Topical Tens: March 17: St Joseph of Arimathea

Friday 17 March 2017

March 17: St Joseph of Arimathea

St Patrick isn't the only saint whose feast day is today. It's also the feast day of St Joseph of Arimathea.

Joseph of Arimathea was best known as the rich man who had Jesus buried in a tomb he'd built for himself. All four gospels tell the story of this hitherto secret follower of Jesus going to Pilate to ask for the body. Mark says he bought a linen shroud (the Turin shroud, possibly?) and went with Nicodemus to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Quickly, because it was almost the Sabbath.
These actions are the reason why Joseph is the patron of funeral directors.
Joseph's actions are also believed to fulfil Isaiah's prediction that the Messiah would be buried in the grave of a rich man.
This is about as much as the Bible says about him, but other writings of the time that didn't make it into the Bible tell more stories. The Gospel of Nicodemus, for example, says that some of the Jewish elders were angry at Joseph for burying Jesus and had him arrested and put in prison. However, the risen Jesus appeared in his cell and transported him out, so that when the elders returned next day, the cell was still sealed but the prisoner was gone.
This story was expanded by medieval writers who added that while Jesus was in the prison cell with Joseph, He gave him the Holy Grail, which was subsequently taken to Britain, either by Joseph himself or by his followers.
Joseph was no stranger to Britain, if you believe all the legends. It sounds as if he was a fairly regular visitor. There are even tales that say he once brought Jesus with him to Britain when the latter was just a boy (hence the line in the hymn Jerusalem - "and did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green"). On this trip, they went to Cornwall and Jesus learned how to mine and purify Tin. This would mean Joseph was a tin merchant.
In some accounts, Joseph is credited with bringing Christianity to Britain, although there is no firm historical evidence for this. It's said he landed on the Isle of Avalon (which we know today as Glastonbury), where he decided to rest for the night, and planted his staff in the ground. It sprouted overnight and became the Glastonbury Thorn.
The traditional Roman calendar celebrates St Joseph of Arimathea on March 17, but other denominations honour him on other dates: August 31, July 31, or August 1.
Joseph was said to be the uncle of Jesus, although opinion is divided about whether this was on Mary or Joseph's side. There are still more legends which claim that King Arthur was descended from him.
One final legend equates Joseph with the Wandering Jew, a man cursed by Jesus to walk the Earth until the Second Coming.