features in Yes Minister, see here. Qumran (خربة قمران חירבת קומראן Khirbet Qumran 100 BC the words are not identical to the Masoretic text:
- And they gave wicked ones his grave and [a scribbled word, probably accusative sign "eth"] rich ones in his death although he worked no violence neither deceit in his mouth. The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh)
Is the "Man of Sorrows" assigned a shameful grave with the rich and wicked? Or are the wicked and rich given his grave? The question cannot be resolved simply from the three parallel surviving manuscript traditions.
Historical development
Since the 2nd century a mass of legendary detail has accumulated around the figure of Joseph of Arimathea in addition to the New Testament references. Joseph is referenced in apocryphal and non-canonical accounts such as the Acts of Pilate, given the medieval title Gospel of Nicodemus and The Narrative of Joseph, and in early church historians such as Irenaeus (125 – 189), Hippolytus (170 – 236), Tertullian (155 – 222), and Eusebius (260 – 340), who added details not in the canonical accounts. The Acts of Pilate (Latin Acta Pilati Greek Πράξεις Πιλάτου) is a book of the New Testament Pseudepigrapha Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France For places named after the saint see Saint-Hippolyte Saint Hippolytus of Rome (c Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca Hilary of Poitiers (300 – 367) enriched the legend, and Saint John Chrysostom (347 – 407), the Patriarch of Constantinople, was the first to write[2] that Joseph was one of the Seventy Apostles appointed in Luke 10. Hilarius or Saint Hilary (ca 300 – 368 was Bishop of Poitiers ('Pictavium' and considered an eminent doctor of the Western Christian This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Seventy Disciples or Seventy-two Disciples were early followers of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.
During the late 12th century, Joseph became connected with the Arthurian cycle as the first keeper of the Holy Grail. The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the Legends that concern the Celtic and legendary History of Great Britain, especially those According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers This idea first appears in Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie, in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Britain. Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village This theme is elaborated upon in Boron's sequels and in later Arthurian works. Later retellings of the story contend that Joseph of Arimathea himself travelled to Britain and became the first Christian bishop in the Isles.
Christian interpretations
Biblical text amplifies both the characteristics of Joseph, and the involvement he had with the burial of Christ, in reference to Isaiah 53:9. According to Dwight Moody in Bible Characters, seldom is anything mentioned by all four Evangelists. Early life Dwight Moody was born in Northfield Massachusetts to a large family [3] If something is mentioned by Matthew and Mark, it is often omitted by Luke and John. However in the case of Joseph of Arimathea, he and his actions are mentioned by all four writers: Matthew 27:57–60, Mark 15:43-46, Luke 23:50-55 and John 19:38-42.
Gospel of Nicodemus
The Gospel of Nicodemus, a text appended to the Acts of Pilate, provides additional, though even more mythologized, details. The Acts of Pilate (Latin Acta Pilati Greek Πράξεις Πιλάτου) is a book of the New Testament Pseudepigrapha After Joseph asked for the body of Christ from Pilate, and prepared the body with Nicodemus' help, Christ's body was delivered to a new tomb that Joseph had built for himself. In the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Jewish elders express anger at Joseph for burying the body of Christ in the following exchange:
And likewise Joseph also stepped out and said to them: Why are you angry against me because I begged the body of Jesus? Behold, I have put him in my new tomb, wrapping in clean linen; and I have rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. And you have acted not well against the just man, because you have not repented of crucifying him, but also have pierced him with a spear.
—Gospel of Nicodemus. Translated by Alexander Walker.
The Jewish elders then captured Joseph, and imprisoned him, and placed a seal on the door to his cell after first posting a guard. Joseph warned the elders:
The Son of God whom you hanged upon the cross, is able to deliver me out of your hands. All your wickedness will return upon you.
Once the elders returned to the cell, the seal was still in place, but Joseph was gone. The elders later discover that Joseph had returned to Arimathea. Having a change in heart, the elders desired to have a more civil conversation with Joseph about his actions and sent a letter of apology to him by means of seven of his friends. Joseph travelled back from Arimathea to Jerusalem to meet with the elders, where they questioned by them about his escape. He told them this story;
On the day of the Preparation, about the tenth hour, you shut me in, and I remained there the whole Sabbath in full. And when midnight came, as I was standing and praying, the house where you shut me in was hung up by the four corners, and there was a flashing of light in mine eyes. And I fell to the ground trembling. Then some one lifted me up from the place where I had fallen, and poured over me an abundance of water from the head even to the feet, and put round my nostrils the odour of a wonderful ointment, and rubbed my face with the water itself, as if washing me, and kissed me, and said to me, Joseph, fear not; but open thine eyes, and see who it is that speaks to thee. And looking, I saw Jesus; and being terrified, I thought it was a phantom. And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to him, and he spoke with me. And I said to him: Art thou Rabbi Elias? And he said to me: I am not Elias. And I said: Who art thou, my Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg from Pilate, and wrap in clean linen; and thou didst lay a napkin on my face, and didst lay me in thy new tomb, and roll a stone to the door of the tomb. Then I said to him that was speaking to me: Show me, Lord, where I laid thee. And he led me, and showed me the place where I laid him, and the linen which I had put on him, and the napkin which I had wrapped upon his face; and I knew that it was Jesus. And he took hold of me with his hand, and put me in the midst of my house though the gates were shut, and put me in my bed, and said to me: Peace to thee! And he kissed me, and said to me: For forty days go not out of thy house; for, lo, I go to my brethren into Galilee.
—Gospel of Nicodemus. Translated by Alexander Walker
According to the Gospel of Nicodemus, Joseph testified to the Jewish elders, and specifically to chief priests Caiaphas and Annas that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven and he indicated that others were raised from the dead at the resurrection of Christ (repeating Matt 27:52-53). Yosef Bar Kayafa ( Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא joˑsef bar qayːɔfɔʔ (which translates as Joseph son of Caiaphas) also known simply as Annas (also Ananus) son of Seth was a Jewish High Priest from AD 6 to 15 and remained an influential leader afterwards He specifically identified the two sons of the high-priest Simeon (again in Luke 2:25-35). The elders Annas, Caiaphas, Nicodemus, and Joseph himself, along with Gamaliel under whom Paul of Tarsus studied, travelled to Arimathea to interview Simeon's sons Charinus and Lenthius. This article is about Gamaliel the Elder For other individuals and uses see Gamaliel (disambiguation Gamaliel the Elder (gəmā'lēəl or Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and
Other medieval texts
Medieval interest in Joseph centered on two themes, that of Joseph as the founder of British Christianity (even before it had taken hold in Rome), and that of Joseph as the original guardian of the Holy Grail. Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes called the Celtic Church or the British Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval
Joseph and Britain
Legends about the arrival of Christianity in Britain abounded during the Middle Ages. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Catholic Church in England and Wales is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, The Church of England commemorates many of the same Saints as those in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, mostly on the same days but also commemorates various Scotland is traditionally a Christian nation with around 65% claiming to be Christian at the 2001 census. Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes called the Celtic Church or the British Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval Irish and Scottish missionaries (Iro-Scottish Hiberno-Scottish were instrumental in the spread of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England and the Wales is traditionally a Christian country with around 70% claiming to be Christian Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes called the Celtic Church or the British Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval The term " Celtic Rite " is generally but rather indefinitely applied to the various rites used in Great Britain, Ireland, perhaps in Brittany Traditional story Ninian is first mentioned by Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People (book III chapter 4 Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert (c 484 &ndash c WikipediaPersondata --> See Columba (disambiguation and St Columb for other uses Not to be confused with St Columba, also Irish and partly his contemporary St Finnian or St Uinniau of Moville (495 - 589 was a Christian Missionary who became a legendary figure in medieval Ireland. Saint Patrick (Patricius Irish: Naomh Pádraig) was a Roman Britain -born Christian Missionary and is the Patron saint Blessed Margaret Ball (1515 &ndash 1584 was born Margaret Birmingham near Skryne in County Meath, and died of deprivation in the dungeons of Dublin Saint Charles of Mount Argus was a well known Passionist priest in 19th century Ireland. Traditional story Ninian is first mentioned by Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People (book III chapter 4 Saint David ( c. 500–589 ('Dewi Sant' was a church official later regarded as a Saint and as the Patron saint of Wales. Saint Dubricius (also known in his native Welsh as Dyfrig and in corrupt Norman-French as Devereux) (c Saint Teilo (also Eliud) was a leader of the Celtic Christian church in Wales during the 6th century The history of Christianity in England from the Roman departure to the Norman Conquest is often told as one of conflict between the Celtic Christianity The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Nations) formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded Christianity in Medieval Scotland pertains to the Christian Religion in Scotland in the Middle Ages. Parts of the Bible were translated into Welsh before the 15th century but the first complete translation was the manuscript of Celydd Sfan and while no exact date William Salesbury also Salusbury (c 1520 - c 1584 was the leading Welsh scholar of the Renaissance and the principal translator of the 1567 Welsh The Scottish Reformation was Scotland 's formal break with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 and the events surrounding this George Wishart (c 1513 &ndash 1 March 1546) was a Scottish religious reformer and Protestant Martyr. John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian Jenny Geddes (c 1600 &ndash c 1660 was a Scottish market-trader in Edinburgh, who is alleged to have thrown her stool at the head of the minister in The Book of Common Order is the name of several directories for public worship William Morgan (1545 &ndash September 10, 1604) was Bishop of Llandaff and of St Asaph, and the translator of the first version of the whole This article is an expansion of a section entitled '''History''' from within the main article Church of England The history The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. This article is an expansion of a section entitled '''History''' from within the main article Church of England The history This article is an expansion of a section entitled '''History''' from within the main article Church of England The history Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th This article is an expansion of a section entitled '''History''' from within the main article Church of England The history Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were established throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th The Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during William Gladstone 's administration Scotland is traditionally a Christian nation with around 65% claiming to be Christian at the 2001 census. The Welsh Methodist revival of the 18th century was one of the most significant religious and social movements in the history of Wales. The Welsh Revival (1904–1905 was the largest full scale Christian Revival of Wales of the 20th century. The Church in Wales (Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six Dioceses in Wales. Early writers do not connect Joseph to this activity, however. Tertullian (AD 155-222) wrote in Adversus Judaeos [1] that Britain had already received and accepted the Gospel in his lifetime, writing:
… all the limits of the Spains, and the diverse nations of the Gauls, and the haunts of the Britons – inaccessible to the Romans, but subjugated to Christ. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca
Tertullian doesn't say how the Gospel came to Britain before AD 222. However, Eusebius, (AD 260-340) Bishop of Caesarea and one of the earliest and most comprehensive of church historians, wrote of Christ's disciples in Demonstratio Evangelica, Bk. 3 [2] saying that "some have crossed the Ocean and reached the Isles of Britain. " Saint Hilary of Poitiers [3] (AD 300-376) also wrote (Tract XIV, Ps 8) that the Apostles had built churches and that the Gospel had passed into Britain. Hilarius or Saint Hilary (ca 300 – 368 was Bishop of Poitiers ('Pictavium' and considered an eminent doctor of the Western Christian This claim is echoed by Saint John Chrysostom [4] (AD 347-407), the Patriarch of Constantinople in Chrysostomo Orat. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. O Theos Xristos.
Hippolytus [5] (AD 170-236), considered to have been one of the most learned Christian historians, identifies the seventy whom Jesus sent in Luke 10, and includes Aristobulus listed in Romans 16:10 with Joseph and states that he ended up becoming a Pastor in Britain. For places named after the saint see Saint-Hippolyte Saint Hippolytus of Rome (c The Seventy Disciples or Seventy-two Disciples were early followers of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. This is further argued by St. Hilary in Tract XIV, Ps 8.
In none of these earliest references to Christianity’s arrival in Britain is Joseph of Arimathea mentioned. The first connection of Joseph of Arimathea with Britain is found in the 9th century Life of Mary Magdalene by Rabanus Maurus [6] (AD 766-856), Archbishop of Mayence. Rabanus Maurus Magnentius (c 780 &ndash 4 February 856) also known as Hrabanus or Rhabanus, was a Frankish Benedictine In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated Bishop. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others this means that they lead Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Rabanus states that Joseph of Arimathea was sent to Britain, and he goes on to detail who travelled with him as far as France, claiming that he was accompanied by "the two Bethany sisters, Mary and Martha, Lazarus (who was raised from the dead), St. In the Gospel of John, Mary of Bethany ( Hebrew מרים Miryām, Miryam "Bitter" Saint Martha ( Judæo-Aramaic מַרְתָּא Martâ "The lady" was the sister of Lazarus Lazarus ( Hebrew: אלעזר Elʿāzār Eleazar "God (has helped" is the name of two separate men mentioned in the New Testament. Eutropius, St. Salome, St. This Salome is distinct from Salomé the daughter of Herodias, who demanded the head of John the Baptist. Cleon, St. Saturnius, St. Mary Magdalen, Marcella (the maid of the Bethany sisters), St. Saint Mary Magdalen or Mary Magdalene is described both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted Maxium or Maximin, St. Martial, and St. Trophimus or Restitutus. Saint Martial was the first Bishop of Limoges in today's France, according to a lost Vita of Saturnin, first Bishop of Toulouse According to Catholic lore, Saint Trophimus of Arles (also called Trophime) was the first Bishop of Arles, in today's southern France. " An authentic copy of the Maurus text is housed in the Bodleian Library of Oxford University. [4] Rabanus Maurus describes their voyage to Britain:
Leaving the shores of Asia and favoured by an east wind, they went round about, down the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Europe and Africa, leaving the city of Rome and all the land to the right. The Roman province of Asia, also called Phrygia was an administrative unit added to the late Republic. The Tyrrhenian Sea (Mar Tirreno is part of the Mediterranean Sea off of the western coast of Italy. Then happily turning their course to the right, they came near to the city of Marseilles, in the Viennoise province of the Gauls, where the river Rhône is received by the sea. Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ This article is about the French department Do not confuse with the Austrian capital Vienna. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. There, having called upon God, the great King of all the world, they parted; each company going to the province where the Holy Spirit directed them; presently preaching everywhere…
The route he describes is that of a supposed Phoenician trade route to Britain, described by Diodorus Siculus. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun
William of Malmesbury mentions Joseph going to Britain in one passage of his Chronicle of the English Kings. Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, He says Philip the Apostle sent twelve Christians to Britain, one of who was his dearest friend, Joseph of Arimathea. Saint Philip was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who proselytized in William does not mention Joseph by name again, but he mentions the twelve evangelists generally. He claims Glastonbury Abbey was founded by them; Glastonbury would be associated specifically with Joseph in later literature. Glastonbury Abbey, founded in the seventh century was a rich and powerful monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Cardinal Caesar Baronius [7] (1538-1609), Vatican Librarian and historian, recorded this voyage by Joseph of Arimathea, Lazarus, Mary Magdalene, Martha, Marcella and others in his Annales Ecclesiatici, volume 1, section 35. Venerable Cesare Baronio (also known as Caesar Baronius; August 30, 1538 &ndash June 30, 1607) was an Italian
Author Glenn Kimball further links the arrival, in Britain, of Joseph of Arimathea by 63 AD to the revolt of Boudica in England at nearly precisely that time (61 AD). Year 63 was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d Year 61 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar.
Holy Grail
The legend that Joseph was given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Grail was the product of Robert de Boron, who essentially expanded upon stories from Acts of Pilate. According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village In Boron's Joseph d'Arimathe, Joseph is imprisoned much as in the Acts, but it is the Grail that sustains him during his captivity. Upon his release he founds his company of followers, who take the Grail to Britain. The origin of the association between Joseph and Britain is not entirely clear, but it is probably through this association that Boron attached him to the Grail. Interestingly, in the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, a vast Arthurian composition that took much from Boron, it is not Joseph but his son Josephus who is considered the primary holy man of Britain. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend Josephus, also called Josephe or Josephes, is the son of Joseph of Arimathea and an early keeper of the Holy Grail in some tellings of the
Later authors sometimes mistakenly or deliberately treated the Grail story as truth – John of Glastonbury, who assembled a chronicle of the history of Glastonbury Abbey around 1350 claims that when Joseph came to Britain he brought with him a wooden cup used in the Last Supper, and two cruets, one holding the blood of Christ, and the other his sweat, washed from his wounded body on the Cross. In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his This legend is the source of the Grail claim by the Nanteos Cup[8] on display in the museum in Aberystwyth; however, it should be noted that there is no reference to this tradition in ancient or medieval text. The Nanteos Cup is an olivewood bowl held for many years at Nanteos Mansion Rhydyfelin, near Aberystwyth, Wales where it was Aberystwyth (Mouth of the River Ystwyth ˌæbəˈrɪstwɪθ Dialect: abɛrˈəstɔʏθ is a historic Market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within John further claims King Arthur was descended from Joseph, listing the following imaginative pedigree through King Arthur's mother;
Helaius, Nepos Joseph, Genuit Josus, Josue Genuit Aminadab, Aminadab Genuit Filium, qui Genuit Ygernam, de qua Rex Pen-Dragon, Genuit Nobilem et Famosum Regum Arthurum, per Quod Patet, Quod Rex Arthurus de Stirpe Joseph descendit.
Elizabeth I cited Joseph's missionary work in England when she told Roman Catholic bishops that the Church of England pre-dated the Roman Church in England. [5]
Other legends
The mytheme of the staff that Joseph of Arimathea set in the ground at Glastonbury, which broke into leaf and flower as the Glastonbury Thorn is a common miracle in hagiography. In the study of Mythology, a mytheme is the essential kernel of a myth an irreducible unchanging element similar to a cultural Meme, one that is always found shared Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. Glastonbury Abbey, founded in the seventh century was a rich and powerful monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή Such a miracle is told of the Anglo-Saxon saint Etheldreda:
Continuing her flight to Ely, Etheldreda halted for some days at Alfham, near Wintringham, where she founded a church; and near this place occurred the "miracle of her staff. Æthelthryth, or Æðelþryð, (c 636 - June 23 679) is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon Saint almost universally " Wearied with her journey, she one day slept by the wayside, having fixed her staff in the ground at her head. On waking she found the dry staff had burst into leaf; it became an ash tree, the "greatest tree in all that country;" and the place of her rest, where a church was afterwards built, became known as "Etheldredestow. "
—Richard John King, Handbook of the Cathedrals of England. [6]
Other legends claim Joseph was a relative of Jesus; specifically, Mary's uncle. Other speculation makes him a tin merchant, whose connection with Britain came by the abundant tin mines there. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 One version, popular during the Romantic period, even claims Joseph had taken Jesus to the island as a boy. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the [7] This was the inspiration for William Blake's mystical hymn Jerusalem. William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. " And did those feet in ancient time " is a short Poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem (1804
Arimathea
Arimathea itself is not otherwise documented, though it was "a city of Judea" according to Luke 23:51. Arimathea, according to the Gospel of Luke (xxiii 51 was "a city of Judea " Arimathea, according to the Gospel of Luke (xxiii 51 was "a city of Judea " Arimathea is usually identified with either Ramleh or Ramathaim-Zophim, where David came to Samuel (1 Samuel chapter 19). Ramla (רַמְלָה Ramlāh; الرملة also Ramle and sometimes Rama) is a city in central Israel with a mixed Arab and Ramathaim-Zophim ( Hebrew: רמתיים־צופים) a town that has been identified with the modern Neby Samwil ("the prophet Samuel David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of
References
- ^ Miller, Complete Gospels, p. 51
- ^ John Chrysostom, Homilies of St. John Chrysostum on the Gospel of John.
- ^ Moody, Dwight Lyman. 1997. Moody’s Bible Characters Come Alive. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. p. 115 ISBN 0-520-04392-8.
- ^ manuscripts MSS Laud 108 of the Bodleian.
- ^ Elizabeth's 1559 reply to the Catholic bishops
- ^ Richard John King, 1862. Handbook of the Cathedrals of England (Oxford) (On-line text)
- ^ "Joseph of Arimathea" Catholic Encyclopedia]. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
See also
External links
- A Biography of Joseph of Arimathea
- Catholic Encyclopedia 1908: "Joseph of Arimathea"
- Qumran text of Isaiah 53
- Joseph of Arimathea: The secret disciple of Jesus and his legacy today
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