[Lee N. Field]

Carbon dating doesn’t reveal DNA.

Not having a sample of Paul's DNA, a DNA sample would tells us what? Male. Middle eastern maybe, and not much more than that.

[marshmallow]

I believe that DNA sequence could distinguish Jew from Arab. There have been a considerable number of DNA studies done on Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish populations and also other populations from the Middle East and diaspora.

Like carbon dating, this can not be conclusively used to confirm identity. Rather it can be used to exclude other possible identities. In the case reported here for instance, carbon dating excludes the possibility that the individual buried in the tomb reported to be St. Paul's dates from a later time period. This therefore, is consistent with the hypothesis that the body is that of St. Paul but does not definitively prove it.

Definitive proof is a far more rigorous and difficult proposition. It would require a knowledge of St. Paul's family tree and extant DNA samples from known relatives. Alternatively, forensic evidence in the remains for some pathology from which St.Paul was known to suffer, would also be convincing.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Not having a sample of Paul’s DNA, a DNA sample would tells us what? Male. Middle eastern maybe, and not much more than that.

exactly!

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Not having a sample of Paul’s DNA, a DNA sample would tells us what? Male. Middle eastern maybe, and not much more than that.

Exactly. We cannot KNOW. The Pope simply gave an opinion
that may or may not be correct. Same old same old.