• Summary
• Full Review
• Our Rating of this book

Summary

Recommended

Book Description:
"This is the dramatic inside story of what may well be the most momentous archaeological discovery of our time: the first-century ossuary of Jesus' brother, James, the head of the Jerusalem church. Reportedly found just outside ancient Jerusalem, the fragile limestone burial box bears the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus...."

It was because of a discussion on TheologyWeb that I acquired this book as soon as possible, and while it is a pricey item for what it offers that would interest me, we think it would be worth the effort for those who want the complete story so far in one volume.

Readers expecting the whole book to be about the ossuary of James will be disappointed. Pages 89 through 225 are about James himself, in the Bible and in history, with plenty of social background information. Unless you are not a studied reader, much of this will be repetitive and unnecessary; but the book's likely target audience -- persons who have just heard of the ossuary on the evening news -- will likely find this material fascinating. It is written in a friendly style that readers will find engaging.

Much of the rest of the book details how the ossuary was discovered, and how it was accidentally broken in transit and then repaired. One chapter is devoted to answering objections to the ossuary's authenticity. Shanks and Witherington offer a solid case against the ossuary inscription being a modern forgery, as suggested by some non-paleographers who have never seen more than pictures of the ossuary, and a less compelling (but still powerful) case against the inscription being in more than one hand. Readers may wish to peruse the linked discussion for details, which I have reported in the forum.

It is always possible that some bolt from the sky will prove any artifact to be a fraud, but so far, from the looks of things, Christ-mythers will be looking for careers in plumbing before too long on this one.