There is a news story out that a private collector has shown an ossuary (stone box that holds the bones of a dead person), with the Aramaic inscription: "James, son of Joseph and brother of Jesus." This dates to about 70 AD, about the time that James the founder of the Christian Church in Jerusalem was killed (62 AD). Andre Lemaire, a world reknowned philologist (ancient languages), says that the inscription dates to the right time frame. Also, Jews only used ossuaries from 20 BC to 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.
Now, the three names were very popular among Jews in that timeframe, so we do not know for certain if it is the Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ or not. However, there probably aren't too many James with a father Joseph and brother Jesus. Also, it is very uncommon to name one's brother on an ossuary, unless the person was known for something. Jesus Christ qualifies. So, this may become the first non-New Testament evidence that Jesus actually lived. Yes, there is a reference in Josephus, but most think that was added later by Christians. Besides that, the earliest mentions of Christ aren't until the 2nd century AD. K'aya K'ama, Gerald/gary Smith gszion1 @juno.com http://www .geocities.com/rameumptom/index.html "No one is as hopelessly enslaved as the person who thinks he's free." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
