A biblical bazaar
Treasures, trinkets, and fakes mingle in Israel's controversial antiquities market
Call it a coincidence or providence, or dismiss it as the ruse of a clever hoaxster. Within a recent three-month span, two ancient artifacts of breathtaking biblical importance turned up in Israel: a first-century limestone box said to have held the remains of James, the brother of Jesus, and a tablet bearing what could be a 2,800-year-old royal inscription from the walls of the First Temple. If authentic--a big "if"--the objects would constitute the first tangible evidence corroborating the existence of Jesus of Nazareth and of an ancient Israelite temple erected by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C.
But the authenticity of both is murky, to say the least. Both artifacts emerged from Israel's lucrative antiquities market rather than in archaeological digs. Archaeologists, biblical scholars, and other experts are sharply divided over whether they are genuine or fakes, and tests may take months. In the meantime, the objects have kindled debate over the trade in biblical antiquities, conducted by private collectors and in hundreds of shops in Israel and the West Bank selling everything from statues of Canaanite fertility goddesses to oil lamps from Jesus's time. Some critics are asking whether Israeli efforts to restrict the possession and sale of ancient artifacts actually encourage forgeries, as well as the plunder of priceless historical treasures--a problem that the looting of Iraqi museums has brought to worldwide attention.
Reports last fall of the discovery of the James burial box, or ossuary, in the possession of an Israeli antiquities collector made international headlines and set the archaeological world abuzz because of an Aramaic inscription etched into its side: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." French and Israeli scientists who initially examined the box said they found no evidence of forgery and that it dates to about A.D. 63, a year after James is said to have been martyred.
Some others who have studied photographs of the inscription accept the antiquity of the ossuary itself but contend that the part mentioning Jesus appears to have been added and could be the work of an ancient or modern forger. A new book and television documentary put a favorable spin on the evidence for the inscription's authenticity. "Is it 100 percent certain?" asks Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review and coauthor of the book, The Brother of Jesus (HarperSanFrancisco). "No. But I like to say that if you're looking for certainty, go into mathematics."
The box's owner, Tel Aviv engineer Oded Golan, says it is one of three ossuaries he bought from antiquity dealers in Jerusalem in the mid-1970s, and is among some 3,000 artifacts he has collected. It was only after he showed it to an expert in ancient inscriptions last year, Golan says, that he became aware of its biblical significance. "How was I to know the son of God had a brother?" he asks.
It was Golan, too, who turned over the so-called temple inscription to Israeli authorities earlier this year, saying he was acting as a middleman for another collector who wished to remain anonymous. The 15-line inscription in a tablet of dark sandstone tells of repairs to the temple under Judah's King Jehoash. Some scholars suggest the inscription was built into the walls of the renovated temple. Others find it deeply suspect (story, Page 46).
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