posted on Jun, 18 2003 @ 03:09 PM
I would provide a link, buts its on a compuserve website, so I don't think many of you can access it. Here is the article:
Last November, an Israeli named Oded Golan produced a limestone box, called an ossuary, that purportedly held the bones of Jesus' brother, James. (An
ossuary was used in ancient times as a burial box.) It bears the inscription, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Thought to be the oldest
archeological link to New Testament figures, the inscription has now been ruled a forgery by Israel's Antiquities Authority, reports The Associated
Press. James, who is referred to as the brother of Jesus in Matthew 13:55, became the head of the church in Jerusalem
Although the limestone box itself is authentic and dates from ancient times, the Antiquities Authority determined the inscription in it was a
modern-day forgery. "The box is original; probably we have in our storeroom hundreds of the same or similar ossuaries. The inscription is false,"
Shuka Dorfman, head of the Antiquities Authority, told AP.
This is the evidence that proves the inscription is a forgery:
--The words were cut through the ancient box's patina, which is a thin coating that is acquired only with age. That proves the writing was not
ancient.
--The inscription was written by someone of modern times who was attempting to reproduce ancient characters.
Golan, the owner of the ossuary, dismissed the officials' findings insisting they had "preconceived notions." Had the artifact been authenticated,
it would have been worth between $1 million to $2 million. Golan claims he purchased the box in the mid-1970s from an antiquities dealer in the Old
City of Jerusalem for about $200. However, antiquities inspectors think he may have purchased it more recently. If that's the case he and others
involved in the sale could be prosecuted for dealing in stolen goods. The police investigation continues