Accused forger defends 'Jesus ossuary' in front of expert panel

Jerusalem Post ^ | Jul. 29, 2003 | ABIGAIL RADOSZKOWICZ

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"Jesus ossuary" owner Oded Golan, recently released on bail after an elaborate antiquities forgery lab was found in his home, was the guest attraction the Israeli premiere of the documentary, James, Brother of Jesus, which traces the story of the ossuary and its disputed inscription, at the Jerusalem Cinematheque on Sunday.

A German journalist in the audience asked collector Golan how he failed to notice the intriguing inscription for so many years until he showed it in the fall of 2002 to Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne, a world expert on Aramaic inscriptions, who first linked inscription to Jesus of Nazareth and declared it genuine.

"Being born in Israel, I never even realized that Jesus had a brother," said Golan. "The name 'Jesus' was a common one among Jerusalem Jews of the period, and I even own another ossuary with the inscription 'bar [son of] Jesus.'"

Leading paleographer Adana Yardeni, sitting on the panel that discussed the Israel Antiquities Authority's finding that the inscription a forgery after the screening, said she still held by her original opinion that the inscription was authentic, but should it be conclusively proved a forgery, "it would be one of genius." She noted that when Golan first sent her a photograph of the inscription, he included photos of another, indisputably genuine proof that Golan did have authentic finds in his possession as well as forgeries.

Simcha Jacobovici, the flamboyant Canadian director of the Discovery Channel documentary which has already screened in over 150 countries, sat with the panel and repeatedly interrupted the proceedings.

Failing to grab the microphone from senior archeologist Dr. Ronny Reich of Haifa University, the Israeli-born Jacobovici remarked that the scrambling made him realize he was back in Israel.

Reich, who was one of the 14-member interuniversity IAA commission that nixed the inscription's authenticity, had originally declared the find genuine. He changed his mind after the third Israel Geological Survey test found modern-day material in most of the inscription's patina (material encrusted on the surface of the etching), but declared repeatedly throughout the evening that he was open to becoming convinced once again that the inscription was genuine.

Jacobovici's ire was apparently raised by Reich and IAA head Dr. Gideon Avni's ignoring of Jacobovici's recent interview with IGS head Dr. Amos Bein, which was screened at the premiere, in which Bein agreed that tap water components could account for the modern-day material found in the inscription's patina. Golan has claimed that his mother washed the ossuary in the over 25 years he says it was in his possession in his apartment. Reich said he would need to see Bein's opinion in writing before he could comment.

The IGS did not send a representative to the evening.

While the panel's archeologists kept a staid if lighthearted tone, one angered audience member asked Jacobovici, "Why do you as a documentary filmmaker in essence, a journalist take such a personal stake in the issue of the ossuary's authenticity?"

Jacobovici replied that he was angered that the "petty bureaucratic" test especially "invented" for this find, after the first two Geological Survey tests had authenticated it and said the "disinformation" campaign waged by the IAA against it had left 2 billion Christians disappointed.

Dr. Gabi Barkai of Bar-Ilan University, noted that doubts pop up with all finds there had been claims that the Dead Sea Scrolls were forgeries and he found no compelling reason thus far to rule the inscription a fake. He noted that "decision by committee was unprecedented in archaeological science," as usual academic procedures called for scholarly articles through which different stances were set forth and to which responses were published.

Jacobovici demanded to know why no Christian scholars had been part of the committee. Avni noted that Jesus was a Jew, and personal identity was not a criterion in scholarly debate. He objected to the "music of conspiracy" wafting from Jacobovici's insinuations.

Jacobovici has claimed that the Antiquities Authority's desire to deter antiquities looting had colored its decision to declare the inscription a forgery. However, as one audience member was overheard commenting regretfully to his companion, "Too bad it was a fake. Just think how many millions of Christian tourists would start visiting the Israel Museum were it real."

Avni agreed to a suggestion by a member of the audience from Texas Archaeological University that DNA comparison tests be made on the scraps of bone remains found in the ossuary with that of the bone relics of St. James held by the Armenian Church in Jerusalem's Old City.