Box ‘filled with bones of Jesus’ brother’ hailed ‘most significant discovery from time of Christ’

It is thought to be the oldest physical evidence of Jesus

The limestone box features the inscription ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus’ written in ancient Aramaic.

Because the names correspond to Jesus of Nazareth’s brother and father, it is thought to have once held the remains of James the Just, the first leader of Christians in Jerusalem after the crucifixion.

The box is being displayed at Pullman Yards in Atlanta as part of an exhibit featuring 350 historical items from the time of Jesus.

The discovery, made in 1976, has been described as ‘the most significant item from the time of Christ’.

It was first unveiled to the public in 2002 but became embroiled in controversy soon after.

In 2003, its owner, Oded Golan, was accused of forging the inscription, with experts alleging he added the phrase 'brother of Jesus' to the limestone.

Golan fought to clear his name, and after a ten-year trial, the Israeli antiquities collector was acquitted. Yet, the mystery of the 'Jesus box' remains.

Despite him being acquitted, the judge added that his ruling did not mean ‘that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago.’

Golan told Crosswalk Headlines this week: “We conducted several chemical tests, particularly on the inscription itself, which is the most critical element of the ossuary.

“We proved that the entire inscription is authentic—it was engraved several thousand years ago.”

If it is authentic, the box would be the oldest physical evidence of Jesus.

During the first century, Jews laid their dead in caves, later collecting the bones to place them in ossuaries like this one.

However, the box is empty - the bones were lost long ago.

The bible mentions Jesus’ brothers many times: James, Jude, Simon and Joses.

James’ name always appears first suggesting he was the eldest. It is said he died as a martyr either in 62AD or 69AD.

Golan didn’t realise the significance of the James Ossuary when he bought it.

A study in 2015 set out to determine if the James Ossuary may have come from a tomb believed to belong to Jesus' family.

The Talpiot tomb was found in south of the Old City in East Jerusalem in 1980, and contained six burial boxes with the names of Jesus' brother, father and mother.

Researchers conducted a chemical analysis on the James Ossuary, finding it contained signatures from the boxes found in the family tomb.

Another artefact bearing the name of Jesus’ brother was found in 2017, a 1,600-year-old heretical document describe how Jesus passes on knowledge of heaven and future events, including James’ inevitable death.