Joseph of Arimathea is, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own tomb to be the resting place of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court which condemned Jesus to death.
The Book of Matthew calls Joseph of Arimathea a "rich" man, although there is no indication in Scripture what he did for a living. To make sure Jesus received a proper burial, Joseph boldly asked Pontius Pilate for custody of Jesus' body. Not only did this devout Jew risk ritual uncleanness by entering the quarters of a pagan, he further contaminated himself under Mosaic law, by touching a corpse.
Robert de Boron wrote that Joseph was given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Grail In Boron's Joseph d'Arimathe, Joseph is imprisoned and the Grail that sustains him during his captivity. Upon his release he founds his company of followers, who take the Grail to Britain. In the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, it is not Joseph but his son Josephus who is considered the primary holy man of Britain.
The author John of Glastonbury claimed that Joseph was a direct ancestor of King Arthur, which has been corroborated by the welsh genealogy of Igraine adapted from the grail romances.
He appears in the books Joseph d'Arimathie and Estoire de Saint Graal.