[polemikos]

A little something to chew on (Greek: trogo).

[heyheyhey]

Considering the time (mass attacks against the Catholic Church), the place and the scholars involved, I regard the ossuary box to be a hoax, until proven otherwise.

To say it verifies the "historical Jesus" is nothing more than a propaganda trick.
The historical existence of Our Lord needs no further proofs.

[polemikos]

ping

[Pyro7480]

I think another big point comes from the Gospel of John (19: 26-27). If Mary had any other children, why would Jesus leave Mary to the Apostle John while He was dying on the cross? Jesus probably would have let His blood brothers and sisters take care of her if He actually had any.

[The_Reader_David]

It is very heartening to see archeology confirming the Orthodox Christian account of Our Lord's family history. In the East, the Proto-Evangelium of James is regarded as trustworthy in terms of the family history of the Theotokos, St. James the Brother-of-the-Lord, St. Joseph the Betrothed and Our Lord, this despite obvious gnostic accretions to the childhood narratives concerning Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The unusual ossuary inscription titling James bar-Joseph as the "brother of Jesus" is fully in keeping with the teachings of Holy Tradition that James was worthy of the title "Brother of the Lord" because he was the only one of St. Joseph's sons by his deceased wife Salome to be willing to share his inheritance with his stepbrother Jesus. In the traditional account, the betrothal of the aged widower Joseph to the Blessed Virgin was a way of supporting her vow of perpetual virginity.

Orthodox icons of the Flight into Egypt show the aged Joseph leading an ass bearing the Theotokos and the Christ child, with a young man, St. James, walking beside them--another way in which he proved brother indeed to Christ.

I hope this find will allow our separated Latin betheren to speak with one voice with us Orthodox in dealing with protestants who deny the title Ever-Virgin confirmed by the Fifth Ecumenical Council. We should have no more of the "cousin" nonsense started by St. Jerome.

[narses]

Ping.

[sockmonkey]

So, if this was The James, wouldn't it have said Bishop of Jerusalem on the ossuary-since that was a really big deal?

[Mercat]

I'm a cradle and a born again Catholic and I have never understood why the perpetual virginity of the BVM is important.

[Mercat]

I'm a cradle and a born again Catholic and I have never understood why the perpetual virginity of the BVM is important.