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Joseph of Arimathea in the Teaching of the Apostles

For much people was gathered about them every day, who believed in Christ; and they came to them from other cities, and heard their words and received them. Nicodemus also, and Gamaliel, chiefs of the synagogue of the Jews, used to come to the apostles in secret, agreeing with their teaching. Judas, moreover, and Levi, and Peri, and Joseph, and Justus, sons of Hananias, and Caiaphas(2) and Alexander the priests--they too used to come to the apostles by night, confessing Christ that He is the Son of God; but they were afraid of the people of their own nation, so that they did not disclose their mind toward the disciples.- The Syriac Teaching of the Apostles

A remarkable discovery

On the 17th of March 2003 I discovered an obscure and ancient Syriac Christian text on the Internet called the Teaching of the Apostles.

What initially struck me was the section of the text quoted at the beginning of this piece. This section mentions a number of important people who visited the headquarters of the Jerusalem church while under the guidance of the first Apostles. It names Nicodemus and Gamaliel as sometime visitors. 

The Teaching then says that the sons of Hananias, Caiaphas and Alexander the priests they-  too used to come to the apostles by night. 

This tradition appears nowhere else in canonical or Apocryphal Christian literature. It is unique to the Teaching of the Apostles.  

This unaccounted for tradition that the sons of the High Priests were members of this new religious innovation is striking in itself. If it represents an authentic tradition then it calls for a re-appraisal of events surrounding the Crucifixion and possibly the nature of Jesus ministry.

But it was another aspect of the passage that caught my eye.

The Teaching names these sons of the priests: Judas, Levi, Peri, Joseph and Justus.  

When I first read this remarkable and unusual passage I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  The name Joseph seemed to leap out of the page. 

Joseph, meaning 'May God add (children)' was a very common name in New Testament times. There are five different Joseph's listed in the New testament. But it was clear to me that the Joseph referred to here is none other than Joseph of Arimathea. 

Each of the canonical gospels reveal different information about Joseph of Arimathea although they are wholly consistent with each other.

The Teaching of the Apostles presents him in an entirely different context to the Gospels and yet here again what is said of him is entirely consistent with the Gospel accounts.

Although the Teaching of Apostles is fairly succinct in what it says of this Joseph it actually tells us a lot about this character. And when we cross reference this with what Gospel accounts say of Joseph of Arimathea some of the wool of that most mysterious time is lifted from our eyes.

The first and the most obvious corroborating piece of textual evidence was what made me do a double take when I first read the Teaching of the Apostles. It is the inclusion of the name Nicodemus in close relation to Joseph. This corresponds with the Gospel of John in which Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus together administer the funary rituals for the crucified Jesus. These two (Joseph and Nicodemus) took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews- John (19:44) John also tells us that Nicodemus was known as a friend of Joseph of Arimathea - John (19:38) 

John is the only Gospel to mention Nicodemus in the Gospel story. Nicodemus (Greek for victor over the people) was the leading Pharisee in the Sanhedrin at the time of Jesus. John calls him "the teacher of Israel" and tells us that he defended Jesus at his trial. His historical veracity is attested to by Josephus. 

There is also a peculiar cross over of words between what John says of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and terms used in the Teaching of the Apostles to describe the priestly sons.    

John says that Nicodemus first came to Jesus by night.  During this visit Nicodemus questions Jesus about his ministry but the conversation as recounted in John is a discourse by Jesus without any record of any response from Nicodemus. 

The Teaching of the Apostles uses the same words-  by night-  not to describe the visit of Nicodemus but to describe the visits of Joseph and the other priestly sons.

Then there is what John says of Joseph of Arimathea. John says that he was "a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews" John (19:38 ). 

The Teaching of the Apostles says  of the priestly sons that  "they were afraid of the people of their own nation, so that they did not disclose their mind toward the disciples."

So in John Joseph of Arimathea  is a secret disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews whereas in the Teaching of the Apostles Joseph does not disclose his mind toward the disciples for fear of his own nation. The two texts are just using different words to say the same thing. 

When I came upon this reference in the Teaching of the Apostles I had been investigating the legend of Joseph of Arimathea casually for about two years, along with a number of other investigations related to Glastonbury history and myth.

Having followed up all the pre-medieval sources in Rev Lionel Smithett Lewis' excellent book St. Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury I had come around to the conclusion that there was nothing new to learn on the subject. Yet here in the teaching of the Apostles was an entirely new reference in a very early source. Just how early I did not yet know. 

At first I thought that this passage in the Teaching of the Apostles must surely be derivative of the Gospel of John. But the more I looked into the text the more I began to come around to the conclusion that it is not. Right from the start I noticed that unlike the Gospel of John the Teaching of the Apostles provides Joseph with a good reason to keep his discipleship secret. His father is one of those High Priests opposed to Jesus.

At the time of my discovery of this curious Christian text one aspect struck me as highly significant and a little bit incredible. More than anything else it convinced me that I was on to something significant. It is the date that I first read it. Many people will be aware that the 17th of March is St. Patrick's day, but few people will be aware that this is the Saints day associated with Joseph of Arimathea in the Glastonbury Calendar. The monks of Glastonbury Abbey venerated St. Joseph on this day as opposed to his officially assigned day of the 31st July . 

I determined to investigate this text in some detail.