News of the most important archaeological discovery about Jesus -- the inscribed, first-century ossuary of his brother, found near Jerusalem -- generated immediate international media. Since its official unveiling in October of 2002, scholars and archaeologists have hotly debated the authenticity of both the ossuary and its inscription.
In response to recent claims challenging the ossuary's authenticity, this updated and revised edition includes: An all-new Introduction that demonstrates that the ossuary itself dates to the first century and compelling arguments that this really is the box that contained the bones of Jesus' brother James. An all-new Appendix that includes the Israeli Antiquities Authority report. Critical responses from Hershel Shanks, Ben Witherington III, André Lemaire, the world-renowned scholar who discovered the ossuary and its inscription, and Ed Keall, Near and Middle Eastern Antiquities expert and curator at the Royal Ontario Museum (where the ossuary was exhibited and subjected to independent testing) to the Israeli Antiquities Authority's conclusion that the inscription is a fake.
