Posted on 07/13/2006 6:16:34 AM PDT by KyHammer
Update—Finds or Fakes?
Forgery Bombshell
May 16, 2006
The ossuary inscribed "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has recently been studied by Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein, a world-renowned authority. He has reached startling conclusions that will change the debate over this highly controversial artifact. Printed below is a summary of Professor Krumbein's report; click the following links for the full text of the report and the accompanying photographs.
As this is being written, Israeli antiquities collector Oded Golan is being tried in criminal court for forging the now-famous James ossuary inscription ("James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"). A new report by a leading German scientist, however, may blow the case out of the water.
According to Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein, of Oldenburg University, Germany, a well-known expert in geology, geochemistry and microbiology, "We can state with certainty that a period of 50-100 years, at least, was necessary for the formation of the specific composition of patina whose traces were identified inside the ossuary inscription."
Krumbein also examined the patina on the ossuary far from the inscription. His conclusion:
"Patina sampled from the surface of the ossuary, far away from the inscription, was found to be identical to the microscopic traces of patina, which I found inside the ossuary inscription and sites sloping from the surface into the inscription grooves (and no indication of any kind was found of any adhesive on this patina). Therefore, we must conclude that the patina formed over the entire ossuary and the remains of patina in the inscription area were formed over the same period of time."
(Excerpt) Read more at bib-arch.org ...
Thanks. I forgot about this after i let my subscription lapse last year.
ping
Thanks, that just inspired me to resubscribe to BAR, many years after I let it lapse.
I let my subscription expire also. I thought I would just check their website and see if anything was going on. The bone box caused a big sensation and I saw several things about it in the media. I was extremely disapointed when it was declared a fake.
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Thanks for posting this update. Given that this professors result backs up that of other such experts, I suspect the find will turn out to authentic.
That said, I think people have overlooked the most obvious interpretation of the find. James was most probably a disciple of Jesus not a biological relative.
The big fraud is that the inscription does NOT read "James, brother of Jesus"!!!
It simply reads, "James, of Jesus, of Joseph."
The natural way to read that would be "James, son of Jesus, son of Joseph." If the ossuary actually means THAT Jesus, son of Joseph, than it is quite reasonable to expect that a different relationship is implied. It is NOT reasonable to presume that the relationship implied is full-blood brother.
Sorry, I mean, "James, of Joseph, of Jesus."
The name was as common then as it is now. That said, it is still fascinating none the less at the possibility.
Either way, it does nothing for the advancement of biblical archeology because of the uncertainty of its original occupant. IMO of course.
Actually, there's nothing all that interesting to me in supposing, "Gee, what if a pathetic fraud, wrapped in a cheap lie, and released by virulently anti-clerical news media might be true!"
Face it: The media got all excited because they thought they had a chance to rub Catholicism's nose in it. End of story.
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