Posted on 10/26/2002 1:59:09 PM PDT by polemikos
In October 2002 it was announced in Biblical Archaeology Review that a first century stone ossuary had been discovered that is believed to have held the bones of St. James, the brother of Jesus, also known as "James the Just."
An ossuary is a box used to hold the bones of a dead person. Stone ossuaries were widely used by Palestinian Jews between 20 B.C. and A.D. 70.
This ossuary bore the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." It had been bought a number of years previously by a Jewish collector who prefers to remain anonymous. He did not initially realize its potential significance until he asked Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne, a paleographer or expert in ancient writing, to translate the Aramaic inscription on the ossuary.
James, Joseph, and Jesus were very common names in first century Palestine, and Lemaire estimates that there may have been as many as twenty individuals in Jerusalem who were named James and who had fathers named Joseph and brothers names Jesus. Nevertheless, Lemaire and other experts believe it probable that the James to whom this ossuary belonged very probably was the one referred to in the New Testament as "the brother of the Lord" (Gal. 1:19).
It is extremely uncommon for brothers to be named in ossuary inscriptions. Of the hundreds of such ossuaries that have been found, only two name a brother as well as the father. The fact that this one does so suggests that the brother was considered very important. It is unlikely that there were other men named James who had fathers named Joseph and who had brothers named Jesus that were so important that they warranted mention on an ossuary.
Following the announcement of the discovery, many were quick to ask its potential apologetic significance. If authentic, its immediate significance is that it provides the earliest known inscriptional evidence for the historical reality of Jesus, as well as providing confirmation of two of his family relationships. Previously the only first century data on Jesus and his family has come from literary sources, such as the documents of the New Testament and (with important qualifications) from the first century Jewish historian Josephus.
Some non-Catholics were quick to tout the box as evidence against the perpetual virginity of Mary, however this does not follow. The ossuary identifies its James as the son of Joseph and the brother of Jesus, it does not identify him as the son-much less the biological son-of Mary. The only point that Catholic doctrine has established regarding the "brethren of the Lord" is that they are not biological children of Mary.
What relationship they did have with her is a matter of speculation. They may have been Jesus' adoptive brothers, stepbrothers through Joseph, or-according to one popular theory-cousins. As has often been pointed out, Aramaic had no word for "cousin," and so the word for brother was used in its place. This inscription is in Aramaic, and so there would be little surprise if it were being used in that way.
While the inscription does not establish the brethren of the Lord as biological children of Mary, it does have an impact on which theory may best explain the relationship of the brethren to Jesus. If James "the brother of the Lord" were Jesus' cousin then it would be unlikely for him also to have a father named Joseph. This would diminish the probability of the cousin theory in favor of the idea that this James was a stepbrother or an adoptive brother of Jesus.
The stepbrother hypothesis is, in fact, the earliest one on record. It is endorsed by a document known as the Protoevangelium of James, which dates to the year 120, within sixty years of James' death (James died in A.D. 62). According to the Protoevangelium, Joseph was an elderly widower at the time he was betrothed to Mary. He already had a family and thus was willing to become the guardian of a virgin consecrated to God. The stepbrother hypothesis was the most common explanation of the brethren of the Lord until St. Jerome popularized the cousin hypothesis just before the year 400.
The stepbrother hypothesis is also supported by the fact that Joseph apparently was significantly older than Mary, as he appears to have died before our Lord's public ministry began.
Bottom line: If the ossuary of James bar-Joseph is that of James the brother of the Lord, it sheds light on which of the theories Catholics are permitted to hold is most likely the correct one, but it poses does nothing to refute Catholic doctrine. If authentic, as seems probable, it is to be welcomed as further archaeological confirmation of the life of our Lord.
James, who is called the brother of the Lord, surnamed the Just, the son of Joseph by another wife (as some think, but, as appears to me, the son of Mary sister of the mother of our Lord of whom John makes mention in his book), after our Lord's passion at once ordained by the apostles bishop of Jerusalem, wrote a single epistle, which is reckoned among the seven Catholic Epistles and even this is claimed by some to have been published by some one else under his name, and gradually, as time went on, to have gained authority.
Hegesippus [the second century historian] who lived near the apostolic age, in the fifth book of his Commentaries, writing of James. says
"After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed the Just was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. Many indeed are called James. This one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels' knees."
He says also many other things, too numerous to mention. Josephus also in the 20th book of his Antiquities, and Clement in the 7th of his Outlines mention that on the death of Fetus who reigned over Judea, Albinus was sent by Nero as his successor.
Before he had reached his province, Ananias the high priest, the youthful son of Ananus of the priestly class taking advantage of the state of anarchy, assembled a council and publicly tried to force James to deny that Christ is the son of God. When he refused Ananius ordered him to be stoned. Cast down from a pinnacle of the temple, his legs broken, but still half alive, raising his hands to heaven he said, "Lord forgive them for they know not what they do." Then struck on the head by the club of a fuller such a club as fullers are accustomed to wring out garments with-he died.
This same Josephus records the tradition that this James was of so great sanctity and reputation among the people that the downfall of Jerusalem was believed to be on account of his death. He it is of whom the apostle Paul writes to the Galatians that "No one else of the apostles did I see except James the brother of the Lord" [Gal. 1:19], and shortly after the event the Acts of the apostles bear witness to the matter.
The Gospel also which is called the Gospel according to the Hebrews, and which I have recently translated into Greek and Latin and which also Origen often makes use of, after the account of the resurrection of the Saviour says, "but the Lord, after he had given his grave clothes to the servant of the priest, appeared to James (for James had sworn that he would not eat bread from that hour in which he drank the cup of the Lord until he should see him rising again from among those that sleep)" and again, a little later, it says "'Bring a table and bread,' said the Lord." And immediately it is added, "He brought bread and blessed and brake and gave to James the Just and said to him, 'My brother eat thy bread, for the son of man is risen from among those that sleep.'"
And so he ruled the Church of Jerusalem thirty years, that is until the seventh year of Nero, and was buried near the temple from which he had been cast down. His tombstone with its inscription was well known until the siege of Titus and the end of Hadrian's reign. Some of our writers think he was buried in Mount Olivet, but they are mistaken.
See also: Brethren of the Lord and Mary Ever Virgin
Oh Pipe down. The conclsions drawn by the so-called experts are merely conjecture. We can see how accurate experts are when they profile snipers. Your glee is premature, and for your soul's sake, a passing fancy.
Do you ever get the feeling that the elect are dwindling? The urge to say so to your fellow Bible "scholars" ands finally to say to one you trust most: Sometimes it seems like it is just thee and me and I am not always sure about thee?
And the reaction of Catholic Freepers to the Ossuary is exactly identical to how liberals would respond to the aforementioned videotape. They would brush it off and hurl insults, but under NO circumstances, would they ever wise up to the reality of what THEY worship really truly is.
This whole thing has been rather enlightening on several different levels.
LOL.. I don't think we'll be seeing that on the shelf of your local Catholic Bookstore for sometime. :)
Are dinosaurs unScriptural and therefore non-existent? Render for us in Aramaic: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Nothing terribly complicated there. Nothing terribly complicated about your refusal to answer two simple questions either.
Your big problem is that the members of the oldest and largest and original Christian Church are not lapping at your feet and rendering to you the status of expert at quite the level you claim for yourself.
I feared you were heading toward sola Dead Scrolla.
What invalidates as evidence the magical mystery box or boxtop as the case may be of the desert sands is the absolute lack of even a contemporary chain of evidence and the fact that people will feel a bit more respectful when the inscrutable secret and unknowable Muslim buyer and seller(s) are a bit more forthcoming as to how they obtained it and the present owner is willing to allow scholarly examination by those not captive "scholars".
If you can't respond to someone like you imagine me to be, don't respond lest we think you can.
Some scholars believe that there are references to dinosuars in the book of Job. There are also scholars that believe the first chapter of Genesis points to an earth older than 6000 years.
What's your point?
I still believe peer review is warrranted, but BAR is not a catholic-bashing outfit. Nor is it a johnny-come-lately rag looking to make a splash.
Oh? I don't think you speak for Bible loving Christians or conservatives. Neither are as sanctimonious and as biggoted as you come across as. What would you gain if your malice toward the RCC were somehow justified?
I'm not an expert. I'm just a common man with the brain that God gave me and the ability to read the Bible, which God wrote for people like me to read as a check & balance against religious org's who try to LIE in order to obtain power. (Like the RCC)
The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand DID purport itself to be not only EXPERT on the Bible, but INFALLIBLE as well!
Now their line of hogwash has been utterly destroyed and debunked by a little stone box.
What you guys are unable to respond to is that what is written on the box MERELY CONFIRMS & CORROBORATES what the Bible already plainly says! Joseph and Mary had FOUR OTHER SONS besides Jesus. One of them was James.
Now we've found James' burial box, which merely confirms what we already (from the Bible) knew. His father was Joseph and his brother was Jesus. Why is that non-understandable "rocket science" to you guys?
We believe the Roman Catholic Church is the "Whore of Babylon" spoken of in Revelation. God commands His people to "come OUT OF" this organization or else they will share in the horrifying punishments God will mete out to the Whore.
It's not "optional" to God. Once people have identified the Whore "His people" must "Come out of her" (clearly implying that some of His people are currently IN her). This is mega-serious stuff, the theological equivalent of nuclear war.
It's as life-and-death as it gets.
I'll say it again. This is as life-and-death as it gets.
Who's we? There are more like you?
God commands His people to "come OUT OF" this organization or else they will share in the horrifying punishments God will mete out to the Whore.
Ok. So you came out of the whore. Are you also commanded to abuse and harrass her?
The number of elect and their names were written before the foundation of the earth and when the last one comes it is time for the final judgement..
Why do you think we expose ourselves to endure your personal insults against us, some of which have been so vitriolic that Catholic Freepers have been banned because of them?
We do it because the issues are life-and-death. And because you guys don't study your Bibles and don't appear to take God's Word seriously. But you claw at our faces like drowning men who fight those trying to help them.
Ok. So you came out of the whore. Are you also commanded to abuse and harrass her?
YES!!! From Revelation 18:
4Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, "Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.5For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God is ready to judge her for her evil deeds.6Do to her as she has done to your people. Give her a double penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so give her twice as much as she gave out.
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