I found something interesting about Joseph of Arimathea recently. What I am putting forth here is pure speculation and also coincidence. We all know that Joseph asked Pilate for the body of Jesus after his death( Luke 23:50-54).
Joseph came from the Judean town of Arimathea and was waiting for the kingdom of God according to Luke.
Joseph ben Mathias, aka Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian and served as governor of Galiliee before joining in the fight against Rome. Later he was captured by the Romans and imprisoned there. He informed Vespasian that God told him that he(Vespasian) would become emperor of Rome. They were suspicious that this was a ploy by Josephus to save his life but subsequently Nero was assasinated and Vespasian became emperor. Josephus was freed and traveled in Vespasian's entourage.
Josephus in his autobiography told of his eminent ancestry and of how his grandfather Joseph begot Matthias in the 10th year of the reign of Archelaus(ad 6) The Greek text of the words 'Joseph (begot) Matthias' is simply Josepou Matthias. The name Joseph of Arimathea is given in the Greek of Mark as Joseph apo Arimathias. Is there a similarity between Joseph of Arimathea and Josephus?? We'll never know.
Joseph came from the Judean town of Arimathea and was waiting for the kingdom of God according to Luke.
Joseph ben Mathias, aka Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian and served as governor of Galiliee before joining in the fight against Rome. Later he was captured by the Romans and imprisoned there. He informed Vespasian that God told him that he(Vespasian) would become emperor of Rome. They were suspicious that this was a ploy by Josephus to save his life but subsequently Nero was assasinated and Vespasian became emperor. Josephus was freed and traveled in Vespasian's entourage.
Josephus in his autobiography told of his eminent ancestry and of how his grandfather Joseph begot Matthias in the 10th year of the reign of Archelaus(ad 6) The Greek text of the words 'Joseph (begot) Matthias' is simply Josepou Matthias. The name Joseph of Arimathea is given in the Greek of Mark as Joseph apo Arimathias. Is there a similarity between Joseph of Arimathea and Josephus?? We'll never know.