When Christ was on earth, thousands followed him but at the cross, we know that John was the only one of His Twelve present. The others had fled presumably because of fear. But all four Gospels report, that one disciple, Joseph of Arimathea, who had lived his life in fear, secrecy, and silence, left the shadows, stepped forward, and dramatically demonstrated his faith.Why, has always been the burning question, and the Gospels do not provide an answer. This story examines his possible motivations for fears, the events that caused him to break through those fears and contrary to his previous secrecy, appeal to Pilate for the body of Christ so he could bury it. This novel takes the reader into a world of political intrigue, violence, power struggles, and a Jewish nation trying to thrive under the strong arm of Roman occupation. The timeline begins with John the Baptist and ends with the crucifixion of Christ. The cast of characters comes from the New Testament: Jesus, John the Baptist, Caiaphas, Pilate, Saul of Tarsus, Nicodemus, Lazarus and his sisters, and of course Joseph of Arimathea. You will get a feel for culture in which our Christian faith was born, the Sanhedrin, Zealots, Roman governance, the Jewish Law, marriage customs, and the Messianic expectations of the day.