THE “bones of Jesus’ brother” have been found inside a 2,200-year-old box in a breakthrough discovery.
The limestone box is etched with the name of the son of God, and has been hailed the “most significant item from the time of Christ”.
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The inscription, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” is written on the box in ancient Aramaic.
As the names correspond to those of Jesus’ brother and father, many believe the box once held the remains of James the Just – the first leader of Christians in Jerusalem after the crucifixion.
The unbelievable box is currently on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta as part of an exhibition featuring hundreds of historical items from the time of Jesus.
But, just like other archaeological finds discovered from the Bible period, the Ossuary led to uproar after its unveiling in 2002.
The following year its owner Oded Golan was accused of forging the inscription.
Experts alleged that he had added the phrase “brother of Jesus” to the limestone.
Golan tried to salvage his reputation and, after battling it out in court for a ten-year trial, the Israeli antiquities collector was acquitted.
But mystery still surrounds the “Jesus box”.
Despite Golan being cleared of all charges, the judge still said that the verdict “does not mean that the inscription on the Ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago.”
Golan told Crosswalk Headlines: “We conducted several chemical tests, particularly on the inscription itself, which is the most critical element of the Ossuary.
“We proved that the entire inscription is authentic – it was engraved several thousand years ago.”
If it were authentic, the Ossuary would incredibly be the oldest physical evidence of Jesus Christ.
In the first century, Jewish people laid their dead relatives in caves before later collecting the bones to put in ossuaries.
The box’s authenticity is still facing criticism by some theologians who believe Mary had remained a virgin her entire life, suggesting the Ossuary may not be authentic.
But the box is empty, with the bones lost years ago.
On top of this, various biblical passages indicate that James and his brothers didn’t believe Jesus was the son of God initially.
James is said to have died as a martyr – but there are two different dates and causes of death.
One is that in 62AD he was stoned to death on the order of a high priest.
The other is that in 69AD he was thrown off the pinnacle of the Temple by scribes and Pharisees before being clubbed to death.
Golen said he bought the James Ossuary when he was a student in Israel, studying engineering.
He said he “didnt recognize its importance at all”.
A 2015 study was set out to really see whether the James Ossuary may have come from a tomb believed to belong to Jesus’ family.
The Talpiot tomb was unearthed in the south of the Old City in East Jerusalem in 1980, containing six burial boxes.
The boxes had the names of Jesus’ brother, father and mother on.
Experts conducted a chemical analysis of the Ossuary and found it contained signatures from the boxes found in the tomb.
Biggest Bible finds
- The Galilee Boat: Discovered in 1986 on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, this fishing boat dates back to roughly the time of Jesus. While there’s no direct connection to Jesus, it represents the type of vessel he and his disciples, some of whom were fishermen, would have used. This provides valuable insight into the fishing industry and maritime life in Galilee during that period.
- Nazareth House: Excavations in Nazareth have revealed a first-century house, potentially from the time of Jesus’s childhood. This discovery challenges previous claims that Nazareth was not a settled area during Jesus’s lifetime.
- Crucifixion Evidence: Archaeological discoveries, such as the skeletal remains of Yehohanan, a man crucified in the Roman fashion, provide physical evidence of the practice of crucifixion, the method of execution described in the New Testament accounts of Jesus’s death.
- Temple Warning Inscription: A stone inscription discovered in 1871 warned Gentiles against entering the inner courts of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This inscription confirms historical accounts of the Temple’s layout and the segregation practices of the time, a setting where Jesus is recorded to have taught and interacted.
- Southern Steps of the Temple Mount: These steps, leading up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, have been excavated and are believed to be the same ones used by Jesus and other Jewish people during his time. This offers a tangible connection to the physical environment where Jesus walked and preached.
- The Madaba Map: While dating to several centuries after Jesus’s life (6th century AD), the Madaba Map, a mosaic discovered in Jordan, provides the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. It offers a valuable visual representation of the region’s geography during the Byzantine period and helps us understand the landscape and urban layout of cities like Jerusalem during the Roman and Byzantine eras.
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