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This Week in Christian History: James Ossuary, Martin Luther's Bible

James Ossuary Inscription Reported as Authentic — Sept. 17, 2002

The James Ossuary, a limestone box that held the purported bones of Jesus' brother, is one artifact at a forgery case that has spanned a decade in Israel.
The James Ossuary, a limestone box that held the purported bones of Jesus' brother, is one artifact at a forgery case that has spanned a decade in Israel. | (Photo: Biblical Archaeology Society)

This week marks the anniversary of when researchers reported that an inscription on an ancient ossuary speaking of a man who may have been the brother of Jesus Christ was likely authentic.

Known as the "James Ossuary," or a funeral box containing the bones of the deceased, the first century artifact included an Aramaic inscription that read "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

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On Sept. 17, 2002, the Geological Survey of Israel concluded that the ossuary and its inscription was authentic.

"We observed that the patina on the surface of the ossuary has a gray to beige color," researchers with the GSI concluded in 2002.

"The same gray patina is also found within some of the letters, although the inscription was cleaned and the patina is therefore absent from several letters."

However, this was not the end of the story. While the ossuary is agreed to be from the time period, debate even within the GSI continues over the validity of the inscription.

"The inscription, reading "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has been authenticated by two eminent paleographers (specialists in dating, interpreting and authenticating inscriptions): André Lemaire of the Sorbonne and Ada Yardeni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem," the Biblical Archaeology Society reported in January.

"In 2003, however, the Israel Antiquities Authority appointed a committee of scholars to study the "brother of Jesus" inscription and report its findings. The committee concluded that the inscription was a forgery."

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