An Israeli geologist claims he has confirmed the
existence and authenticity of a tomb belonging to Jesus and his son in
east Jerusalem.
Dr Arye Shimron claims he has found ‘virtually unequivocal evidence’ that Jesus’s body was left in the Talpiot Tomb, a burial site discovered in 1980. Expert says he has carried out extensive chemical tests which allegedly prove the tomb is the resting place of Jesus and his family, including his wife Mary, his brother, his son Judah and six other relatives.
Dr Shimron’s work has
renewed controversy over the tomb and the James Ossuary – a 1st-century
chalk box that some believe hold the bones of Jesus’ brother. Bones were
discovered inside ossuaries, including one that bore the inscription,
‘Jesus, son of Joseph’. Others included the names Maria, Joseph, Mary,
Yose, Matthew and most controversially, ‘Judah, son of Jesus’. Besides,
the writing ‘Yeshua bar Yehosef’ (‘Jesus, son of Joseph’) was found
written in the tomb.
Dr
Shimron gained access to the James Ossuary and scraped beneath the
box’s patina, the layer that forms on metal over time. He ran around 150
tests on the chemistry of samples from 25 different ossuaries – 15 of
which were from unrelated tombs – and found that traces of magnesium,
iron and silicon from the James Ossuary matched the chemical signature
of Talpiot tomb.
The
research could have enormous ramifications as it suggests that Jesus was
married, fathered a child and that a physical resurrection did not take
place. Jacobovici, who also took part in the study, said: “This
find illustrates that the James Ossuary is authentic and the Jesus
Family tomb indeed belongs to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.” Dr Shumron added: “The
evidence is beyond what I expected. I think I’ve got really powerful,
virtually unequivocal evidence that the James ossuary spent most of its
lifetime, or death time, in the Talpiot Tomb.”
The duo are aware that the findings could rock the Christian church, but insist the research is scientific and not theological.
Dr Arye Shimron claims he has found ‘virtually unequivocal evidence’ that Jesus’s body was left in the Talpiot Tomb, a burial site discovered in 1980. Expert says he has carried out extensive chemical tests which allegedly prove the tomb is the resting place of Jesus and his family, including his wife Mary, his brother, his son Judah and six other relatives.
The
Talpiot Tomb is often believed to be where Jesus’ body was left after
his death due to the writing ‘Yeshua bar Yehosef’ (‘Jesus, son of
Joseph’) found written in the tomb
The burial box, or ossuary, with an Aramaic inscription that reads ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus’
The
long-disputed long disputed ‘Jesus Family tomb’ in the city’s East
Talpiot neighbourhood (marked) and is now sealed beneath a concrete slab
after building work took place some years ago’
The duo are aware that the findings could rock the Christian church, but insist the research is scientific and not theological.
