Public to see limestone box that may have been casket for Jesus’ brother

A modest limestone casket could be the first object ever found from the family of Jesus Christ. The stone burial box bearing the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has been hidden from public view at the Israel Antiquities Authority since 2003.

But now it has been released to be displayed around the world, following a 10-year legal battle in which Israeli authorities failed to show that collector Oded Golan faked the ancient Aramaic lettering on the box.

Golan bought the box for a pittance in the 1970s from an East Jerusalem antiquities dealer and had it for more than 25 years before Sorbonne professor Andre Lemaire pointed out the staggering significance of the letters scratched in the side.

"I never knew that Jesus had a brother," said Golan.

The box is just 20 inches long and one foot wide, carved from a single piece of reddish limestone with a flat lid — typical of the burial boxes used by the Jews of first-century Palestine.

In that era, bodies were left in a cave for a year, then the bones were collected and put in a box.

It was last displayed in Toronto in 2002, causing a worldwide sensation. But the Israeli Antiquities Authority said the words "brother of Jesus" had been added to the original inscription. Golan was arrested in 2003 and put on trial.

In March 2012, Golan was acquitted of forgery, but some experts still maintain the box is a fake.

In an exclusive interview Golan said it is time for people to hear the whole story.

"The inscription is ancient for sure. We proved that at the trial,” he said. “It's time to have this debate in a public exhibition, and let people decide for themselves."

Author: Matthew Kalman | Source: NY Daily News [November 10, 2013]