Editor’s Note: In October of 2002, a limestone bone box dating to approximately 63 A.D. was discovered in a Jerusalem cave. The box apparently once contained the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. According to Biblical Archaeology Review, "The James ossuary may be the most important find in the history of New Testament archaeology." Charles Page is the Vice-president for Academic Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies and the Director of the Kursi and Capernaum Excavation Projects in Galilee. This article is the first in a series devoted to the James Ossuary, its discovery and authenticity, and its significance.

With all of the recent excitement about the "Ossuary of James," many laypersons I know are asking, "What is an ossuary and how did it work?"

An ossuary box was a bone burial boxed used from the early Hashmonean Dynasty (about 150 BC) to just after the Bar Kochba (bar Kochva) Revolt (approximately 150 AD). The bodies of wealthy or prominent Jewish leaders in first century Palestine were interred in multi-chambered tombs and allowed to decompose. The process usually took about eighteen months. After decomposition had been effected, the bones of the deceased were gathered together and placed in a small stone burial box called an ossuary. The bones were broken at the joints to make them fit easily in this small box. The box was hewn to fit the longest or largest none, the leg bone. So ossuaries could be of different sizes.

In our excavations in Israel we have found many ossuaries. In fact, thousands of ossuaries dating to this period have been found in excavations in Israel. Some have inscriptions (like the James and Ciaphas ossuaries). Most have no inscriptions. Of those with inscriptions it is common to have the name of the deceased. Many also include the name of the deceased’s father. Only three ossuaries have been found that includes the name of a brother. Ossuaries also come in different sizes. We have found different sizes for men, women, and children.

The "Ossuary of James" is certainly an authentic ossuary box from the period. The real question for us is, "Who is this James in the inscription?"

The James Ossuary

The discovery of this remarkable ossuary box has caused a whirlwind of excitement and skepticism and wonder. What do we know about this ossuary box?

The owner or the ossuary box is an engineer from Tel Aviv named Oded Golan. Golan claims that the box was purchased in an antiquities shop in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1978. He also claims that the owner of the gift shop told him the ossuary was found by Arab grave robbers in the village of Silwan, located to the southeast and across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount. There are problems with Golan’s claims.