1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible

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Matthew 27:57 *And when it was evening, there came a certain rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus.

Mark 15:42.; Luke 23:50.; John 19:38. 		When it was evening, etc. St. John tells us, (Chap. 19:31.) that the day on which Jesus died, being the day of preparation, (literally, the parasceve) that is the Friday or eve of the great sabbath, to wit, of the sabbath-day, which happened in the week of the paschal solemnity, the Jews desired of Pilate that the bodies might not remain on the crosses on the sabbath-day, but that they might be taken away. Some soldiers were sent for this purpose, and broke the legs of the two others that were not quite dead; but perceiving that Jesus was dead, they broke not his legs, but one of them pierced and opened his side with a lance or spear; and with such a wound, as would have deprived him of life, had he not been already dead. The divine Providence permitted this, to make his death more certain and undoubted. --- Joseph, a disciple in private, now encouraged by the miracles which had happened, went boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. St. Mark says, Pilate wondered, when he heard he was dead; and having been informed of the truth by the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Nicodemus also, who is called a prince of the Jews, (John 3:1.) came to bury our Saviour, bringing with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes, to embalm the body, as they did. (Witham) --- The evangelist does not call Joseph a rich man out of vanity, or to inform us that Jesus had persons of distinction among his followers, but to shew why Joseph in preference to any other went to beg the body; for being a nobleman, he could obtain easier access to the governor of Judea than any of the other disciples, who were chiefly poor illiterate fishermen. (St. Jerome) --- The town of Arimathea is placed on the maps about eighteen or twenty miles north-west of Jerusalem.