Scholar Claims Oldest Jesus of Nazareth Evidence

Las Vegas Sun / AP ^ | 10.21.02 | RICHARD N. OSTLING

[rface]

FR is very slow for me today.

Ashland, Missouri

[berned]

The inscription reads:

"James, son of Joseph, BROTHER of Jesus."

*ping*

[NYer]

Lemaire says the writing style, and the fact that Jews practiced ossuary burials only between 20 B.C. and A.D. 70, puts the inscription squarely in the time of Jesus and James, who led the early church in Jerusalem.

Archaeological Jesus bump!

[Ff--150]

ping..."the beat goes o-o-n; the beat goes on."

[billbears]

Was just getting ready to ping you. This man claims to have found the burial box for James? Jesus' brother? The man who wrote the epistle of James in the Holy Bible?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yes, that James.

[AppyPappy]

That's him.

From another article:

Protestants traditionally read the New Testament as meaning Mary gave 
birth to Jesus as a virgin and then had James, three other sons and at least two daughters with Joseph.

In accord with church fathers writing after the New Testament era, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics 
teach Mary's "perpetual virginity," which means she and Joseph never had marital relations.

The Orthodox think Joseph had James by his first wife, and after she died he married Mary - 
whose only child was the virgin-born Jesus. Thus, James was Jesus' stepbrother.

Catholics commonly hold that James was merely Jesus' close relative, perhaps the son of Joseph's brother 
Clopas or a cousin on Mary's side. The new inscription, 
if authentic, would rule out that option.

[dd5339]

Ping

[billbears]

Lemaire told The Associated Press the owner wants anonymity to avoid time-consuming contacts with reporters and religious figures. The owner also wants to avoid the cost of insurance and guarding the artifact, and has no plans to display it publicly, he said.

So no one can look at it and no one can talk to the owner. I don't think it's real. But I can see both sides of the issue. I could see that it verifies to the world the existence of Christ and that, at least in the world's eye, more of the stories are true. The question would be though is why? Why would God bother? How would this help spread the message of His love for us through Christ? And I don't see that it could. Researchers could uncover every artifact in Jerusalem and it wouldn't change the doubters minds or prove the divinity of Christ.

[Mamzelle]

Very interesting, but all three names were very common. And FR was pretty slow this am for me, too, I managed to commit the sin of double-posting...

[john in missouri]

As an archaelogical find, this is well beyond "enormous."

[Desdemona]

Man, are we in for it now. The doubting Thomases re Mary and her virginity are already licking their chops.

I guess big families and how they work are unknown to them.

[NYer]

The ossuary is not quite rectangular, like most burial boxes found so far, but trapezoid in shape. It is about 20 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 12 inches high. The image on top shows the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus".

[FryingPan101]

I get chills.

[4CJ]

Bump ;o)

[eastsider]

Lemaire dates the object to 63 A.D.

Rather precise. Wonder how Lemaire arrived at that date?

[Ff--150]

i tend to doubt it's real, too. Be nice if it were, but this doesn't pass the aroma test.

[Ff--150]

i tend to doubt it's real, too. Be nice if it were, but this doesn't pass the aroma test.

[STD]

The date or the current Roman ruler is usually noted somewhere on these boxes and on coins.

[eastsider]

I'd be suspicious of any coin or ossuary that had 63 A.D. inscribed on it ... : )