Have scholarsfound firm evidence of the existenceof JesusChrist, His earthly father and one of His half brothers? An:intriguing find bears their names. by Mario Seiglie

F irst it wasthe name of the Romangov- ProfessorLemaire examinedit. In fact, rule outthe possibility.A teamof expertsfrom ernorPontius Pilatefound in a monu- althoughMr. Golan had readthe inscription, the GeologicalSurvey of Israelexamined the ment in Caesarea,Israel, in 1961. he hadn't connectedit with the biblical Jesus. box andthe inscriptionunder a microscope Thencame the discoveryin 1990 The dealertold Mr. Golan that the box had andfound no evidenceof modemtools or in Jerusalemof an ossuary,a burial box for come from a burial site in southernJerusalem tampering.Like the restof the box,the inscrip- bones,bearing the nameof Caiaphas,the high where a bulldozerhad accidentallyuncov- tion, thoughwiped clean in parts,has a thin priestwho condemnedJesus. Just recently it ereda sitecontaining tombs and boneboxes sheenof particulatematter formed on it called appearsthe mostspectacular of all archaeo- dating to the time of Jesusand James. apatina. This particularpatina shows that logical finds relating to Jesushas surfaced. Much to the disappointmentof archaeolo- it developedin a caveenvironment and that Another ossuaryhas come to light, this gistsand scholars,the box was not excavated it is consistentwith an ageof 2,000years. one bearingthe namesof Jesus,James and by a trained archaeologistfrom the spot By its very naturethe artifact can be dated to within a few decades.Such bone boxes were in use from about 20B.C. to A.D. 70, when accordingto Jewishcustom the dead were first sealedin cavesor rock-cut tombs, then their boneslater transferredto a lime- stonebone box afterthe body had decayed. ProfessorLemaire further narrowed the dating by verifying that the inscription was in a cursive style used only in the few decadesbefore A.D. 70, when Jerusalemwas destroyedby the Romans.Thus the inscrip- tion fits the style usedaround A.D. 62, when James,Jesus' half brother,died. HershelShanks, editor of Biblical ArchaeologyReview, which announcedthe discovery,explained that the inscription was reviewed by JosephFitzmyer, one of the world's foremostexperts on first-century Aramaic and a preeminentDead SeaScrolls This rather plain 20-inch limestone editor. ProfessorFitzmyer was at first trou- burial box for bones, bears on its side a bled by the spelling of the word for brother, inscription identifying it as having belonged to becauseit was a plural form usedcenturies Joseph, brother of Jesus. later. But further researchyielded the same James, brother of Jesus, was martyred. The box ~fas apparently unearthed in Jerusalem. form in one of the Dead SeaScrolls and u c:j on anotherfirst-century ossuary. "I stand co' Joseph,three of the most prominentpeople 2 where it had restedfor the last 2,000years. corrected;' ProfessorFitzmyer said. 2' in the New Testament.The ancientAramaic Insteadit was surreptitiouslyremoved and A putative forger would haveto know Ara- ~ words inscribed on the limestonebox state sold on the antiquities market(as is the case maic betterthan ProfessorFitzmyer, which ~ C- that it belongedto "James,son of Joseph, o. with a high percentageof archaeological seemsrather unlikely. "To my mind," wrote ~ brotherof Jesus." finds in the Holy Land). Regrettably,this pre- Mr. Shanks,"this is one of the strongest ~ In late OctoberAndre Lemaire,a specialist ventsthe examinationof the box in its proper argumentsfor the authenticityof the James .Q '"2 in ancientinscriptions and professorat the archaeologicalcontext and the elimination inscription" (Biblical Archaeology Review, .c:~ '( Sorbonnein Paris,announced the discovery of imy possibility of fraud. November-December2002, p. 33). ~ of the stone containerwith the extraordinary ;c i;; script. An Israeli collector,Oded Golan,had Strong evidence for authenticity Many factors pointing in one direction ~ ~ purchasedthe box from an Arab antiquities :0 "(etfraud seemsrather unlikely. Beforethe "It seemsvery probable," Professor 8 dealermore than a decadeago. Mr. Golan anIlouncementof thediscovery, the limestone Lemaire concludes,"that this is the ossuary ~ '5 had not thoughtthe artifact important until 00)(was subjectedto rigorousscientific tests to of the Jamesin the New Testament"(ibid.). t:

20 The Good News What makesthe casethat this is indeedthe intriguing story of this half brotherof Jesus. Brother of Jesus,"beginning on page 22.) ossuaryof Jesus'half brotherso convincing We first read of Jamesin the New Testa- Jamesalso wrote the New Testamentepis- is the combinationof factors that point in the ment asone of Jesus'half brothers(Jesus was tle that bearshis name (James1: 1). Another samedirection. Dr. Lemaire notes that Joseph born of Mary, miraculously begottenof God brother,Judas or Judah (Matthew 13:55), (HebrewYose.f)and Jesus(Yeshua, or Joshua) the Fatherthrough the Holy Spirit while wrote the shortepistle of Jude (Jude 1). were commonnames in the A.D. 60s and Mary was a betrothedvirgin, asexplained James(Ya'akovor Jacob)less so, but a in Matthew 1:18-25).Yet Mary and her hus- The death of James brotherwould not ordinarily be namedin band,Joseph, later had otherchildren. In The deathof James,the Lord's brother- an inscription unlesshe were prominent. Matthew 13:55-56we seethat some residents not to beconfused with the two original Dr. Lemaire saysthe likelihood of more than of Nazarethasked: "Is this not the carpenter's apostlesnamed James (see Matthew 10:2-3) one person namedJames with a fathernamed son?Is not His mothercalled Mary?And -is not mentionedin the New Testament. Josephand a prominent brothernamed Jesus His brothersJames, Joses, Simon, and Judas? But Josephus,the first-century Jewish in that precisetime period is minuscule. And His sisters,are they not all with us?" historian,does record it. "It is one thing to have scatteredprobabili- (emphasisadded throughout). He writes: "Festus[the Roman procurator] ties;' explainsJohn Meier, professorof New During Jesus'life, the Bible candidly was now dead,and Albinus [his successor] Testamentat The Catholic Universityof revealsthat His half brothersdid not believe was but uponthe road; so he [Ananas II, the America in Washington,D.C., and an author- in Him as Saviorand Messiah(John 7:5). high priest] assembledthe Sanhedrinof the ity on first-centuryPalestinian Judaism; "it's Yet, afterHis resurrection,Jesus appeared to judges, and brought beforethem the brother anotherthing tohave lines of probabilitiesall His half brotherJames (1 Corinthians 15:7), of Jesus,who was called Christ, whosename convergingat one point" (upI report,Oct. 25). who thenbecame a prominentbeliever. In was James,and someothers, and whenhe Mr. Shanks statedthat the "clincher" for Acts 1:14James is pictured,along with his had formed an accusationagainst them as him wasthe naming of the brotherof the other brothersand his mother,Mary, asorigi- breakersof the law, he deliveredthem to be deceased.Of some800 bone boxesdiscov- nal membersof the Church. This was the stoned"(Antiquities of the Jews,Book 20, ered,233 haveinscriptions on the outside. samegroup thatreceived God's Spirit on chap. 9, sec. 1). Of these,few are inscribedwith the name the day of Pentecost(Acts 2:1-4). Eusebius,a fourth-centurychurch historian, of a brother-only one other in Aramaic. Mr. Jameslater becamean apostleand leader recordseven more of the details of James' Shankssaid if one acceptsthe theory thatthe of the Jerusalemcongregation. He played a death:"Conducting him [James]into a public deceasedwas a prominent personassociated prominentrole in the conferenceof Acts 15 place,they demandedthat he shouldrenounce with hirn-rather than simply associated (seeverses 13-21). Paul later visited James the faith of Christ beforeall the people; but becausethe brotherpresided over the sec- in Jerusalemwhere he oversawthe elders contraryto the sentimentsof all, with a firm ondary interment-the probability that the there (Acts 21:18). In Galatians2:9 Paul voice,and muchbeyond their expectation,he inscription refersto Jesusof Nazarethseems refersto Jamesas a "pillar" of the Church, declaredhimself fully beforethe whole multi- overwhelming. and in 1 Corinthians 9:5 he mentions that tude,and confessedthat Jesus Christ wasthe "the brothersof the Lord" were married, Sonof God, our Saviorand Lord. The life of James which apparentlyincluded James.(More "Unable to bear any longerthe testimony Who was James?Let's considerthe of James'life is detailed in "James:Half Continuedon page 27

O ne long-debatedi5sue1hathasTesurfaced with theret:ehtossua!y discoverY is a supposedprevious marriage, making him merelyjesu~'stepbrother, having no immediateblood relation:Yet a closeblood relation seems1mplititinlhe distinction "brother bf Jesus."'Arldagain, the idea of childrenby previbusmarriage is alsocon; thep;rp,etua!v,rglnltyofMarY{w,b!ch h9Id$tbat~arY r~mcllneqa¥irg!neVenafter Jesus birth 3nd h3d no more children),RQm~n(athQllcste3cb Jame$ wasonl.y a tradictedby Matthew.., :2:4-25, whithcafls JesusMary'sfirStborn~onaHd states that "cQusin"Qf Jesus. jbseph"knew her" afterJesus was born. Yetthe biblical evidence points.to James being a halfbrothe~nQtacousin,Qf Jesus" \orroqqratingev\denceisfoundi.n Psa)m69,apsa(m wri.~eQby Israel's King David sinceMary was his motherand Josephhis father. The Bible does notcall Jesus1he only son of Mary;it callsHim the firstbornson. "ThenJoseph, being arousedfrom sleep,did as theangetofthe lord commandedhim and.tookto him hiswife, and did notknow hertill shehad broughtforth her firstbornSon.. P,ndhecall~dHisn~me Jesus"(M?tthew 1:24-25.. empha5is added throughout). Note a)sothat the word know}s;hebibli~aleuphem(.snlfor.JQ$eph 3nd Mary "James,sqnQf)Qseph,. brother of J~stJ$," reads this jnscription. havingse?

January/February 2003 21 Continuedfrom page 21 of the man, who, on accountof his elevated virtue and piety was deemedthe mostjust of men,they. ..slew him ...But, asto the mannerof James'sdeath, it has beenalready statedin the words of Clement,that he was thrown from a wing of the temple,[to be stoned]and beatento deathwith a club" (EcclesiasticalHistory, 1995,pp. 75-76).

Names of other biblical figures found Although the evidenceso far points to the listing of Jesus,James and Josephon the newfoundossuary as being the samepersons mentionedin the New Testament,it cannot be proven with absolutecertainty. Perllaps testing methodsyet to be developedwill be carried out thatcan further confinn the find. In the meantime,the find nevertheless appearsto bepowerful evidencefor the accu- racy of the Gospelaccounts and the literal existenceof Jesusof Nazareth,the Sonof God, and His earthlyfamily. And by no meansis this find unique;the existenceof many biblical figures hasbeen provenby archaeologicalfinds. So far biblical namesthat have beenpositively continued include Herod the Great,Herod Agrippa, Pontius Pilate,Caiaphas, David, manyof the kings of Judahand Israel,and evenJere- miah's scribe,Barucl1