Joseph of Arimathaea was a secret disciple of our Lord whose intervention with Pilate ensured a burial for Jesus’ crucified body. After the Crucifixion, when many of Jesus’ disciples went into hiding for fear of the authorities, Joseph courageously came forward to ask Pilate’s permission to remove Jesus’ body from the cross in accordance with pious Jewish practice, namely, to provide the deceased with a timely and proper burial. Moreover, Joseph …