Was Jesus buried with his wife and son? Chemical signature links James Ossuary to the 'Jesus Family tomb', geologist claims
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An Israeli geologist has 'confirmed' the existence and authenticity of the tomb of Jesus and his son, who he claims were buried in Jerusalem.
After running 150 chemical tests, an expert says he has linked the James Ossuary – a 1st-century chalk box that some believe hold the bones of Jesus' brother – to the long disputed 'Jesus Family tomb' in the city's East Talpiot neighbourhood.
The research could have enormous ramifications as it suggests that Jesus was married and fathered a child and that a physical resurrection did not occur.
After running 150 chemical tests, an expert claims to have linked the James Ossuary (pictured) – a 1st-century chalk box that was used for containing the bones of the dead – to the long disputed 'Jesus Family tomb' in the city's East Talpiot neighbourhood
According to the discovery by geoarcheologist Arye Shimron, which has been documented by Simha Jacobovici, a Canadian- Israeli filmmaker, the son of God was buried with nine other people, including 'Judah, son of Jesus' and his wife, named Mary.
Dr Shimron's work has renewed the controversy over the Talpiot tomb, which was found in 1980 and dates back to the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Bones were discovered there in ossuaries, or chalk boxes, including one that bears the inscription, 'Jesus, son of Joseph with others bearing the names of Maria, Joseph, Mary, Yose, Matthew and most controversially, 'Judah, son of Jesus'.
Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all common names at the time and a statistician from the University of Toronto told Jacobovici that they each made up eight per cent of the population.
Dr Shimron's work has renewed the controversy over the Talpiot tomb, which was found in 1980 and dates back to the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus (a portrait is pictured)
The long-disputed long disputed 'Jesus Family tomb' in the city's East Talpiot neighbourhood (marked) and is now sealed beneath a concrete slab after building work took place some years ago
However, a very small percentage would have had the same family as described in the Bible.
Probing this connection, the duo looked closer at the ossuaries, including the James Ossuary, which is held by a private owner and bears the inscription, 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus'.
The owner of the ossuary, Oded Golan was accused of forging the inscription shortly after its discovery by an academic from the Sorbonne in Paris was announced, but he was later found innocent.
Other experts and archaeologists have rejected the claim that the Jerusalem tomb is connected with Jesus at all.
Recently, Dr Shimron got access to the James Ossuary and scraped beneath the patina of the box.
He ran almost 200 tests on the chemistry of the samples from 25 different ossuaries – 15 of which were from other tombs – and found that traces of magnesium, iron and silicon from the James Ossuary matched the chemical signature of Talpiot tomb.
The Talpiot ossuaries were covered in a thick layer of 'Rendzina' soil, which is characteristic of the hills of East Jerusalem when they were found and has a unique chemistry.
Dr Shimron worked from the assumption that an earthquake of 363AD flooded the tomb with soil and mud to cover the ossuaries, effectively forming a vacuum and freezing them in time.
Soil that seeped into the box matched that found in the Talpiot ossuaries, indicating that it had lain for years alongside others in the 'holy' location.
Bones were discovered there in ossuaries, or chalk boxes, including one that bears the inscription, 'Jesus, son of Joseph with others bearing the names of Maria, Joseph, Mary, Yose, Matthew and most controversially, 'Judah, son of Jesus'. Here is an inscription that says 'Yoseph' on an ossuary
Because bones were found in the ossuaries, it could be argued that there was no bodily resurrection (potrayed in this tappestry) which is the belief of more traditional Christians, while others accept the event was spiritual
Jacobovici told The Jerusalem Post: 'This find illustrates that the James Ossuary is authentic and the Jesus Family tomb indeed belongs to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.'
Dr Shumron told The New York Times: 'I think I've got really powerful, virtually unequivocal evidence that the James ossuary spent most of its lifetime, or death time, in the Talpiot Tomb.'
The retired senior researchers of the Geological Survey of Israel, added: ' The evidence is beyond what I expected.'
The duo are aware that the findings could rock the Christian church, but insist the research is scientific and not theological.
Because bones were found in the ossuaries, it could be argued that there was no bodily resurrection, which is the belief of more traditional Christians, while others accept the event was spiritual.
The Talpiot tomb is now sealed under a concrete slab, while the ossuaries found there are in the hands of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The James Ossuary is kept in a secret location by its owner, who lives in Tel Aviv.
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