Several weeks ago, would-be Christian apologists were buzzing over the announcement that an ossuary bearing the inscription "James the son of Joseph the brother of Jesus" had been discovered in the possession of an unnamed collector of artifacts. Excitement ran high in apologetic circles, because here at last was first-century evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was an actual historical character. Some archaeological experts who examined the ossuary expressed their doubts that it was authentic, but diehard apologists weren’t the least bit fazed by this initial skepticism. They just saw it as another effort of skeptics to try to discredit evidence that supported the historical existence of their savior-god.
Someone recently called to my attention that Robert Turkel, who hides behind the pseudonym James Patrick Holding, was an outspoken defender of the authenticity of the ossuary. In a review of The Brother of Jesus by Hershel Shanks and Ben Witherington, Turkel declared that the relic was genuine and, in his typical fashion, ridiculed those who disagreed with him.
Much of the rest of the book details how the ossuary was discovered, and how it was accidentally broken in transit and then repaired. One chapter is devoted to answering objections to the ossuary's authenticity. Shanks and Witherington offer a solid case against the ossuary [sic] inscription being a modern forgery, as suggested by some non-paleographers [sic] who have never seen more than pictures of the ossuary, and a less compelling (but still powerful) case against the inscription being in more than one hand. Readers may wish to peruse the linked discussion for details, which I have reported in the forum.
It is always possible that some bolt from the sky will prove any artifact to be a fruad [sic] but so far, from the looks of things, Christ-mythers will be looking for careers in plumbing before too long on this one.
I have heard nothing more about Turkel’s view of this artifact now that a panel of archaeological experts in Israel has completed its hands-on study of the ossuary and declared it a fake, but I am sure that the news hasn’t eluded him. The conclusion of the archaeological panel was announced by both television and printed media. Here are just a few quotations from a science article by Corinne Heller of Reuters News.
(T)he director of Israel's Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman, called it a hoax.
"The ossuary is real. But the inscription is fake. What this means is that somebody took a real box and forged the writing on it, probably to give it a religious significance," Dorfman told Reuters after a news conference on the matter....
Dr. Gideon Avni, the archaeologist who chaired a committee of archaeological experts investigating the find's provenance since March, told reporters the conclusion was unanimous.
The committee concluded that "even if the ossuary is authentic, there is no reason to assume the bones of Jesus' brother were inside," and that the stone of the box was more typical of Cyprus and northern Syria than ancient Israel.
The committee's report said the inscription of the "James Ossuary" cut through the stone's patina, or natural fossilized sheen, and appeared to be in modern text, written by someone attempting to reproduce ancient biblical fonts.
Now that this "bolt from the sky" has declared the James ossuary a "fruad" [sic], one has to wonder if Robert Turkel will continue his quest to be a full-time internet "apologist" or if he will look for a career in plumbing. If Turkel has seen the latest news from Jerusalem, he may be frantically searching the help-wanted ads to see if there are any opportunities in plumbing in the Orlando area. CNN and the Associated Press have reported that Oded Golan, the "owner" of the ossuary has been arrested in Jerusalem for forging antiquities, one of which was the infamous ossuary.
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Police have arrested an Israeli antiquities dealer suspected of creating two forgeries that shook the religious and archaeological world, including a burial box purported to be that of Jesus's brother James.
Oded Golan also is suspected in connection with a shoebox-sized tablet inscribed with forged instructions for caring for the Jewish Temple.
The article further reported that when Golan appeared in court, police exhibited forgery equipment taken from Golan’s home and that stencils, stones, and partially completed forgeries had also been found there.
The article also mentioned the excitement that the "discovery" of the ossuary had caused among biblical scholars and the dismay of the scholars who now know that Golan was creating fake biblical artifacts.
Uzi Dahari, a member of the committee that studied the "James ossuary," called the inscription "a contamination of the archaeological science."
"It's breaking my heart to see such things," he said.
Turkel, who never misses an opportunity to ridicule those who think that skepticism is a more sensible approach to biblical studies than blind faith, may want to reevaluate his opinion of skepticism, after he has pulled his foot out of his mouth. Instead of plumbing, he may want to consider a career in agriculture, because he has shoveled enough bullshit on his Tektonics website to fertilize a thousand-acre farm. I have some prime farmland in Antarctica that I will sell to him at a bargain price if he should choose agriculture as his new profession.
Or perhaps he would be interested in buying a gold ring from the ark of the covenant, which I found during an archaeological dig in Jerusalem. It is priceless, but for Turkel, I’ll let it go for just $100. Or maybe Turkel would prefer to deal directly with Oden Golan. In the part quoted above, the AP article mentioned a "a shoe-box sized tablet" which had been inscribed with "instructions for caring for the Jewish temple." Golan had presented this as an artifact from the time of Johoash, whose "inscription" corroborated part of the biblical narrative.
I’ll bet Mr. Golan would offer Turkel a real deal on this one and assure him that it would take a bolt from the sky to prove it a fruad [sic]. If none of these artifacts suits his fancy, I can put Turkel in touch with an antiquities dealer in Jerusalem who claims to have an actual specimen of the semen that Onan spilled on the ground during his escapade with Tamar. This dealer also has a coprolite of what King Saul left in the cave when he went inside it to "cover his feet" (1 Sam. 24:3). Since Turkel is so enamored with bullshit, he would probably treasure this one.
[Addendum July 2005: Turkel has since tried to downplay his enthusiasm over the "discovery" of this ossuary. In a follow-up article, which he, true to form, politely entitled "So Long, Dear John" (as if I am the one who boo-booed in the matter of the ossuary), Turkel has tried to make his review of Shanks' and Witherington's book just a "mild endorsement." That, of course, is why he said in typically sarcastic fashion at the end of the review that "from the looks of things, Christ-mythers will be looking for careers in plumbing before too long on this one." He was just giving a mild endorsement of the discovery. That is also no doubt why he said at the beginning of his review that "while it [the book] is a pricey [sic] item for what it offers that would interest me, we think it would be worth the effort for those who want the complete story so far in one volume. He was just giving it a "mild endorsement."
Well, almost two years have passed since
the ossuary was "discovered." Oded
Golan, the guy who "found" it, is awaiting
trial in Israel for forgery of biblical
relics, and I still haven't
looked
into taking up a career in plumbing.]
