Joseph of Arimathea: Historical or Mythological?

By Mark McGiveron

Joseph of Arimathea, the graveside attendant to the crucified Jesus, is one of the most mysterious figures in the New Testament. The Gospels make no mention of him during Jesus' early ministry. Then he steps out of the shadows and takes centre stage at the pivotal moment upon which the central mystery of Christianity is based. He then seemingly disappears from Church history. The ‘Acts of the Apostles’ makes no mention of him and neither do the Epistles. To the sceptical tradition this disappearance suggests that no such person ever existed.

In this booklet Mark McGiveron assesses the often-proposed theory that Joseph of Arimathea is mythological and was created by the Gospel writers to aid the narrative of the entombment of Jesus. The present study thus represents a ‘back door’ entry to the study of the historicity of the Gospels and in particular the Passion accounts within them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Temple Publications
• Release date: Jan 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9780957211339

Mark McGiveron

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PROLOGUE

Myself and the ‘Central Question’ of this booklet

Let me first state that this booklet is not of a devotional nature. I have no clearly definable Christian faith although I attended a Methodist Church every Sunday from the age of two to fourteen, partly as a result of the fact that I played for the Cubs football team that was affiliated to the Church. In my mid teens I stopped attending the Church but then started drifting into Anglican Churches in my early twenties out of an historical interest more than a religious impulse. Therefore, I believe, I have no particularly doctrinal axe to grind.

My interest in Joseph of Arimathea stems from my interest in his association with my home town of Glastonbury but, as I do not assess this legend in any great detail in this book, personal bias is not an issue. Rather in this booklet I will assess the often-proposed theory that Joseph of Arimathea is mythological and present the various arguments that have been put forward to support his categorisation as such. This study thus represents both an analysis of Joseph of Arimathea and a ‘back door’ entry to the study of the historicity of the Gospels and in particular the Passion accounts within them.

1

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA

The Central Mystery of Christianity

On Easter Friday the dreams and aspirations of the first Christian Apostles were shattered when Jesus was nailed to a cross but roughly thirty-six hours later a religion began to flower in a garden tomb; on Easter Sunday Jesus was said to have resurrected from the dead.

The Christian faith is based upon two (asserted) historical events; the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. These two events represent both the founding moment and the central mystery of the Christian religion.

The Gospels describe the last three days of Jesus’ ministry in great detail, culminating in what is an almost moment-by-moment account of the day of his crucifixion. The sufferings of Jesus on this day, his scourging, mocking and crucifixion, are commonly called the Passion, ‘Passion’ being a Greek word for ‘suffering’. In the Gospels’ presentation of these events Jesus willingly undergoes the various punishments as a penance for all mankind’s sins. He endures unimaginably excruciating pain and suffering and by doing so he gains remission for these sins from God.

To a Christian the Passion of Christ represents a ‘New Covenant’ with God. Matthew (26:28) has Jesus comment during his suffering For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. This ‘New Covenant’ is seen as the replacement for the ancient covenants made between Jehovah and Abraham (Genesis 17) [1] and Jehovah and Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-6).

‘New Covenant’ theology is most developed in John’s Gospel. More importantly, from a historical perspective, however, is that ‘New Covenant’ theology is also there in the New Testament Epistles, which are the earliest and most authenticated Christian texts. Paul, the most prolific Apostle, is the first writer to have interpreted the death of Jesus as a ‘New Covenant’ (Hebrews 8:13, 10:16) and puts this at the very heart of his teaching. Indeed many scholars believe that Paul is the sole architect of this article of faith. While this may be true, it is important to state that this interpretation of Jesus’ Passion developed from an earlier reading of Jesus’ death as a ‘New Passover’. The ‘New Covenant’ and the ‘New Passover’ are separate concepts but also indelibly linked. The one could not have developed without the other.

In the first Passover the Israelites, who were captives of Pharaoh, were spared their first-born sons by each household making a sacrifice of an unblemished... one year old... male... lamb or goat and smearing its blood on their door post [2]. Exodus (12:23) records:

When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

The celebrated ‘Passover lamb’ was sacrificed so that the people could live. It is the same with the new Christian Passover; Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Peter also refers to this ‘New Passover’ through his use of Paschal lamb imagery in his first Epistle [3]. In this letter, addressed to Christian churches in Asia Minor, Peter (1:18-19) writes:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your