Is the James' Box Hoax Exposing Secrets About Jesus?

[Saint]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030618/sc_nm/religion_israel_jesus_dc_4

 

[Zero]

Some of us knew it was a hoax back in December...

 

[Saint]

How did you judge it is a hoax.

 

[plus]

It could still be true, but very very unlikely.

 

[Zero]

Originally posted by Saint
How did you judge it is a hoax.

There were about a half-dozen good reasons to discount it as real. The patina was questionable. The source of the ossuary was shady, and there is no reliable record of its origin. The 'front' of the box was decorated, but the carvings were done on the back. The carvings and decoration also show a differing level of aging, with the words being of a much more recent vintage than the carved adornment. The inscription itself is off-center, hinting that a later carver chose a relatively smooth and undamaged section to forge the writing on. The inscription itself seems to be it two different writing styles, suggesting that the 'brother of jesus' part was added at a later time.