Jesus artifact analyzed by Hopkins prof.
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"If it is in fact the tomb of the brother of Jesus, it is very exciting, because it will be the earliest known artifact that specifically mentions Jesus," said McCarter.
The writing on the ossuary, written in an ancient form of Aramaic, reads "Yaacov [James], son of Yosef [Joseph], brother of Yehoshua [Jesus]." An ossuary was an ancient burial coffin used to store the bones of the deceased, and was fairly compact in size. This particular ossuary measures about 20 inches long and is one foot wide and deep.
"Ossuaries started being used around 10 B.C., in which bones would be placed in limestone boxes," said McCarter.
McCarter was a part of a press conference in Washington, D.C. that announced the discovery to the public. He has since been contacted by media from all over the world, including the New York Times and National Geographic. He also appeared on Good Morning America and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. The immense coverage took McCarter a little bit off guard.
"I was having a voluntary review session before a midterm for some of my students when I got a phone call from Good Morning America, inviting me do an interview early the next morning," he said. "I had to go to Washington that very night."
"It was a lot of fun. Some people in my field don't like that kind of publicity, but I think it's important to communicate to the public," he added.
The story of how the artifact came to scientists' knowledge is just as astonishing as the potential significance of the artifact itself. No field work was required in this case, as the ossuary had been held unknowingly by a private collector in Jerusalem for the past 15 or so years. He purchased the artifact legally in Israel from an antiquities dealer for a nominal sum in the hundreds of dollars, believing it was simply an ancient coffin. However, he had no idea to whom it might have belonged.
After befriending French scholar Andre Lemaire, the owner invited him back to his apartment to show him his extensive collection of ancient objects. After seeing the ossuary, he immediately recognized its potential significance and received permission to study the piece in greater detail. He also learned from the owner that the piece had initially been found near the Mt. Olives section of Jerusalem.
McCarter, who specializes in ancient languages of the Near East, was asked to transcribe the inscription and determine if perhaps it was a forgery. Based on the style of the writing, McCarter determined that it was indeed an authentic piece, and his assertion has been supported by tests in Israeli labs. In addition, he dated the writing from the middle of the first century, which would coincide with the death of James in 63 A.D.
"The script is consistent with the Aramaic of those times," said McCarter.
However, there is no way to actually prove for certain that it was indeed the coffin of Jesus' brother. The Hebrew names of Jesus, James, and Joseph were all very popular in that point of history and there is no way to tell if the ossuary belonged to the James of the New Testament. Still, the possibility is an intriguing one to researchers like McCarter.
Many people less familiar with the Bible were surprised to learn that Jesus even had a brother. There is still debate in the Church as to whether James was the biological brother of Jesus or simply a step-brother or other relative, which is in accordance with the concept of the immaculate conception. Jesus died in approximately 30 A.D., 30 years before the death of James. During his life, James is attributed with being responsible for continuing Jesus' teachings.
"Assuming it is James' coffin, it is interesting to see that he was buried in a traditionally Jewish way. Scholars want to know when Christianity actually broke itself off from Judaism. [From this discovery] it seems that they considered themselves very much Jews," he said.
Though for now the artifact will be available for scientific study, there is no telling what will become of its ownership. Regardless, McCarter does not agree in the business-side of archaeology.
"I don't approve of selling antiquities," he said. He then echoed the statements of film legend Indiana Jones. "It belongs in a museum."
McCarter has been a professor at Johns Hopkins since 1985 and has taught undergraduate courses on the Dead Sea Scrolls among other topics. This semester he is teaching a course on ancient medicine.