• General Notes

  [SUSANNA KEENE.FTW]
  
  REF: "Britannia Internet Magazine": Joseph of Arimathea was a
  wealthy disciple of Jesus, who, according to the book of
  Matthew 27:57-60, asked Pontius Pilate for permission to take
  Jesus' dead body in order to  prepare it for burial. He also
  provided the tomb where the crucified Lord was laid until his
  Resurrection. Joseph is mentioned  in a few times in parallel
  passages in Mark, Luke and John, but nothing further is heard
  about his later activities. Legend, however, supplies us with
  the rest of his story by claiming that Joseph, accompanying the
  Apostle Philip on a preaching mission to Gaul, was sent to
  Britain for the purpose of converting the island to
  Christianity. The year 63 AD is commonly given for this
  "event", with 37 AD sometimes being put forth as an
  alternative. It was said that Joseph achieved his wealth in the
  metals trade, and in the course of conducting his business, he
  probably became acquainted with Britain, at least the
  southwestern parts of it. Cornwall was a chief mining district
  and
  well-known in the Roman empire for its tin and other metals.
  Some have even said that Joseph was the uncle of Jesus, and
  that he may have brought the young boy along on one of his
  business trips to the island. It was only natural, then, that
  Joseph should have been chosen for the first mission to
  Britain, and appropriate that he should come first to
  Glastonbury, that gravitational center for legendary activity
  in the West Country. Much more was added to Joseph's legend
  during the middle ages, and he was gradually inflated into a
  major saint and cult hero. For example, he is said to have
  brought with him either a cup, said to have been used at the
  Last Supper and also used to catch the blood dripping from
  Christ as he hung on the Cross. A variation of this story is
  that Joseph brought with him two cruets, one containing the
  blood and the other, the sweat of Christ. Either of these items
  are known as The Holy Grail, and were the object(s) of the
  quests of the Knights of King Arthur's Round Table. The legend
  goes on to suggest that Joseph hid the "Grail" in Chalice Well
  at Glastonbury for safe-keeping. There is a wide variance of
  scholarly opinion on this subject,
  however, and a good deal of doubt exists as to whether Joseph
  ever came to Britain at all, for any purpose.

Details of Joseph ben Matthat's family