Scientists Puzzle Over Ancient Ossuary

© Royal Ontario Museum, Brian Boyle, MPAIn October 2002, a group of archaeologists held a press conference in Washington, DC, to announce a startling discovery. A limestone box had been discovered in Israel with the inscription "James the son of Joseph the brother of Jesus." It was a stunning find: the first physical evidence of Jesus. The news swept through the field of biblical archaeology. The ossuary, a container for the bones of the deceased meant to be kept in a cave, was already on i

Written bySam Jaffe

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In October 2002, a group of archaeologists held a press conference in Washington, DC, to announce a startling discovery. A limestone box had been discovered in Israel with the inscription "James the son of Joseph the brother of Jesus." It was a stunning find: the first physical evidence of Jesus. The news swept through the field of biblical archaeology. The ossuary, a container for the bones of the deceased meant to be kept in a cave, was already on its way to the Royal Ontario Museum, where it was to be displayed for a few months. The museum's press release said, "It may be the most important find in the history of new testament archaeology."

More than a year later, in June of 2003, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced an even more stunning piece of news. A multidisciplinary committee of Israeli scientists ...

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