Scholars claim ancient box provides archaeological proof of Jesus' life

Friday October 25, 2002 21:38

by Shelnigy

An ancient limestone burial box recently discovered in Jerusalem bears the Aramaic inscription: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Respected archaeological experts say the discovery of the box with the apparent reference to the biblical Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most significant finds of the century, while many others are skeptical regarding its authenticity.

"What we want to announce today is the first archaeological attestation of Jesus," announced Herschel Shanks, the Jewish publisher of respected Biblical Archaeology Review. "This is a startling, mind-boggling inscription," he said.

The burial box featured in the latest issue of the bimonthly magazine is called an ossuary. Jews who lived in the time of Jesus collected bones from burial caves and transferred them to these boxes. The use of ossuaries was discontinued following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The boxes often bore inscriptions.

Although Biblical scholars and historians believe that Jesus lived in the Holy Land during the first century, the ossuary would be the first physical evidence of his life. "The James ossuary may be the most important find in the history of New Testament archaeology," Shanks said. "It has implications not just for scholarship, but for the world's understanding of the Bible."

Previous comparable finds include the 1990 discovery of an ossuary reportedly belonging to Caiaphas, the high priest believed to have turned Jesus over to the Romans, and an inscription on a monument mentioning Pontius Pilate.

Scientific tests date ossuary to approximately 63 CE
Expert paleographer Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne University in Paris has dated the Aramaic inscription on the so-called "James ossuary" to approximately 63 CE. The Geological Survey of Israel conducted electron-microscope tests on the box that proved the inscription was not added at a later date; no traces of modern elements were found.

Lemaire said that only two out of hundreds of ossuaries inscribed in Aramaic mention the name of the brother of the deceased, inferring that the brother's name was included only when he was an important figure. Although James, Joseph and Jesus were common names in Jerusalem at the time, Lemaire estimates that the odds are very slim that the combination of all three names occurred in one family. It is not likely that there was another James with a brother named Jesus who was so prominent that it would warrant adding his name to his ossuary, he said.

If the ossuary did indeed contain the bones of James, traditionally considered a leader of the first Jerusalem church, it would prove that early Christians practiced Jewish burial customs and spoke in Aramaic. The discovery of Jesus' brother would conflict with Catholic tradition which claims that Jesus was Mary's only child.

Skeptical scholars not convinced
Skeptical scholars say they are not convinced that the inscription refers to Jesus of Nazareth, claiming that the ossuary could be a fake. Based on the significance of the find, Shanks said he understood how "scholars are justly skeptical and quizzical."

Kyle McCarter, an archaeologist at Johns Hopkins University, said that the box was probably authentic, but added he still had his doubts. "We may never be absolutely certain. In the work I do we're rarely absolutely certain about anything," he said, adding that many of his peers were not happy with the decision to publicize the finding at such an early stage of verifying its authenticity.

Shanks discovered the burial box when it was already in the possession of a private collector in Israel. Therefore, its exact origins are difficult to trace. "This appeared on the antiquities market; it was not excavated by professional archaeologists," he said.

Shanks's theory is that the box was originally found in the Jerusalem area, where an Arab trader probably sold it to a Jewish collector for "a few hundred dollars." The current owner realized the importance of the ossuary only after Lemaire translated the Aramaic inscription last year. Shanks said the owner "didn't realize the significance" of his possession.

Shanks is planning to exhibit the ossuary in an upcoming meeting of some 8,000 Bible and religion scholars at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.