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Oded Golan, James Ossuary Proponent, Acquitted of Antiquities Fraud

First Posted: 03/14/2012 1:01 pm Updated: 03/15/2012 4:41 pm

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JERUSALEM -- Is the purported burial box of Jesus' brother James fake or authentic?

Seven years of trial, testimony from dozens of experts and a 475-page verdict Wednesday failed to come up with an answer.

A Jerusalem judge, citing reasonable doubt, acquitted Israeli collector Oded Golan, who was charged with forging the inscription on the box once hailed as the first physical link to Christ.

Golan said the ruling put an end to what he portrayed as a 10-year smear campaign against him. Hershel Shanks, editor of the Washington-based Biblical Archaeology Review, said he was delighted, insisting the burial box, or ossuary, is authentic and a "prized artifact to the world of Christianity."

The Israel Antiquities Authority, which believes Golan's most high-profile items are forged, said the case shows the limits of science in proving forgeries, but it also prompted museums and universities around the world to be more suspicious of finds of uncertain origin.

In his ruling, Judge Aharon Farkash of the Jerusalem District Court said Wednesday that he heard so many specialists with conflicting claims that he could not determine whether the ossuary was forged.

"This topic is likely to continue to be the subject of research in the scientific and archaeological worlds, and time will tell," Farkash wrote.

The case of the burial box is likely to be irrelevant to believers.

Stephen Pfann, an archaeologist and president of the Christian Holy Land University, said Christians don't need objects to prop up their faith. "In a way, there will always be that necessity of faith to be involved in a person's convictions, whether or not we find artifacts associated with the story," he said.

Much of the trial focused on the patina over the inscriptions of the ossuary and a second find, a stone tablet purportedly carrying instructions by King Yoash of the 9th century B.C. on maintenance at the Jewish Temple. The patina is a thin layer of grime that can attest to the age of engravings.

At one point, the prosecutor brought a camp stove, chalk, beaker and other ingredients to show how easy it is to make fake patina, said journalist Matthew Kalman, a frequent trial observer. The defense then used the same technique to show that fake patina doesn't stick to stone.

"It began to look like a high school chemistry class," said Kalman, editor of The Jerusalem Report magazine.

The saga began in 2002 when Golan sent the ossuary with the Aramaic inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" to Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum. Shanks was among its early enthusiasts, publishing the first report on it in 2002.

Golan has said he's owned the ossuary since the late 1970s and never paid much attention until a visiting French expert suggested the inscription might refer to the brother of Jesus.

After the Toronto exhibit, he started facing questions at home.

At first, the antiquities authority investigated whether he had transferred the box abroad with the proper license. It also questioned where the Yoash tablet, inscribed with 15 lines in Hebrew, came from. Eventually, IAA experts concluded both were forgeries, and police began to investigate.

Golan was indicted in late 2004, along with four other defendants, charged with forging and trading in dozens of stolen items. His trial began in 2005.

Witnesses in the trial – more than 100 hearings transcribed in 12,000 pages – described a dark underside to the Holy Land antiquities trade, including grave robbing and shadowy exchanges of fistfuls of cash on West Bank roads.

Shanks said finds should not be automatically dismissed because of uncertain origin.

"You have much looted material coming out of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)," he said. "It has died down now but was once great. These finds can be important. Are you going to rescue them, or are you going to say you aren't going to learn from them because they were looted?"

Archaeologist and biblical historian Eric Meyers of Duke University said questions about where Golan obtained the ossuary make it all the more important to regulate the antiquities trade in Israel.

"Israel is unique in the Middle East for allowing antiquities dealers to operate under official government licensing," he said. "This is a dirty business ... and the Israeli police and antiquities authority have trouble dealing with all this chicanery."

During the trial, the Israel Museum re-examined its collection to remove forged items, and museums and universities have grown more suspicious of undocumented finds, said Shai Bartura, an IAA official.

"People just do not want to take chances," he said. "If it's not absolutely legitimate, if it doesn't have an archaeological context, then most serious facilities of display or research simply will not touch it."

Golan was convicted Wednesday on four other charges, including trading unlicensed antiquities, possessing stolen artifacts and selling artifacts without a license. The court will consider Golan's sentencing in April.

Robert Deutsch, an inscriptions expert, was acquitted Wednesday of all charges. He was accused of forgery, but not in connection with the ossuary and the tablet.

In earlier proceedings, one defendant reached a plea bargain, while charges against the remaining two were dropped.

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JERUSALEM -- Is the purported burial box of Jesus' brother James fake or authentic? Seven years of trial, testimony from dozens of experts and a 475-page verdict Wednesday failed to come up with an...
JERUSALEM -- Is the purported burial box of Jesus' brother James fake or authentic? Seven years of trial, testimony from dozens of experts and a 475-page verdict Wednesday failed to come up with an...
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MIKEinNYC
971 Fans
11:08 PM on 03/21/2012
It looks like nonsense to me. the inscription looks too good and is worded too conveniently to be real.

We don't really need proof of Jesus' existence it's his super powers that we doubt.
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dubbleplusgood
turned off CNN, turned on CurrentTV
1058 Fans
09:15 AM on 03/20/2012
Oh the backflips one needs to perform to sort of, maybe, kind of, potentially, come closer to proving the possible existence of someone or something that could be related to someone we think may have existed at some time and might also be an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator who likes to play hide and seek and only with a minority of humans that ever lived.

mmmm-kay.
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Varys
377 Fans
08:08 AM on 03/20/2012
When you're willing to believe a lie as huge as the Bible, what's the harm in a few fake antiques?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
grailknight
is happily godless
276 Fans
07:13 PM on 03/19/2012
The ossuary says "James, brother of Jesus." It's not like either name was uncommon in the first century. Wouldn't it be far more clever for the inscription to read: "James bar Joseph of the House of David, brother of Jesus"? That would be a fraud on par with images of Jesus on toast.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ttsgw
Atheist and secular humanist
609 Fans
12:09 PM on 03/19/2012
Of course it is a fake, but so is god, so what's the big deal?
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MeSeems
0 Fans
11:42 AM on 03/19/2012
If you were perplexed, you should read this Book!
Comparative theology Vol.1 by H.H Pope Shenouda III
Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ had no brothers!

http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/theology/comptheo.pdf

1. The perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary
2. Reply to the opposing opinions:
(a) The phrase "her firstborn"
(b) The phrase "your wife"
(c) "Before they came together she was found with child"
(d) "Did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son"
(e) The phrase "His brothers" or " Lord Christ's brothers"
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TheFriendlyAtheist
1223 Fans
01:23 PM on 03/19/2012
I'm sorry MeSeems, but (d) is nothing but a flat out statement that Joseph "did" know her after she had brought forth her son. It can be read no other way. And since it is a dogma of the Coptic Church, as well as the Catholic Church, that all of the humanity of Jesus was derived from his mother, and since it is impossible for the genes of the mother to encode for anything other than another female, then it is impossible that Jesus could have been born a "man" without the sperm of a man (either of Joseph or some other man). And to set forth the proposition that he derived his maleness from God is to say that he was then not fully human. It is, therefore, nonsense to propose that Jesus was born of a virgin; not only nonsense, but it is a completely unneeded assertion, since God could just as well have become incarnate in a man born to two human parents as he could become incarnate in a man born of one human parent. The whole idea of a virgin birth was taken from the pagan religions of the day and was not believed by the earliest followers of Jesus. Any Jew would have found it idiotic and obscene.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
grailknight
is happily godless
276 Fans
08:10 PM on 03/19/2012
F&F'd
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MeSeems
0 Fans
03:09 PM on 03/27/2012
You didn't read the book, you did?
Apparently we are speaking different language!
You believe in "Do-It-Yourself Understanding"!
And I am believed in God's Word!
But anyway I'll make another try for love!
First, Check This;
It is written:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"
Proverbs 3:5
"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil."
Proverbs 3:7
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 16:18
"…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
2 Corinthians 3:6
It is written also:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Isaiah 29:14
1 Corinthians 1:19
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
1 Corinthians 1: 25
"Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"
1 Corinthians 1: 20
"... Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential;
not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."
1 Corinthians1:27, 28, 29
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davesny302
30 Fans
08:23 AM on 03/19/2012
I watched a documentary on this piece. It was found with other ossuarys that may be from the rest of Jesus' family. Very interesting and exciting.
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sunshine14
6513 Fans
07:21 AM on 03/19/2012
This article is good whether not this is or not the real James tomb, for it brings out others to seek out who this James was which was never given such great Honor or was taught about either and about Jesus brothers and sisters? Told all Truths will be known in the end.
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sunshine14
6513 Fans
07:08 AM on 03/19/2012
Note what is interesting also, this James was the High Priest, Kephas (Peter, remember Jesus changed Peters name) and St John were all known as the 3 Pillars of the Church of Christ after His death and within the community was well know by all, and this High Priest James( who was called Brother of the Lord by all even Jesus, Apostles) is the very One-James who was to be Head, High Priest over Christ Church, interesting not Kephas (Peter). St Peter also a witness to Jesus was told by Jesus written Kephas is to go to James after He is gone and no one else. This James was the Head High Priest over St Kepahs and St John. Why ST Kepahs with St Paul had to go to Jerusalem about their issues that took place in Athens, if gentles needed to be welcome into the fold, and what about circumizion if they were. St James High Priest decides this and gives His laws to ST Peter and St John ST Paul and All Disciples, gentles if they wish to join in the faith. Not St Kephas (St Peter) or St John or St Paul. Why St Pauls has to meet 3 times with this James High Priest over Christ Church already established in Jerusalem. So much for the keys to St Peter right? The Mother Church of Christ was already established and took root in Jerusalem, with this James as High Priest, was not St Peter interesting is it not? Just seeking Truth, Peace to all
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Robert Frano
‘Plausible Deniability’: NOT A FAMILY_VALUE!!
382 Fans
07:44 PM on 03/18/2012
Re: "...James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" to Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum."

Short of identifying / knowing WHICH 'james, son of...', etc. is/or isn't referred to here, (pending authentication of the object's age), what is the B.F.D. with this ossuary?
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TheFriendlyAtheist
1223 Fans
01:28 PM on 03/19/2012
Since Joseph, James and Jesus were three of the most common names of the time, it would be no surprise if this box did hold the bones of some James who had a brother named Jesus and a father named Joseph.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Robert Frano
‘Plausible Deniability’: NOT A FAMILY_VALUE!!
382 Fans
04:06 PM on 03/19/2012
Re: "...it would be no surprise if this box did hold the bones of ‘some James who had a brother named Jesus and a father named Joseph’, etc."

It IS common practice for monotheistic-believers of ALL persuasions to disregard inconvenient, (myth-shattering), scientifically - reproducible data!

As a result, there is the 'evangelical-fantasist-movement' which claims it is an ‘obvious, documentable factoid’ that the Earth, (and all human civilization/existence), is a MERE 3-9,000+ years old…
as opposed to 7-9 million years, (for 'humans’, depending on select, 'defining - characteristics'), and 4.something.billion.years for Earth!

Yet, a simple perusal of the phone book in ANY human-civilization-related ‘metropolitan’ area demonstrates there is a large variety of ‘Mr. J.Smith' / 'Ms. J.Smith’ entries... An individual ossuary IS of some 'archeological / historic' interest / worth!

But...how does an archeological entity decide that these ‘common-names’ refer / referred to ANY particular ‘Jesus’, let alone the single, specific (alleged) 'Human-Deity' hybrid?
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sunshine14
6513 Fans
10:16 AM on 03/18/2012
Note also in Jesus time forging gosples etc was big business one made their living from. From hundreds upon hundreds of gosple writtings etc lead to great heated debates within the church itself, to thepoint of breaking away Protestant today took root from. Not all agreed with either, the one who held the power over, got their gospels in, why hearing till this day man decided himself what was in what was out of the bible, why many like Mary M, St Thomas, ST Philip they gosples did not take center stage called herectics etc Why? Yet all were followers of Christ till His death, Mary M right till the end. Why thousands of books were burned also, why? What one was called a herectic then, would they even., when reading their gnostic gospels (gnostic means Knowlege) would today be called Herectics, even be put to death? Love all dearly. Like today forgery can and does bring in big money, no different then, then today? Is there a self interest behind it also?
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sunshine14
6513 Fans
09:53 AM on 03/18/2012
If one wants to understand what is written in the Bible one has to look outside the Bible in Scholarly Historical Facts and not just myths, but facts where man took root, in other Nations, thier wars etc and where all came from.Was also greatly political, just as it was about religion and different faiths in those times. Why one can go back thousands upon thousands of years to Abraham time even, yet know nothing about Jesus 30 years of His life on earth? But only lasts 3 years. Yet give so much detail in knowing about Jesus birth, is this not interesting in asking why? Who was the Blessed Mothers great grand mother? Her brothers and sisters were? Now they now some scholars say, they can identify Blessed Mary great grandmothers name and that the one who came to bury Jesus was Blessed Mary great grandmothers, brother, a weathy man in trade, sailor exporting his trade, was in good standing with the Roman Powers, because of business dealings in such, approached the Roman powers to bury His nephew Jesus, got permission. Was Jesus during those lost years gone sailing with His Uncle Armenthia growing up? He had no father, Jospeh died when? Interesting.
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michaeljude
25 Fans
09:10 AM on 03/18/2012
Wasn't there a show about the box a few years ago? I think so. Go to SHOWNAMYSTERY.COM several minutes into it there is footage of a debate about how God will give a person a new body when they get to heaven or resurrected etc. following it is the nuts and bolts answer complex, requires thought but still.........the answer lies therein Michael Jude, author
Thirteenth Apostle: The Coming Transubstantiation shownamystery.com
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hillbilly49
Don't tell me you are a Christian; let me guess.
8788 Fans
10:25 PM on 03/17/2012
Another faux Christian fetish for the den.
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jcshiloh
63 Fans
10:39 PM on 03/17/2012
Monkeys are superior to men in this: When a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey
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sunshine14
6513 Fans
08:47 PM on 03/17/2012
How do they even know who this James is? There were many hundreds if not thousand called James and even written in (the Bible speaks of different James 5-6 alone just in NT), many had the name James, Joesphs, Marys, Simeons, Judes, John, etc etc. Because they found a whale craving, referring it to Jonah, Jesus talked about, this is James burial tomb? Really? Simeon Bar Jonah, ( was St Peter real name) was a fishermen also. How do they know who this James is then and many families had same names as Biblical figures also. This James was not an Apostle of Jesus either, not the James apostle either. This James who was High Priest in the Temple, in the community was known as the Brother of the Lor, This Jame remained a High Priest after the time of Jesus death. This James was a very Holy Man. This James if it is His tomb, was High Priest, dearly Loved, known through out the Community, because He was a High Priest. Written this James lived on His knees on the altar, was very Holy and dearly Loved by all. Even Jesus refers to this James as being very Holy man of God.This James, High Priest was the one Jesus tells His apostles to go to and only to this James, no one else Ever, after Jesus is gone. This James( High Priest), St Peter and St John were know has the -3 Pillar of the Church of Chirst after Jesus death. This James is the One St Paul mentions in His Letters and in Acts, St Paul had to go to in Jerusalem to get persmission from this James, High Priest to even join. This James sent St Paul to Rome, spead the good news there, did not trust St Paul nor did St Peter,(had great heated debates) nor the community. St Paul, community, all knew him, he persecuted thousands of Hebrews, community did not accept ST Paul, why in he had to go to Jerusalem to meet with James the High Priest. Get approval from this James so others would accept him. Why St Paul is always defending himself in his own letters, I do not lie.
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