Joseph perceived this miracle as divine confirmation of his faith and his mission of evangelization. To his amazement it not only rooted itself, but burst into leaf and bloom. Finally, cold and tired, the old man thrust his staff into the ground in despair. Joseph and his companions disembarked and began the climb up steep Wearyall Hill. Some say it was Christmas Eve when Joseph's ship finally pulled in to the harbor at Glastonbury. A few tales also state that Joseph carried a staff made of hawthorn wood from the Holy Land. Years after Jesus' death Joseph journeyed to Britain as a Christian missionary, bringing the Grail with him (many legends give 63 as the year of his arrival). The tales added that Joseph used the chalice to collect the blood that dripped from Christ's wounds. Legends declared that Joseph of Arimathea was the first keeper of the Holy Grail, the vessel Jesus used in the Last Supper. By the Middle Ages Joseph had become both an important saint and an acclaimed hero. Later legends added to this sparse biblical account of Joseph's deeds. With Pilate's consent, Joseph took Jesus' body from the cross, wrapped it in linen, and sealed it in the tomb. After Jesus' death, Joseph asked Pilate for permission to remove the body for burial. The Gospels identify Joseph of Arimathea as a 'good and upright man,' a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court) who disagreed with their decision to turn Jesus over to the Roman authorities (Luke 23:50-52). Subsequent stories add that Joseph established the Glastonbury Thorn, a mysterious bush that blooms when most others are barren - at Christmas time.

Moreover, Christian legends proclaim that Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury in the first century tales, Joseph brought with him the Holy Grail, a sacred relic sought by many of King Arthur's knights centuries later. Indeed, Celtic mythology identifies Glastonbury as 'Avalon,' the enchanted island from which came Arthur's famous sword, Excalibur, and to which the fatally wounded king was carried by fairy queens. In the Middle Ages monks from Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered King Arthur's remains buried in their cemetery. The thorn takes its name from Glastonbury, England, a location that has hosted many legendary characters and mystical events over the centuries. The tale of the Glastonbury Thorn has woven itself around some of the most romantic legends ever to have emerged from the British Isles.

Glastonbury tor joseph of arimathea