Some researchers regard it as one of the most important objects ever linked to the era of Jesus Christ.
The limestone burial box, dating back around 2,000 years and widely known as the James ossuary, is approximately 21 inches long and 10 inches wide. Its surface carries an ancient Aramaic inscription that translates as “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Bone fragments have also been found inside the ossuary.
Yet the inscription has fueled a bitter forgery debate for more than two decades. In 2003, the Israel Antiquities Authority said the box itself was ancient but claimed the words identifying James as Jesus’ brother had been added in modern times.
Israeli collector Oded Golan, who has said he obtained the ossuary in the 1970s, was accused of carving the disputed phrase into the box. He was cleared of forgery charges in 2012, though the presiding judge emphasized that the ruling neither confirmed the inscription’s authenticity nor proved a link to the Jesus described in the Bible.
Biblical scholar Dr Jeremiah Johnston cites Golan’s acquittal, along with backing from prominent specialists in ancient inscriptions, as reasons to believe the writing may be genuine.
Johnston also disputes the theory that a Christian added the reference to Jesus centuries later. He argues that the Jerusalem practice of placing collected bones in limestone boxes had already ended after AD 70.
He and a group of specialists are scheduled to examine the bone fragments through DNA testing in 2027.
“If it is truly his, we are looking at the only known archaeological artifact directly connected to the family of Jesus of Nazareth,” Johnston told Our News Outlet.
A remarkable 2,000-year-old ossuary may offer the earliest archaeological link to Jesus’ family
The limestone burial chest bears the inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”
According to reports, Golan purchased the ossuary at an antiques store in Silwan, outside Jerusalem’s Old City and close to the Siloam Spring.
He is said to have paid $200 for the artifact. Years later, he asked André Lemaire, a leading authority on ancient Hebrew and Aramaic writing, to study the limestone chest.
In his book The Jesus Discoveries, Johnston gave the inscription in its ancient form as “Ya’akov bar Yosef, akhui di Yeshua,” meaning “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.”
Johnston wrote that Golan initially believed the words referred to three generations within a single family. Lemaire then pointed out that Jesus of Nazareth was traditionally understood to have had a brother named James.
Johnston, who earned a PhD from Middlesex University in the UK and has conducted extensive research on the James ossuary, says its design matches a burial tradition used in first-century Jerusalem. After placing a body in a tomb, relatives would return roughly a year later, gather the bones and move them into a limestone ossuary.
James, Joseph and Jesus were all widely used names during that period. However, Johnston says the explicit mention of a brother gives the inscription unusual importance.
Of approximately 900 ossuaries listed in the catalog he references, only around 25 percent feature inscriptions. Johnston says just one other example mentions a brother, leading him to suggest that the relationship was included because the brother was a notable person.
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He has also cited the first-century historian Josephus, who described the stoning of James in AD 62 and referred to him as “the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”
The Bible says Jesus’ brother James did not accept him as the Messiah during their lifetimes
Other specialists maintain that the words “brother of Jesus” were added later and are part of a forgery
Dr Jeremiah Johnston and a team of experts plan to conduct a DNA analysis on the bone fragments recovered from the ossuary
‘If James died in AD 62, custom says his bones were gathered about a year later, around AD 63,’ Johnston said. ‘That is precisely the window the ossuary’s style and epigraphy point to.’
Early examinations by two Geological Survey of Israel researchers supported the case for authenticity.
However, the agency later endorsed findings that the mineral coating inside the inscription could not have formed under the region’s natural conditions, highlighting the scientific disagreement.
The ossuary went on public display in 2002, attracting international attention and scrutiny from the IAA.
Golan was subsequently accused of adding ‘brother of Jesus’ to an ancient inscription reading ‘James, son of Joseph,’ and applying a coating to make the new lettering appear old.
‘What followed was one of the most unusual trials in the history of archaeology,’ Johnston said.
Experts challenged the forgery allegations, including the respected scholar of ancient handwriting Ada Yardeni, whom Johnston said defended the inscription’s authenticity in court.
A 1976 family photograph showing the box and its disputed inscription also became part of Golan’s defense. A photographic expert testified that the paper and fading were consistent with its age and found no evidence of tampering.
When Golan was acquitted of forgery the judge said that the verdict did not establish the inscription’s authenticity.
Johnston nevertheless believes the evidence makes a compelling case.
‘So where do I land? Exactly where honest history always lands: not absolute certainty, but historical probability,’ he said.
Our News Outlet has contacted IAA for comment.
