JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
Joseph of Arimathea was the younger brother of Mary’s father, Joachim. Jesus and his family – all members of the Essenes and all members of the royal Davidic line - lived very simply, but Joseph of Arimathea, his mother’s uncle and the patriarch of the family, was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men on the planet.
The source of Joseph’s vast wealth and power was his monopoly on the tin mines in Great Britain. Tin was the metal from which the Romans made bronze – a metal critical to the Roman military machine, and of great domestic and military importance in the world of ancient Rome. The Roman army could…show more content… Joseph was a friend of the Caesars of Rome and, based upon his position as the principle provider of tin to the “military machine” of the Roman Empire, and his high imperial position as a “Decurio,” Joseph of Arimathea was recognized as one of the most influential members of Roman society and, indeed, as a “Decurio,” his position and rank in the Roman Empire was above that of the Roman Senators. Joseph’s position as a “Decurio” also gave him considerable local influence in Judea and provided him with valuable contacts within the Roman Imperial power structure, including Pontius Pilate with whom he had attended University in England in his youth. Joseph’s vast wealth, close relationship with Pontius Pilate, and his positions both in the Roman Empire and in the Great Sanhedrin would all play critical roles in the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus and, in particular, Joseph of Arimathea’s plan to “fake his death in order to save his