JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. - A member of the Sanhedrin, a native of Arimathea (v.). He was rich, good and just (Lk. 23:50 ff.). A secret disciple of Jesus, for fear of the Jews, when the other members of the Sanhedrin condemned the Savior to death he did not consent, without however revealing himself openly (Lk. 23:51; Jn. 19:38). After the Crucifixion "he dared to go to Pilate and ask him for the body of Jesus" (Mk. 13:43). With the help of Nicodemus he wrapped it in a shroud (v.), and placed it in his own new tomb, hewn out of the rock of Calvary, and rolled a great stone to the entrance (Mt. 27:59; Mk. 15:46; Lk. 23:53).

Legends about him are contained in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. According to these, J. of A. is said to have founded the church of Lydda. He is said to have collected in a chalice the blood that flowed from the side of the Crucified.

The Greek Church celebrates him on July 31, the Roman Church on March 17. He has been in the Martyr. Romanum since 1585.

A Georgian apocryphon about J. of A. was translated into German by A. von Harnack in Sitzungsberichte d. Preuss. Akad., Berlin 1901, p. 920 ff.

Bibliography

BIBL.: Acta SS. Martii, II, Venice 1735, pp. 507-10.

Pietro De Ambroggi

@incollection{ec6_giuseppe_da_arimatea, author = {De, Ambroggi Pietro}, title = {Giuseppe da Arimatea}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {806}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/giuseppe-da-arimatea} }

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Joseph of Arimathea

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