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Lemaire said that the casket dated from 63 CE and had a carved Aramaic inscription on the side which reads " Ya'akov bar Yoseph achui d Yeshua" (James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus). Lemaire found the empty box while examining relics belonging to a private collector in Jerusalem. This find sent ripples across the world of evangelical Christianity. "This is probably going to be the biggest New Testament find in my lifetime, as big as the Dead Sea scrolls," said Ben Witherington, a New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. "It's high on the list - probably No. 1 of the most important Jesus related artifacts," said John Dominic Crossan, co-author of "Excavating Jesus. "It is the closest we come archeologically to Jesus." Of course, the world media lapped up the discovery, a barrage of articles inundated the Internet and the casket was exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada to be gloated over by thousands of satisfied believers. For the Christian world this was it! The very proof they had prayed for, of the historical existence of Jesus Christ! Naturally, some academics were skeptical. Robert Eisenman, professor of Middle East religions and archeology at California State University, found the discovery of the casket too convenient: "My main objection to the ossuary, however, is the nature of the inscription itself. I say this as someone who would like this artifact to be true, someone willing to be convinced. I would like the burial place of James to be found. But this box is just too pat, too perfect. In issues of antiquities verification, this is always a warning sign. This inscription seems pointed not at an ancient audience, who would have known who James (or Jacob, his Hebrew/Aramaic name) was, but at a modern one. If this box had simply said "Jacob the son of Joseph," it might pass muster. But ancient sources are not clear on who this Jacob's father really was. If the inscription had said "James the son of Cleophas," "Clopas or even "Alphaeus" (all three probably being interchangeable), I would have jumped for joy. But Joseph? This is what a modern audience, schooled in the Gospels, would expect, not an ancient one.
Then there is "the brother of Jesus" -- almost no ancient source calls James this. This is what we moderns call him. Even Paul, our primary New Testament witness, calls him "James the brother of the Lord." If the ossuary said something like "James the Zaddik" or "Just One," which is how many referred to him, including Hegesippus from the 2nd century and Eusebius from the 4th, then I would have more willingly credited it. But to call him not only by his paternal but also his fraternal name, this I am unfamiliar with on any ossuary, and again it seems directly pointed at us. This is what I mean by the formulation being too perfect. It just doesn't ring true. To the modern ear, particularly the believer, perhaps. But to the ancient? Perhaps a later pilgrim from the 4th or 5th century might have described James in this way, but this is not what our paleographers are saying." (Editorial to the Los Angeles Times, published 10/29/02) The Christian's bubble of enthusiasm was finally popped by a team of Israeli scientists that proved that the 'biggest New Testament find of the century' was simply an elaborate hoax. In 2003, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) appointed a committee of 14 scholars to examine the casket. On close inspection it was discovered that long after the natural processes of a damp cave environment had coated the casket with biovermiculation and patina (a thin natural layer formed by corrosion), someone had more recently carved the inscription upon the natural varnish. He then covered the freshly cut letters with an imitation patina made from hot water and ground chalk. After three months of research and testing the IAA publicly announced that the casket was authentic - but the inscription on the casket was a forgery! The final verdict of the IAA can be found at: http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Final_committees_reports.htm Shuka Dorfman, head of the IAA, said that the Ossuary of James was just one of many Biblical forgeries during recent decades. He said that the forgery ring had been operating for more than 20 years, exploiting the deep emotional needs of Christians and Jews. Some recent forgeries that had been discovered were the Yoash inscription (offered to the Israel Museum for $4.5 million in 2002) and the 'ivory pomegranate' - an artifact that used to be housed in the Israel Museum and was originally thought to have been from the temple of Solomon. Dorfman also said that the Israeli government had indicted four collectors (including Oded Golan, the 'private collector' who originally sold the Ossuary of James to Andre Lemaire). According to Israeli investigators, these forgeries generated millions of dollars from famous museums and reputed auction houses all over the world. Israeli archaeologist Shimon Gibson said that museums should re-inspect all items of questionable origin. " It looks like we are going to have to go backwards and double-check all our facts to make sure that what we thought was real really is," he said. However, despite all the evidence to the contrary, some Christians still refuse to believe the findings of the IAA, hoping against hope that some day another investigation will be made that will be in their favor. Considering all the conclusive evidence of the IAA, that day will probably never come. Make no bones about it - the ossuary of James brother of Jesus, is a fake! The Editors Write to the editors of Burning Cross here
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In October of 2002, Andre Lemaire, a paleographer
at the Sorbonne University in Paris, wrote
an article in the Biblical Archeology Review
announcing that an ossuary (bone casket)
had been discovered in Jerusalem.
