What is the James Ossuary?
The James Ossuary is a stone box that evidence now shows REALLY contained the bones of James, the brother of Jesus! What is an “ossuary”? During the time of Jesus and the early church, the Jewish people had a custom of removing the bones of a deceased person from a tomb, and placing the bones in a stone box or “ossuary”. The purpose of this was to preserve the bones for what they hoped would eventually be the resurrection for the person who had passed away. The “James Ossuary” is a very special ossuary that was discovered in the mid 1970’s, and recently hit the front pages of the media. Why? There is very good evidence that this stone box once held the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. If it is authentic, it not only corroborates the existence of James – it is also physical evidence of the life of Jesus. Description of the James Ossuary: • Limestone box with lid and tapered sides • Length: 50.5 cm (at bottom), Width: 25 cm; Height 30.5 cm • Incised with the inscription in ancient A
