Friday, January 27, 2017
Smokey Joe of Arimathea
I enjoyed researching and presenting on Joseph of Arimathea, especially since we share names. Also, I thought it was interesting how a story that combined religion and mythology could be misinterpreted over the years to actually being seen as a real religious story. This goes to show how many religions rely on word of mouth to pass on their traditions and stories. The legend originated when French author Robert de Boron wrote Joseph d'Arimathe, which blended the biblical character of Joseph of Arimathea with the mythology surrounding the Holy Grail. It can be hard to understand why such a story can be all of the sudden considered true such a long time after the original Biblical stories occur. This was due to the lack of easy communication between cities and regions in the times before and after around 1300 A.D. I believe this misinterpretation would not occur today because of the widespread availability of news through technology.
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2 comments:
When researching Joseph of Arimathea, I found it interesting that Boron's concept was so widely accepted, even though he had no evidence to back it up. He creates a greatly significant myth about a person mentioned in the Bible, but the Bible does not mention anything about the Holy Grail. Boron deserves credit for his creativity in thinking of such a fascinating explanation for the Grail, but it is astonishing that the story gained that much acceptance. Weston is absolutely right in pointing out that the Church does not recognize the Holy Grail at all, and their is no proven religious significance. In a myth that references Joseph of Arimathea from the Bible, the Bible fails to mention anything about the Holy Grail.
I think it is really interesting how back then people seemed to just assume that all of these old folk tales had a basis in Christianity. They really seemed to limit their knowledge in this way. This resulted in a much narrower view of their past culture.
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