JAMES OSSUARY IS FAKE SAY ARCHAEOLOGIST
Just months ago, a stone box was cited as an important link in substantiating New Testament accounts of Jesus, the alleged god-man of the Christian religion.
Now, the so-called "James Ossuary" is being pronounced a hoax by leading Israeli archaeological experts.
The container caused a media sensation last October when Andre Lemaire, a noted French scholar of ancient texts, concluded that an Aramaic inscription on the stone surface reading "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was genuine. For believers and even some Biblical-era historians, it was the closest link yet to Jesus Christ, the Christian messiah. James is mentioned in the Gospels as the brother of Jesus, and was stoned to death around 62 or 63 C.E. for religious proselytizing.
The director of Israel's Antiquities Authority, Dr. Shuka Dorfman, now says that after further tests on the ossuary, evidence shows that the ancient inscription is a fake. Microscopic and chemical analyses indicated that a forger had cut through layers of material and ancient varnish to make the inscription, then covered the letters with what the Washington Post newspaper describes as "a recently applied mixture of water and ground chalk."
The ossuary has a shady history. It was reportedly purchased sometime in the 1970s by an Israeli collector of antiquities. The results of Lemaire's examination were published only last year by Biblical Archaeological Review, but without the benefit of peer review or third-party testing.
Antiquities Authority Deputy Director Uzi Dahari led the three-and-a-half-month long investigation into the ancient box. He told reporters that the agency decided to investigate the authenticity of the James ossuary "because the whole world was talking about this, and a lot of innocent people could be hurt if you're trying to fool them to make money."
Co-investigator Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University said that the antiquities team concluded that the ancient Aramaic script appeared to have possibly been written by more than person. The report says that a forger could have utilized a computer program that scanned ancient letters from known texts, and then etched the words on the side of the limestone box. Experts remain divided over whether the word "Yeshua" (Jesus) was forged, "but the rest for sure is fake," Goren announced. "Yeshua was a very common name. If all you have is the name Jesus, that proves nothing," he added.
Just months ago, a stone box was cited as an important link in substantiating New Testament accounts of Jesus, the alleged god-man of the Christian religion.
Now, the so-called "James Ossuary" is being pronounced a hoax by leading Israeli archaeological experts.
The container caused a media sensation last October when Andre Lemaire, a noted French scholar of ancient texts, concluded that an Aramaic inscription on the stone surface reading "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was genuine. For believers and even some Biblical-era historians, it was the closest link yet to Jesus Christ, the Christian messiah. James is mentioned in the Gospels as the brother of Jesus, and was stoned to death around 62 or 63 C.E. for religious proselytizing.
The director of Israel's Antiquities Authority, Dr. Shuka Dorfman, now says that after further tests on the ossuary, evidence shows that the ancient inscription is a fake. Microscopic and chemical analyses indicated that a forger had cut through layers of material and ancient varnish to make the inscription, then covered the letters with what the Washington Post newspaper describes as "a recently applied mixture of water and ground chalk."
The ossuary has a shady history. It was reportedly purchased sometime in the 1970s by an Israeli collector of antiquities. The results of Lemaire's examination were published only last year by Biblical Archaeological Review, but without the benefit of peer review or third-party testing.
Antiquities Authority Deputy Director Uzi Dahari led the three-and-a-half-month long investigation into the ancient box. He told reporters that the agency decided to investigate the authenticity of the James ossuary "because the whole world was talking about this, and a lot of innocent people could be hurt if you're trying to fool them to make money."
Co-investigator Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University said that the antiquities team concluded that the ancient Aramaic script appeared to have possibly been written by more than person. The report says that a forger could have utilized a computer program that scanned ancient letters from known texts, and then etched the words on the side of the limestone box. Experts remain divided over whether the word "Yeshua" (Jesus) was forged, "but the rest for sure is fake," Goren announced. "Yeshua was a very common name. If all you have is the name Jesus, that proves nothing," he added.
