More On The James Ossuary

The claims that the burial box contains James’ remains unleashed police action with criminal charges. It did not help the legitimacy of this item when police went to the home of owner Oded Golan and found the ossuary unceremoniously sitting on a toilet seat on his roof!

The excitement started when Hershel Shanks, editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review, held a dramatic press conference on October 21, 2002, announcing the discovery of the 2,000-year-old bone box.

Ada Yardeni inspected the inscription and announced it to be authentic and dated the script to be first century AD. The state-controlled Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) disagreed. After a two-year investigation, which involved 100 witnesses, the IAA accused Oded Golen of faking the inscription and leading a forgery ring to deceive collectors and museums. Golen has said the IAA is on a witch hunt, insisting all artifacts are genuine.

In trial procedures as recently as May this year, IAA director Shuka Dorfmann described their findings as “just the tip of the iceberg,” suggesting there is more digging to be done. Dr. Wolfgang Krumbein, an expert in ancient stone from Germany, has said, “No indisputable evidence confirming the claim that any or all of the items had been produced in the last several decades.”

Professor Ronny Reich, at the University of Haifa and a member of the Writing Committee reporting for the IAA, first wrote, “The inscription does not show any mixture of morphological or textual aspects from different periods that could indicate forgery.” But later, after studying reports supplied by his peers, Reich wrote: “I must note that I am now convinced that the patina we have seen was produced and placed inside the letters in an artificial manner and could not have been produced in nature in ancient times, in both inscriptions. As a result, I am forced to change my opinion on the matter.”

Oh well, of this we are certain. James wrote: “Be not deceived, my brethren” (1:16). Call your next witness.