Joseph of Arimathaea was the earthly uncle of Mary, the mother of Jesus. His whole family was blessed by God, preparing their lives to intertwine, first with the birth of Mary, and then with Gabriel's visit to her. The first two sections of the book tell how God blessed Joseph by getting him into the valuable tin trade. He first sold tin to King Herod and then to Caesar Augustus. Tin was necessary in the making of bronze, which was the armament of the Roman Empire. This places Joseph at the center of the Roman war machine. At the peak of his power, Joseph retires to live in Jerusalem, where...