ARIMATEA. - A city of Judaea, GIUSEPPE I (v.) of A. (Mt. 27, 57; Mc. 15, 43; Lc. 23, 51; Io. 19, 38). On the basis of the information supplied by Eusebius and St. Jerome (Onomasticon, 144, 28; Klostermann ed., p. 32), it is now identified with Rentijah (Rentis), 12 km north-east of Lidda, Rama (v.) of Samuel (I Sam. 1, 1, 19; 2, 11; 25, 1), or Râmôth and Râmâthajim. The Septuagint, also transcribing the Hebrew article, renders Ἀρμαθαίμ, whence the Ἀρμαθαία of the Gospels. In the Middle Ages there was at Rentis an abbey of St. Giuseppe d'A., remains of which have recently been discovered.
The identification of A. with Ramleh (4 km south-west of Lidda), formerly current (v. Meistermann), is being abandoned.
BIBL.: G. Dalman, in Palästina-Jahrbuch, 9 (1913), p. 37; F.-M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine, II, Parigi 1938, p. 428 ff.; L. Heidet, s. V. in DB, I, cols. 958-61, and V, cols. 944-51; id., s. V. in DBs, I, cols. 613-19 (abandons the identification of A. with Ramleh, previously supported, and argues with sound evidence for the identification with Rentis). Gaetano M. Perrella