📖 Biblical Definition
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy and respected member of the Sanhedrin who had not consented to the council’s plot against Jesus (Luke 23:51). All four Gospels record his role at the burial. "He went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus" (Mark 15:43) — a costly request that publicly identified him with the executed Lord. He wrapped the body in fine linen, laid it in his own new tomb hewn out of rock, and rolled a great stone to the door (Matthew 27:57-60). John reveals that he had been a secret disciple "for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38) — but the cross undid the secrecy. The wealthy councilman provided the tomb that Christ borrowed for three days. Tradition makes him the apostle of Britain.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
A wealthy member of the Sanhedrin; buried the body of Jesus in his own new tomb (Mt 27, Mk 15, Lk 23, Jn 19).
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All four Gospels record his role, with slight differences of emphasis: a rich man (Mt 27:57), an honorable counsellor who waited for the kingdom of God (Mk 15:43), a good man and just who had not consented to the council's deed (Lk 23:50-51), a disciple but secretly for fear of the Jews (Jn 19:38).
His tomb was new, hewn out of rock, and in a garden near Golgotha — details that fit the resurrection narrative perfectly. Tradition (Eusebius, fourth century) sends him later to Britain, but the New Testament leaves him at the tomb.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 27:57 — "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple."
Mark 15:43 — "Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus."
Luke 23:51 — "(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them.)"
John 19:38 — "And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
We honor the disciples who fled from Calvary and forget the Sanhedrist who, on Friday afternoon, walked into Pilate's palace to claim the body.
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On the day of crucifixion, the apostles ran. The named disciples who came forward were two members of the council that had condemned Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both had been quiet beforehand; both became visible at the cross.
There is a particular kind of late courage that Scripture honors. Joseph could no longer pretend not to be a disciple. The body of his Lord was on the cross, and somebody had to take it down.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Joseph is a common Hebrew name; Arimathea is his town.
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Hebrew Yosef — ‘he adds’; the patriarch's name carried into many Israelites.
Arimathea — a town of Judea, possibly the Old Testament Ramah of Samuel.
Usage
"Sometimes the apostles flee; sometimes the Sanhedrist comes forward."
"He could no longer pretend not to be a disciple; that is one kind of conversion."
"The body of Christ was buried by a man of the council that condemned Him."