The sea called to Joseph of Arimathea the way a woman calls to her lover. From the time he was twelve years old, he could not resist his desire to sail for distant horizons. He had one other passion: Sarah, a dark-haired sprite of a woman whom he had loved from his childhood days. As a Jew during the Roman occupation of Palestine, Joseph would have to fight for both his loves.Combining impeccable historical research with a story of incredible power, Alexandra Ripley re-creates Joseph of Arimathea's life and times. From the dusty roads of Palestine to the marble palaces of Rome to the fierce barbarian villages of ancient Britain, Joseph journeys toward destiny. He will nearly lose Sarah in a forced marriage to another, play a dangerous game of intrigue with Herod and Salome, and - in a moment that would change his life and that of his crippled daughter, Helena - meet the man called Jesus of Nazareth. Read Less