Today's match-up is why Lent Madness can sometimes resemble the theater of the absurd. The Scriptural figure Joseph of Armimathea, who asked Pilate for Jesus' body in order to give him a proper burial, takes on Anna Cooper, African-American feminist, writer, and academic. The good news? Lent Madness returns after taking a sabbath on the First Sunday in Lent.
Over the weekend, as Tim was singing The Great Litany in procession, Scott shared some additional Lenten devotional resources offered by Forward Movement (shockingly, Lent Madness isn't everyone's sole Lenten discipline). The mysterious Maple Anglican also released his Week One Update video which recapped the first three match-ups and previewed this week's battles.
And now? More Madness!
Joseph of Arimathea
The patron saint of funeral directors, morticians, and undertakers, Joseph of Arimathea has a curious reputation. He appears in all four gospels, doing essentially the same thing: going to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body in order to provide for his burial. Presented as a person of high status by each evangelist, his portrait shifts slightly in each version. He’s a kind of Rorschach test for a character we tend to think of as “not Jesus’ type:” a wealthy, well-connected religious leader.
In Matthew, he’s noted as a rich man and a disciple of Jesus. In Mark, he’s “a respected member of the council” who “went boldly to Pilate.” In Luke, he is “a good and righteous man,” a member of the council who had not agreed with the plan to kill Jesus. And in John, he’s a secret disciple for “fear of the Jews.” It’s like the synoptic gospels are saying, “Yeah, he’s on the council that killed Jesus, but he’s really a good guy, you know?” John can’t seem to get over his distaste.
John cannot deny, however, that after Jesus was abandoned at his crucifixion, Joseph showed up and went in person to the very man who executed Jesus and asked for the body. Handling the corpse would render Joseph ritually unclean for the Passover (Numbers 19:11-13).
Instead, Joseph fulfilled another law. Deuteronomy 21:22-24 says, “When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.”
Joseph is an interesting (and typically Jesus-like) case study about keeping the Law: is it more important to be clean and to take part in religious rituals or to show love and compassion to the least among us? Joseph’s choice shows he understood the essential truth of Jesus’ teaching.
After the burial, Joseph disappears from scripture. According to one legend, he brought the Holy Grail to England. In fact, Elizabeth I made use of Joseph’s supposed trip to support Anglicanism. After all, the Roman bishops “testifieth Joseph of Arimathea to be the first preacher of the word of God within our realms.” Therefore, the Roman Church couldn’t have been the first and only established church in England, could it?
Collect for Joseph of Arimathea
Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial, and laid it in his own tomb: Grant to us, your faithful people, grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was one of the first feminists of the twentieth century and a tireless advocate for “neglected people,” in particular, African American women. Born in 1858 as the daughter of an enslaved African woman and a white man, likely her master, Anna transcended the limitations of slavery and the post-Civil War’s Reconstruction. She attended St. Augustine’s Normal & Technical Institute—now St. Augustine’s College—in Raleigh, North Carolina. She later studied at Oberlin College and graduated in 1884 with a bachelor’s degree and in 1887 with a master’s in mathematics. While at St. Augustine’s, Anna met and married her husband George Cooper, who was preparing for the priesthood. Although he died two years after they married, Cooper pressed forward with her education and career because of her desire to foster the full inclusion of black women in civic life.
Anna’s passionate belief in the power of education to transform lives led her to serve as a teacher and principal at M Street High School, the only all-black school in Washington, D.C. When her superintendent told Cooper that she should focus on teaching trades to her students instead of science, math, and literature, Cooper unabashedly defied his orders and continued with her original plans. As a result of her firm resolve, M Street’s graduates attended some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities during a time when such opportunities were limited for women and people of color.
Cooper wrote A Voice from the South, in which she argued that black women had a unique voice about the experience of oppression and criticized educational, social, and civic advancements that only favored black men. At the heart of Cooper’s work was a firm belief in the potential of every human being. Never one to slow down, in 1915, Cooper adopted five children left orphaned, and in 1925, at the age of sixty-five she earned her doctorate in history from the University of Paris. Cooper died in 1964; she was 105 years old.
In 2009, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. Pages 26-27 of all United States passports quote Anna Julia Haywood Cooper’s passionate beliefs about equality and freedom for all: “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party, or a class—it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.” Thus it is possible to meditate on Lent Madness while waiting in slow-moving immigration lines when you return to the United States from vacationing elsewhere.
Collect for Anna Julia Haywood Cooper
Almighty God, you inspired your servant Anna Julia Haywood Cooper with the love of learning and the skill of teaching: Enlighten us more and more through the discipline of learning, and deepen our commitment to the education of all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Maria Kane
Vote!
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206 comments on “Joseph of Arimathea vs. Anna Cooper”
correction: "known" instead of "know" in the 4th line. I know, proofread, proofread, proofread.
I voted for Joseph. He was a wealthy prominent man but risked his life for Christ. I agree with some of the others. Did Anna risk her life? She made hard choices, but don't we all.
ARGH! There hasn't been an easy choice yet. You evil brilliant SEC. It will be such a relief to vote for my hero and amazing person Alfred the Great, but you *would* put him up against Bach, so he hasn't a chance. In the meanwhile, back to wrestling between Joseph and Anna -- with huge kudos to today's bloggers, who (a) informed me who the heck that quote from my passport came from, (b) deepened my understanding of Joseph of A. Maybe chocolate will help me resolve the struggle. Yet again.
Love them both, but I'm going with Joseph--my father was a mortician and county coroner. Never knew Joseph was his patron!
Thanks, Lent Madness! I'm busting my own bracket today and voting for Anna Cooper.
Having just watched Cosmos, I am struck by this line in the collect for Anna Cooper: "Enlighten us more and more through the discipline of learning, and deepen our commitment to the education of all your children, through Jesus Christ our Lord ..."
Neil DeGrasse Tyson may not stand directly in Anna's educational line, but the quest for knowledge he articulates so passionately (and she pursued so steadily) is the same journey I'm on.
Knowing more about the universe (or multiverse) and its "worlds without end," as Tyson says, evokes wonder in me and makes me look afresh at this one world we know and share with each other. People like Anna Cooper demonstrate the kind of concern we all ought to have for our fellow human beings, "through Jesus Christ our Lord."
I don't see this a a particularly hard choice at all. We only have a few verses in the Gospels to tell us about Joseph, while Anna Cooper has left an abundant and easily accessible and relevant legacy for us to learn from. Also, while it's cool that a rich man like Joseph used what privilege he had to care for Jesus's body after his death, a woman like Anna who rose up out of poverty and slavery by her own courage and intelligence is an even more remarkable role model.
U make all the gospels you advance
Respect to both. Joseph performed a duty of caring for the dead, a noble act because the recipient can never thank you for it (well, not usually). But in all the stories with Joseph of Arimathea there are other faithful people around who stayed during Jesus' crucifixion and (depending on gospeller) also came to tend his dead body -- the women who "followed and provided for him". So today, for the forgotten or discounted who are out there still doing the work, I'm voting Anna. As one who understands the importance of thankless tasks, I hope Joseph doesn't mind.
What do we want from our winning saint? I contend that this is the life we want to emulate as closely as possible. As such, I think we should be careful not to be too dazzled by the temporal and physical proximity of Joseph of Arimathea to Christ. Joseph of Arimathea legitimized Jesus's standing among the Jews; perhaps Joseph risked censure or even his life. He spent a lot of money to buy the grave. So we know he did One Good Thing. We might also note that there he was on the council and he did not argue against the crucifixion--he let it happen and then bought the grave. (At least as best we know.) Because he got included in the Gospels, he gets a lot of attention. Not very fair to anyone who comes a couple of millenia later--there is no P.R. like that of four gospel writers. What do I find to emulate in this man? If I'm well-to-do, I should spend my money to honor another? Sure. But that seems a little empty compared to Anna Cooper's daily commitment to living the Gospel. I go for the saint whose considered actions directly affected hundreds upon hundreds of people, rather than the Name saint.
Thanks for saying that. Both saints' stories are powerful, but I especially value Lent Madness for giving us powerful stories about folks who aren't (a) male, (b) wealthy, (c) clergy or royalty. There are great people who fall into those categories, but our calendar has so many of them! It's wonderful to expand my personal list of saints. . . . as Anna will from now on.
Joseph is a quintessential example of Christian character despite the human condition of spiritual imperfection. Beautiful.
Anna's story is dynamic in the multiple challenges to which she dedicated her entire life.
Example of principle v. Life-long commitment to purpose: Must vote Anna today.
Hard choice, but I went with Anna Julia Cooper. I have to admit I checked my passport...yup, there's her quote spanning pages 26-27. For those of you whose passports only go to page 24....just renewed mine this year...maybe that's the difference?
Was Alice born a slave as the daughter of a slave? Impressive life of achievement totally worthy of our commemoration!
Yes, as the child of an enslaved woman and in a state with no provisions for gradual emancipation, Anna was born a slave. That's how the law of hereditary slavery worked at this point in the U.S. -- and through most of history of slavery in the English-speaking Americas. (Colonial Maryland briefly tried paternal heredity but changed gears rapidly.)
What is there to emulate about Joseph of Arimathea? So much : his longing for the Kingdom of God - which Anna undoubtedly shared; his willingness to face his fear in a time of trial - which Anna Cooper undoubtedly shared when she refused the colour line in learning; his compassion in burying a dead criminal - the same compassion that animated Anna when she took five orphans into her household; the willingness to risk his life before a tryant - a reality that any uppity woman of colour could understand in a society where lynchings were common; - a willingness to leave behind the security of expected behaviour and risk stigmatization in the name of faith - Anna Cooper undoubtedly knew what it was to be looked down upon and called names by the most surprising people. Does it matter that Joseph was wealthy? Only because he found his way through the eye of the needle. As part of the global elite who eats more than a meal a day (even in Lent!), we are in need of such a saint.
Very thoughtful comment, Carolyn!
Such a tough choice. Went with Joseph because of his faithfulness to Jesus's teachings. Such a bold act of kindness, compassion and love in the face of his peers and position in Jewish life.
Strange match-up. Voted for Cooper, but it was close
Love Anna's story! She deserves high honor. But I really had to vote for Joseph of Arimathea. When push came to shove, he risked his life and comfortable position to care for the Messiah who surely didn't live up to popular expectations.
I admire deeply Anna's work and example of a steady, committed faith, but Joseph leaves such a lasting image that informs our faith in the book we all share for such daily courage as Anna had. The image: that of a human being who dared to insist that one treated as a criminal be buried with respect, even after society has so horribly failed him. I can't shake it. Joseph got my vote today.
Joseph was essential to the belief in Jesus Christ's holiness. Whether real or a myth, he put himself bravely into acting outside of his comfort zone, taking a body and giving a tomb, so that by his status the resurrection is accepted and believed. I do believe that's Christianity.
I agree with Ann Fontain. Anna, hands down.
As a teacher who's taught forbidden subjects behind closed doors (sex ed to 6th graders in a Roman Catholic school), I'm behind Anna all the way!
Another tough choice, but even though Joseph of Arimathea understood what Jesus wants us all to understand, I stand with Anna as a role model who never gave up pursuing her dream and helping so many others along the way!!
As a retired teacher with close ties to Oberlin College, you can guess who received my vote.
I was already to vote for Joseph but when I read their profiles I had to go with Anna. I love her life.
Well said Dirk Reinken! Sums up my vote rather nicely!
Agree with Carolyn Sharp--these are two wonderful, wonderful people whose devotion and acts were one. I am in awe of Anna, truly in awe, of her long life of incredible bravery, chutzpah, and compassion. But I vote in the end for Joseph--and for much the same reason as I voted for Christina on Day 1. I'm troubled by the tendency to dismiss those whose lives are less documented and, by some type of logic, therefore less "real" or valuable. The only "proof" we have of Joseph is a small pericope in each gospel (still, to be in all four gospels is saying something!)--plus a long-lived strand of extra-biblical missionary work to England. Had Joseph lived in America in the 1800s, I daresay we'd have more accounts of his life. I love that Matthew says Joseph put Jesus in "his own new tomb," and that John places that tomb in Joseph's garden. Joseph is the basis for Blake's poem "And did those feet", which became our beloved Anglican hymn "Jerusalem" (as has been noted above--I just had to mention it, 'cause it's part of my end-decision on this). His association with Glastonbury is another tug at my heart. So a vote for the little-known, truth-in-myth, gentle, garden-loving Joseph is mine.
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Blake's "Joseph of Arimathea Among the Rocks of Albion" ("Albion" being an ancient name of England")
Joseph et al. would only have been ritually unclean for the Passover Sabbath if they did not have time to bathe at home before sunset Friday. Ritual uncleanliness was a common thing, people bathed & became ritually clean again.
I voted for Anna. I doubt she'll survive Bach though.
Why can't we just give them all halos
If you submit this as a question for the Archbishops, I'm reasonably certain they would tell you that the Saints in Heaven already have better halos than this one and are mostly bemused by Lent Madness.
the voting seems to be weighted against the ancestral members of the church because of a relative lack of data - I had to go with Joseph of Arimathea, because his actions were not inclusionary or part of a movement to improve the status in a society - but one of the first acts in what w0uld become a schism that would tear at the heart of the Christian/Jewish experience until now, as well a personal act probably had him cast out from the synagogue. It was not just an act of courage and commitment, but a recognition of the law as crumbling in the face of the new covenant through Christ. Joseph gets my vote.
For more on Anna Julia Cooper: NOTABLE BLACK AMERICAN WOMEN. Editor, Jessie Carney Smith. Gale Research Inc. Detroit.1992. Biographical Writer: David W.H.Pellow-Fisk University, Nashville TN (pp. 218-224).