Called 'Most Significant Item from Time of Christ,' Bone Box of Jesus's Brother Makes Its Way to US

A stone box believed to have once held the bones of Jesus’ brother James is now on display in Atlanta, Georgia.

If authentic, “The James Ossuary” is the only archaeological find directly attributed to Jesus’ family, according to Pullman Yards, the event venue displaying the object.

The box is “considered the most significant item ever discovered from the time of Christ,” according to Pullman Yards.

Etched into the 2,000-year-old limestone relic are the words, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” in ancient Aramaic, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, according to Matthew 13:55 – 56. That James was listed first likely means he was the oldest of those four siblings, according to Bible Study Tools.

Jesus also had more than one sister, but the Bible doesn’t say how many or what their names were.

The ossuary is one of 350 artifacts displayed in the “Discovering the World of Jesus” exhibit.

A 2,000-yr-old bone box etched with the name of Jesus’ brother discovered in #Israel is now on display in the #US.The limestone box, or ossuary, features the inscription ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,’ written in ancient Aramaic. pic.twitter.com/ML3wKEAjV8

— Hans Solo (@thandojo) December 21, 2024

The empty container was discovered in Israel in 1976.

Unaware of its significance, antiquities collector Oded Golan bought it when he was an engineering student in Israel.

He is certain of its authenticity.

“If you put it into account all these elements together, it’s almost sure that this ossuary belonged to James, the brother of Jesus,” Golan told Crosswalk.

“We did several chemical tests to the ossuary, and especially to the inscription itself, which is the more important element in the ossuary, and we proved that the whole inscription is authentic. It was engraved several thousand years ago,” he said.

The box wasn’t shown publicly until 2002, but it’s been mired in controversy ever since.

The burial box of Jesus’ brother James (and author “James” in the Bible) has come to Atlanta with other New Testament artifacts: https://t.co/U3Kx0p6cRn

— Frank Turek (@DrFrankTurek) December 23, 2024

In 2003, the Israel Antiquities Authority accused Golan of forgery, claiming he added the phrase “brother of Jesus.”

After a 10-year trial, Golan was acquitted and cleared of the charges.

“We’ve analyzed the likelihood of someone with this combination of names living in Jerusalem at the time. It’s extremely rare. The probability is overwhelming that this is the James from the New Testament,” Golan told the Christian Post.

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