Agrestes was, according to the 13th-centuryArthurianVulgate Cycle, apagan king ofCamelot in the time ofJoseph of Arimathea. Though theLancelot section of the cycle has him converted by Joseph himself, theEstoire del Saint Graal section, written after the VulgateLancelot as a prequel, states that Joseph's son Josephus converted him.[1] Hepersecuted those of his people whoconverted to Christianity under Josephus' influence:
When Josephus, the son of Joseph of Arimathea, began converting Agrestes’ people to Christianity, the king pretended to go along. As soon as Josephus had left, however, Agrestes forced his people back to their heathen religion and killed the disciples that Josephus had left in the city. Following this massacre, Agrestes went mad, began to eat his hands, slaughtered his family, and finally committed suicide by diving into a fire. After his death, Josephus returned and converted Camelot to Christianity for good.[2]
