James Ossuary

The James Ossuary is a limestone box for containing bones , which came to light in Israel in 2002. It is claimed to have been the ossuary of James the Just , the brother of Jesus . Its provenance is unknown. Although the Israel Antiquities Authority assess it as a modern forgery , some scholars maintain its historical authenticity. Its discovery was followed in January 2003 by another contentious archaeological "find", also connected with Oded Golan , the so-called " Jehoash Inscription " (see below). A documentary film The Lost Tomb of Jesus (2007) capitalised on public interest in this find and its controversies." Alan Cooperman, "'Lost Tomb of Jesus' Claim Called a Stunt; Archaeologists Decry TV Film," The Washington Post , page A.3, February 28, 2007

The James ossuary was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum from November 15, 2002 to January 5, 2003. The James Ossuary is a 1st-century chalk box that was used for containing the bones of the dead. The Aramaic inscription: Ya'akov bar-Yosef akhui diYeshua (English translation: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus") is cut into one side of the box. The inscription is considered significant because, if genuine, it might provide archeological evidence of Jesus of Nazareth. The existence of the ossuary was announced at an October 21, 2002 Washington press conference co-hosted by the Discovery Channel and the Biblical Archaeology Society . The owner of the ossuary is Oded Golan , an Israeli engineer and antiquities collector. The initial translation of the inscription was done by André Lemaire, a Semitic epigrapher , whose article claiming that the ossuary and its inscription were authentic was published in the November/December 2002 Biblical Archaeology Review . The authenticity of the inscription has been challenged. The Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) determined in 2003 that the inscriptions were forged at a much later date. In December 2004, Oded Golan was charged with 44 counts of forgery, fraud and deception, including forgery of the Ossuary inscription. The trial lasted seven years before Judge Aharon Farkash came to a verdict. On March 14, 2012, Golan was acquitted of the forgery charges but convicted of illegal trading in antiquities. The judge said this acquittal "does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago". The ossuary was returned to Golan, who put it on public display. Archaeological Institute of America . Archaeological Institute of America . The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity , Simon and Schuster, 2006 pp 6–36 Matthew Kalman (2011-10-05).

The James ossuary was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum from November 15, 2002 to January 5, 2003. The James Ossuary is a 1st-century limestone box that was used for containing the bones of the dead. An Aramaic inscription in the Hebrew alphabet meaning "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" is cut into one side of the box. The inscription is considered significant because, if genuine, it might provide archaeological evidence for Jesus of Nazareth. However, while the ossuary itself is accepted as authentic to the time period, the inscription itself could be a modern forgery. The existence of the ossuary was announced at an October 21, 2002 Washington press conference co-hosted by the Discovery Channel and the Biblical Archaeology Society . The owner of the ossuary is Oded Golan , an Israeli engineer and antiquities collector. The initial translation of the inscription was done by André Lemaire , a Semitic epigrapher , whose article claiming that the ossuary and its inscription were authentic was published in the November/December 2002 Biblical Archaeology Review . In 2003, The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) argued that the inscriptions were forged at a much later date. In December 2004, Oded Golan was charged with 44 counts of forgery, fraud and deception, including forgery of the Ossuary inscription. The trial lasted seven years before Judge Aharon Farkash came to a verdict. On March 14, 2012, Golan was acquitted of the forgery charges but convicted of illegal trading in antiquities. The judge said this acquittal "does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago". The ossuary was returned to Golan, who put it on public display. Los Angeles Review of Books . Archaeological Institute of America . Silberman, Neil Asher ; Goren, Yuval (September–October 2003). "Faking Biblical History: How wishful thinking and technology fooled some scholars—and made fools out of others" . So is the 'James ossuary' for real?" . The Times of Israel .

1st-century limestone box The James ossuary was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum from November 15, 2002, to January 5, 2003. The James Ossuary is a 1st-century limestone box that was used for containing the bones of the dead. An Aramaic inscription meaning "Jacob (James), son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" is cut into one side of the box. The ossuary attracted scholarly attention due to its apparent association with the Christian holy family . The existence of the ossuary was announced at an October 21, 2002, Washington press conference co-hosted by the Discovery Channel and the Biblical Archaeology Society . The owner of the ossuary is Oded Golan , an Israeli engineer and antiquities collector. The inscription was initially translated by André Lemaire , a Semitic epigrapher , whose article claiming that the ossuary and its inscription were authentic was published in the November/December 2002 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review . In 2003, The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) argued that the inscriptions were forged at a much later date. In December 2004, Oded Golan was charged with 44 counts of forgery, fraud, and deception, including forgery of the Ossuary inscription. However, in an external expert report , dated September 2005, Wolfgang E. Krumbein's conclusions contradict those of the IAA stating "Our preliminary investigations cannot prove the authenticity of the three objects beyond any doubt. Doubtlessly the patina is continuous in many places throughout surface and lettering grooves in the case of ossuary and tablet. On the other hand a proof of forgery is not given by the experts nominated by the IAA." . The trial lasted seven years before Judge Aharon Farkash came to a verdict. On March 14, 2012, Golan was acquitted of the forgery charges but convicted of illegal trading in antiquities. The judge said this acquittal "does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago". The ossuary was returned to Golan, who put it on public display. The Israeli Antiquities Authority has failed to offer any report explaining why it concluded the ossuary is a forgery. The lack of transparency with the IAA's findings have deterred international experts from giving their opinions on the authenticity of the ossuary. Archaeological Institute of America . Silberman, Neil Asher ; Goren, Yuval (September–October 2003). "Faking Biblical History: How wishful thinking and technology fooled some scholars—and made fools out of others" . So is the 'James ossuary' for real?" . The Times of Israel .

1st-century limestone box The James ossuary was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum from November 15, 2002, to January 5, 2003. The James Ossuary is a 1st-century limestone burial box that was used to contain human bones, in accordance with the Jewish burial customs of the period. An Aramaic inscription reading "Ya'akov (James), son of Yosef (Joseph), brother of Yeshua (Jesus)" is curved into one side of the box. The ossuary attracted scholarly attention due to its apparent association with the Christian Holy Family . The existence of the ossuary was announced at a press conference on October 21, 2002, co-hosted by the Discovery Channel and the Biblical Archaeology Society in Washington DC. The owner of the ossuary is Oded Golan , an Israeli engineer and long-time antiquities collector. The inscription was initially translated by André Lemaire , a Semitic epigrapher , whose article claiming that the ossuary and its inscription were authentic was published in the November/December 2002 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review . In 2003, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) argued that part of the inscription was forged at a much later date , a claim later disputed by numerous leading experts in epigraphy, archaeology, geology, and archaeometry. In December 2004, Golan and others were charged with multiple antiquities-related offenses, including alleged forgery of part of the James Ossuary inscription. Following a seven-year trial involving dozens of expert witnesses and scientific reports, the court issued its verdict on March 14, 2012. Golan was acquitted of all forgery, fraud, and deception charges, but convicted of selling antiquities to another collector without a license. In an external expert report , submitted to the court and dated September 2005, the conclusions of Wolfgang E. Krumbein (an internationally renowned expert on stone bio-patina) contradicted those of the IAA, stating: "Doubtlessly the patina is continuous in many places throughout surface and lettering grooves in the case of ossuary and tablet. On the other hand a proof of forgery is not given by the experts nominated by the IAA.". Since then, leading epigraphers, archaeologists, and archaeometric scientists, some of whom testified during the trial, have published peer-reviewed studies supporting the inscription’s antiquity, citing physical, paleographic, and geochemical evidence, and reporting no indication of modern forgery. The judge stated that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that the inscription was forged. The court accepted evidence that the ossuary had been in Golan’s possession since at least 1976, thereby undermining the claim that the inscription had been forged around 2002. The court also rejected the prosecution’s argument that the inscription was engraved by two different hands, one ancient and one modern - a central pillar of the forgery allegation. While the judge emphasized that he did not have a mandate to determine the scientific authenticity of the ossuary, he concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the inscription was forged and said that this acquittal "does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or not, or that it was written 2,000 years ago". The ossuary was returned by order of the court to Golan, who put it later on public display. Several experts, including prosecution witnesses Orna Cohen (IAA stone conservator) and Prof. Yuval Goren (Tel Aviv University), testified that they observed natural biological patina—formed over centuries—inside the grooves of the disputed letters. Feldman published archaeometric findings supporting the authenticity of the inscription, identifying ancient microfossils and minerals embedded in the patina across both the ossuary surface and the letters. Archaeological Institute of America . Silberman, Neil Asher ; Goren, Yuval (September–October 2003). "Faking Biblical History: How wishful thinking and technology fooled some scholars—and made fools out of others" . So is the 'James ossuary' for real?" . The Times of Israel .