I, Joseph of Arimathea

The Biblical accounts of Jesus' life and the growth of Christianity in the following years leave so much to the imagination. Frank Tribbe allows his imagination and serious scholarly research to fill in many of the gaps: the events in the tomb on the first Easter morning, those who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the thoughts of "doubting" Thomas--all are recorded in plausible and fine detail. Drawing on apocryphal New Testament texts, Tribbe recreates the extensive role attributed to Joseph of Arimathea in the period after the crucifixion. The Gospel accounts of Easter weekend themselves point to his activity while the other disciples retreated in fear. Joseph made the arrangements for the burial of Jesus' body, for which he provided burial linens and tomb. The book also describes the probable survival and earliest history of a mysterious artifact: the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the shroud which wrapped Jesus' dead body and which was marked with his "photographic" image. Tribbe also fills in the "lost years" of Jesus before he entered upon his public ministry and presents the thesis that Joseph of Arimathea was the "Apostle of Britain," introducing Christianity to the west before it reached Rome. The details of daily life in the first century, descriptions of travel, accurate or plausible reconstructions of the Judaeo-Roman "postal system," coinage, business practices, languages, literacy and education, and ancient metallurgy, all bring this amazing story to life. "By means of truly impressive scholarly research, Frank Tribbe transports the reader vividly into the ambience of Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, Peter and Paul, and of Jesus himself." Daniel C. Scavone