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A Discovery That's Just Too Perfect [James brother of Jesus Ossuary is a hoax-my title]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-eisenman29oct29.story?null ^ | October 29, 2002 | Robert Eisenman

Posted on 11/01/2002 10:45:35 AM PST by Polycarp

COMMENTARY

A Discovery That's Just Too Perfect

Claims that stone box held remains of Jesus' brother may be suspect.

By Robert Eisenman Robert Eisenman is the author of "James the Brother of Jesus" (Penguin, 1998) and a professor of Middle East religions and archeology at Cal State Long Beach.

October 29 2002

James, the brother of Jesus, was so well known and important as a Jerusalem religious leader, according to 1st century sources, that taking the brother relationship seriously was perhaps the best confirmation that there ever was a historical Jesus. Put another way, it was not whether Jesus had a brother, but rather whether the brother had a "Jesus."

Now we are suddenly presented with this very "proof": the discovery, allegedly near Jerusalem, of an ossuary inscribed in the Aramaic language used at that time, with "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." An ossuary is a stone box in which bones previously laid out in rock-cut tombs, such as those in the Gospels, were placed after they were retrieved by relatives or followers.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholiclist; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; jamescameron; jamesossuary; letshavejerusalem; simchajacobovici; talpiot
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To: sinkspur
Added to the Jewish canonical texts most of us now refer to as the Old Testament.


261 posted on 11/01/2002 3:36:31 PM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: Mr. Lucky
YOU GUYS ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS....JUST FOUND ON CNN WEBPAGE : She said the ossuary arrived at the museum in "a damaged state" but didn't know the degree of damage or where in transit it occurred.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/11/01/jesus.inscription.ap/index.html

262 posted on 11/01/2002 3:37:17 PM PST by Delbert
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To: RightWhale; Desdemona
Certain people get on my case for telling what I see, but it looks like the text was carved into the stone a long time after the stone was first cut. The text is fresh and clean, the surface looks worn or eroded.

Are we talking about this pic?

Actually, it looks doctored to me. The resolution seems crisper on the inscription, and the highlights are too bright and the shadows too dark, when compared to the surface of the ossuary.

The rock face is smother and brighter at the top left of the pic and darker and more pitted at the bottom right. Yet the brightest highlights and darkest shadows are in the middle, on the inscription.

I think that's more a testimony to Photoshop than the freshness (one way or the other) of the inscription. I could be wrong.




263 posted on 11/01/2002 3:37:31 PM PST by Sabertooth
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To: Joshua
<>We have the bible as our proof<>...don't forget where you got the Bible...Catholic Church..*grin*
264 posted on 11/01/2002 3:37:43 PM PST by Irisshlass
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To: Mr. Lucky
Let me try that again.....

YOU GUYS ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS....JUST FOUND ON CNN WEBPAGE :
TORONTO, Canada (AP) -- An ancient limestone burial box that may be the oldest archaeological link to Jesus has been damaged in transit from Israel to Canada, Royal Ontario Museum officials said Friday. "There is some consultation going on right now," said Marilynne Friedman, senior publicist for the Royal Ontario Museum.

She said the ossuary arrived at the museum in "a damaged state" but didn't know the degree of damage or where in transit it occurred.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/11/01/jesus.inscription.ap/index.html

265 posted on 11/01/2002 3:38:08 PM PST by Delbert
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To: Polycarp
And in a related story:Casket Linked to Jesus Damaged on Way to Toronto


266 posted on 11/01/2002 3:40:01 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: Irisshlass
Many of us believe we got it from God. *Grin*
267 posted on 11/01/2002 3:41:00 PM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: Mr. Lucky
"other children wouldn't at least one of them ... care for their widowed mother?" Exactly. Good post.
268 posted on 11/01/2002 3:41:51 PM PST by BlackVeil
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To: VRWC_minion
Yep, excellent proof. My drivers license identify me as does my birth certificate so perfectly that I just cannot be! Huh?
269 posted on 11/01/2002 3:44:58 PM PST by Vernon
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To: Mr. Lucky
No he didn't...He tossed out Job...said it was fable...said Solomn didn't write his book...rejected Hebrews, James, Jude, the Apocalypse...and much more..
270 posted on 11/01/2002 3:48:04 PM PST by Irisshlass
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To: berned
You didn't gleen where I was going with this. You need to read on.

My point is more general. You should not assume that everything is in the Bible. You are not a Muslim and Bible is not Koran.

The Church is not based on the Bible but Bible is based on the Church. Old Testament was written by the Church ie by the Jews. New Testament was written by the New Church - early Christians. But not everything is included there - for example "there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."(Jn:21:25)

271 posted on 11/01/2002 3:48:39 PM PST by A. Pole
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To: Mr. Lucky
The bible was put together and tested by apostolic tradition....
272 posted on 11/01/2002 3:52:15 PM PST by Irisshlass
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To: mdittmar
Apparently the damage is that cracks have appeared in the stone. The article hypothesizes the stone may have been subjected to a blow in transit.

If the inscription was recently carved, could that have resulted in cracks appearing slightly later?

273 posted on 11/01/2002 3:54:54 PM PST by aristeides
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To: A. Pole
The Church is not based on the Bible but Bible is based on the Church

I, and every other Evangelical Christian could not possibly disagree with you more.

The Bible is the rock solid foundation of everything we believe. It's the check and balance against ALL FALSE RELIGION.

The reason I'm not a Jehovah Witness or Christian Scientist or Mormon OR ROMAN CATHOLIC is because what they say does not hold up against the Bible.

Look at the epic struggle I had today with catholic apologist Polycarp trying to get him to simply state what he believes regarding a man named James. He couldn't/wouldn't do it.

The Bible is God's gift to the World because, to put it somewhat crassly, it cuts through all the B.S. that the world tries to sling. No false religion can stand up to the Bible. Thank God.

274 posted on 11/01/2002 3:55:40 PM PST by berned
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To: aristeides
Who knows,my take on this whole deal is either one believes or not,a box with an inscription makes no difference to me.
275 posted on 11/01/2002 4:03:58 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: berned
struggle I had today with catholic apologist Polycarp trying to get him to simply state what he believes Polycarp just expressed his views, then thought that enough had been said. Charity is often silent.
276 posted on 11/01/2002 4:05:28 PM PST by BlackVeil
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To: Sabertooth
That's it, although it seemes to be an enhanced version of the image, perhaps with false color imagery as well. The inscription seems to be much less eroded than the stone matrix. Comparing to old tombstones, where the stone is eroded away until the lettering disappears altogether, this seems to be weathered stone with recent text scratched into the surface.
277 posted on 11/01/2002 4:05:41 PM PST by RightWhale
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To: berned
And Sola Scriptura is not in the bible either...to prove there is a thing as sola scriptura it would have to be in the Bible..its not..
278 posted on 11/01/2002 4:06:54 PM PST by Irisshlass
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To: Irisshlass
Golly, you are apparently unfamiliar with the various versions of protestant Bibles. (and by this, I mean no insult; I'm sure there are a boatload of traditions in your Church with which I am not familiar)

Luther, and other Protestants, relied upon Jewish rabbinical tradition to establish the proper texts of the Old Testament.

Sorry, but Job, Hebrews and James are all in our Bibles. Tobit, Judith, 1st Maccabbees, 2nd Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and Baruch are the books The Jewish tradition did not include in canonical scripture, which tradition has been followed by Protestants.

279 posted on 11/01/2002 4:07:15 PM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: berned
The Bible is the rock solid foundation of everything we believe.

A question:
Do you believe that the Church is "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1Tm:3:15)?

280 posted on 11/01/2002 4:13:14 PM PST by A. Pole
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