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Joseph of Arimathea (Saint)
(211 words)

[German Version]

Arimathea serves to indicate Joseph's place of origin. The location Arimathea is not attested. However, the Old Testament knows a place with the Hebrew form Ramathaim (1 Sam 1:1) and Eusebius of Caesarea equates Rontis, 14 km north of Lydda, with Arimathea (Onomastikon, 32.21ff.; 144.27ff.). Joseph appears in Mark 15:42– 46 parr.; John 19:38–41. He is a councilor (bouleutēs, Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50), a member of the Sanhedrin. Contrary to political realities, Luke 23:51 declares Arimathea a polis so that later the erroneous, historicizing…

Cite this page
Dormeyer, Detlev, “Joseph of Arimathea (Saint)”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_SIM_10982>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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