Two weeks ago the average American had no idea what the word ossuary meant. But, after experts announced that a recently uncovered ancient stone receptacle may contain the bones of James, alleged brother of Jesus, the word is entering the modern lexicon.
However, Eric Meyers, Bernice and Morton Lerner professor of religion, cautions that the authenticity of the finding is still questionable.
"This is an important finding--it is not a monumental finding because it comes from a looted context," Meyers said. "This finding is by no means a slam dunk."
Meyers observed that because the artifact was not discovered archaeologically, it is difficult to determine whether it is genuine. The 2,000-year-old ossuary was first identified as potentially belonging to James when its owner showed the relic to a scholar of ancient languages. An Aramaic inscription on the box read, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."
The Geological Survey of Israel conducted tests on the stone which verified its age, and analyses of the ossuary's inscription traced its origins to between 20 B.C. to 70 A.D. Because the origin of the ossuary remains unknown, it is possible that it belonged to another individual with the same name and family relations.
"These three names are like Tom, Dick and Harry," said Meyers, director of the graduate program in religion.
Although the notion of Jesus as a historical figure has been widely accepted by experts for nearly a century, Meyers noted that the ossuary, if authentic, would be the oldest extra-biblical evidence of Jesus' existence.
More importantly, if the ossuary is indeed that of the biblical James, it strengthens the claim that the nascent Christian community followed many Jewish traditions-in this case, burial traditions, since ossuaries in the first century are typically associated with Judaism.
"[The finding could potentially demonstrate] how deeply rooted in Jewish practice was the early Jerusalem church," Meyers said.
The finding could also influence Roman Catholic doctrine, since it concerns James's biological relationship with Jesus, said Professor Kyle McCarter, chair of the Near Eastern studies department at The Johns Hopkins University.
In Roman Catholic theology, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is considered to have always remained a virgin, a belief complicated by the notion that the New Testament calls James Jesus' brother.
One way to reconcile this conflict is to posit that James was the son of Joseph from a previous marriage; another relies on the fact that the Greek and Aramaic word 'brother' can refer to any kinsman. However, if proven to be that of the biblical James, the inscription on the ossuary may erode the latter argument.
Meyers, who was recently quoted in articles in Time magazine and The New York Times as a leading authority on the topic, will lecture on the ossuary at the annual symposium of the Society for Biblical Literature, which convenes in Toronto in two weeks.
"Meyers is recognized as a leading authority on the material culture of the Greco-Roman period in the Holy Land, and so he is one of the first people you would think of to ask for an opinion about this," McCarter said.
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