The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family

Rating:
Summary: An opportunistic work if there ever was one.
Review: I finished reading "The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family." I must say that I was quite disappointed.
The first part of the book written by Shanks was pretty good in explaining some of the history of how the James ossuary was brought to light. This having been said I don't believe it is anything one couldn't read from an in-depth newspaper report on the James ossuary or anything one couldn't read from Shanks publication "Biblical Archaeology Review" located at http://www.bib-arch.org/
The second part of the book written by Witherington ignores the James ossuary and delves into the life of James supported by either the Bible and/or non-canonical works. This is good for a lay reader who honestly wants to know more about James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, but is not afraid to have his/her theological assumptions tested by the author's critique, especially if one is of the Catholic persuasion! As religious studies & philosophy scholar with a B.A. I must say this book was for the most part disappointing. I believe Shanks and Witherington jumped on the James ossuary bandwagon in an opportunistic manner to make some money. Of course, I don't blame Witherington as professors make so little money to begin with, but I'm shocked that Shanks would pursue the endeavor of this work to capitalize on public curiosity. I am just happy I didn't purchase the book but instead checked it out from my local library!

In regards to the authenticity of the James ossuary it all depends upon who one asks and what one's scholarly-theologically driven persuasion is whether it be from the Biblical Archaeology Society (http://www.bib-arch.org/_) or the Israel Antiquities Authority (http://www.israntique.org.il/).

Rating:
Summary: Will the real James please stand up?
Review: In late 2002, a remarkable find was announced by the Biblical Archaeology Society (whose director, Hershel Shanks, achieved fame and notoriety through the magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review, and the long-standing campaign to free the Dead Sea Scrolls from academic restriction). A small artifact, an ossuary (a small box in which remains of the dead would be stored after some time of decomposition in a tomb) had been discovered, bearing a remarkable Aramaic inscription: Ya'akov bar Yosef achui d'Yeshua (James, Son of Joseph, brother of Jesus). Despite the fact that all of these names are common to the time of the second Temple and Roman-occupied Judea, the combination of the three together in this familiar, familial relationship took the media by storm.

This book chronicles the discovery of the ossuary as well as the beginnings of the controversy that would eventually envelope it. One hopes for a second edition that will continue the saga. The first part of the book looks at the personalities involved in the discovery and initial identification of the ossuary, as well as authentication and provenance. Unfortunately, not all the information that is now available was known at the time of the publication of this volume. While the evidence presented here is interesting and in some ways convincing, it lacks important evidence later put together by the IAA (Israeli Antiquities Authority), with whom Shanks is having continuing arguments. Shanks does present many of the arguments against the authenticity of the ossuary, or at least the inscription. It is unclear if all of the inscription is done by the same hand.

While controversy remains, it seems increasingly likely that the ossuary is a forgery of one sort or another. That being said, the portions of the text dealing with the discovery and announcement of the ossuary still make for a fascinating case study, particularly as background to what has become an ongoing story.

The second half of the book, written by biblical scholar Ben Witherington, looks at the figure of James -- who was he? Witherington discusses the doctrinal problems around James as the brother of Jesus (it conflicts with various Orthodox and Catholic beliefs, while it presents little difficulty for most Protestants). It seems that James was, at the very least, a relative of Jesus, as well as a disciple. James became the leading authority of the church in Jerusalem; while Peter, Paul and other disciples spread throughout Palestine and throughout the Roman Empire, James remained as the head of the community in Jerusalem, in effect becoming the first bishop in the church. This authority came, according to the ancient scholar Eusebius, because he was the brother of Jesus.

James is also mentioned in the works of Josephus, as being killed by stoning after an unjust pronouncement by the Sanhedrin. While Josephus' work has been doctored on occasion throughout the centuries of monastic scribal transmission, Witherington argues that this passage was not doctored, in part because it does not conform to other traditions of James' death more prominent in the church (that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple).

This portion of the text presents an interesting analysis of James, from a conservative Protestant perspective as the base, bringing in other traditions as relevant. Some may not subscribe to the conclusions Witherington draws, but his analysis is worth exploring.

This book was fast-tracked to publication, to get it to market while the James ossuary was still prominent in the media. As a result, there are some shortcomings. However, as part of the overall history of the ossuary, and part of the history of antiquities discovery, trading, and possibly, forgery, it is an interesting text.

Rating:
Summary: A problematic discussion of a controversial find
Review: In late 2002, the world learned that the first archaeological link to Jesus Christ may have been discovered in the form of an ossuary, or bone box, bearing the inscription - in Aramaic - "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." At least some experts believed, we were told, that this was indeed the ossuary of James, brother of Jesus and leader of the first Jerusalem church. Of course, there is plenty of historical evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but no tangible, solid, archaeological evidence had ever been found. The announcement of this possible link raised two immediate questions: is it really the ossuary of James? and, if so, what is the significance of the find? This book attempts to address those questions and others of a more theological bent. Hershel Shanks, well-known writer and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, describes the discovery of the ossuary and argues for its authenticity, and then Ben Witherington III embarks on a summary of James' life and significance in both Judaism and Christianity, reinterpreting his importance in light of the discovery of the ossuary.

The James ossuary is a very controversial find, as you might expect. Shanks does a good job describing just why it is so controversial, but his attempts to convince the reader that this is indeed the box that once contained the bones of James are less than completely convincing. There is no provenance for this discovery, as it was obtained by a private collector from the antiquities market - while the owner says he was told it came from the village of Silwan, there is absolutely no way we can know where the box actually came from. There is a definite bias in the field against unprovenanced discoveries, yet they cannot be ignored - the Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, came to light in this manner. The evidence that the box dates back to the first century is pretty solid, so we must look primarily at the inscription in order to ascertain its authenticity. The evidence seems more problematic than Shanks would have us believe. He does bring up some dissenting opinions, but he basically dismisses all such arguments (or, I should say, arguers) with the mantra "they're not paleographers." Shanks, I might add, is not a paleographer himself; he could in fact be called an amateur in his field. He does point to a number of paleographers who think the inscription is authentic, but he basically dismisses rather than disproves dissenting opinions. Then he tries to offer up a statistical argument as to how few men of the era would have been named James, had a father named Joseph, and had a brother named Jesus - this results in a mess that does his argument no good at all. It's an extremely weak, very questionable argument. In the end, you basically have Shanks asking readers to take his word - and the word of the experts on his side - for the ossuary's authenticity. I'm certainly not convinced.

Witherington's much longer section on the life and significance of James has its good points but sometimes becomes mired down in theological arguments that would be better left to a separate book. This book starts out as an attempt to prove the authenticity of the ossuary, but Witherington assumes that authenticity and uses it to open a number of cans of theological worms. Much of his time is spent debating whether James was in fact Jesus' brother; it is a debate that goes back many, many centuries and to some measure divides the Christian church today. Catholics believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, arguing that James and the other "brothers" mentioned in the Gospels were actually Jesus' cousins. Those of an Eastern Orthodox persuasion believe the brothers of Jesus were born to Joseph prior to his marriage to Mary. Protestants believe that Mary and Joseph had several children after the virgin birth of Jesus. Granted, this is important in terms of the ossuary, as - if it is authentic - it would seem to support the Protestant stance.

The most interesting (and less contentious) part of Witherington's narrative is his call for a renewed appreciation for the importance of James and the early Jewish Christians of Rome. James clearly was a bishop-like figure in the early church in Jerusalem, whom both Peter and Paul seemed to defer to. James became a martyr to the faith, probably in the early 60s, when he was killed for his acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. His death offended many Jews, we are told, which is a most informative, important fact. While he did help mediate the incorporation of Gentiles into the Christian faith, James stayed true to his Jewish beliefs while accepting Jesus as the Messiah, making him a crucial link between Judaism and Christianity. His importance in the early church was deemphasized as the importance of Peter and Paul grew in the years following his death. Witherington sees James as a figure who can bring Christians and Jews much closer even today, and this part of his narrative is well presented and very significant.

In the end, I think this book has its weaknesses. It tries to be two things at once, and Witherington's contributions, while important, are weakened by his assumption that the ossuary is authentic, an assumption that I do not think is proven by Shanks' presentation. The book does feature a foreword by Andre LeMaire, the paleographer who "discovered" the inscription, studied it minutely, and basically brought the news of the find to the world. Since Shanks insists that paleographers alone are worthy of determining the authenticity of the inscription, this book would have been greatly helped by an actual written analysis by Lemaire himself. Certainly, this book is fascinating, but definitive proof of the authenticity of the ossuary (with all the theological implications that would entail) it is not - at least in my own opinion.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read
Review: In October of 2002, headlines around the world proclaimed that an archaeologist had discovered an ossuary bearing an inscription that read "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." While Christians hailed this newly discovered "proof" for the existence of Jesus Christ, others were dubious and demanded that the ossuary be subjected to strenuous examination.

First of all, I must say what an ossuary even is. As a young Christian, I remember being puzzled at the Bible's statement that, after the crucifixion, Jesus' body was laid in a tomb, "in which no one had ever been laid." You see, at the time of Jesus' death, many Jewish people were placed in a tomb after death, and after the flesh had rotted off of their bones, the bones were then placed in a chest, or ossuary, where they were kept on a more permanent basis.

Anyway, this book is really two books in one. The first part of the book is by Hershel Shanks, and gives both the story of the finding of this ossuary, and a defense of its authenticity. I found this part to be quite interesting and found it to be quite persuasive. I must admit, though, that this is not the report of a disinterested party, plus examination of the ossuary is likely to continue for a long time to come, with new insights constantly found.

The second part of the book is actually my favorite! It is written by Professor Ben Witherington III, and is an investigation into the person known to history as James the Just or James the brother of Jesus. Beginning with the biblical passages that reference him, the Prof. Witherington collects the information into a fascinating biography of James. After that, he looks at the extra-biblical sources that discuss James, and what they can tell us. [Note: Prof. Witherington comes down decisively on the Protestant view that James was a son of Mary and Joseph, and as such Jesus' half-brother.]

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating read. I am very happy that I read this book, and I highly recommend it to all Christians.

Rating:
Summary: An opportunistic work if there ever was one.
Review: The book is divided into two parts. The first, by Shanks, describes the now infamous 'James ossuary'. Shanks reviews the discovery, early inspections, and display in Canada. Alluding to a civil lawsuit where only a majority is required to determine the case, he concludes that the balance of evidence supports the authenticity of the box and inscription.

After more research, the majority clearly thinks the object a fraud. Shanks and all the experts he quotes look incompetent. Since I didn't know the outcome of the academic investigation until after finishing the book, the outcome provides something of a detective story thrill that wasn't anticipated.

The second part of the book, by Witherington, ignores the ossuary and simply recaps ancient references to James. Witherington assumes the reader came to the subject of James due to the press reports on the bone-box, and tries to answer questions that a Western reader would ask. In brief, he tries to date various undated documents and infer their author's experiences, motives and assumptions. In particular, he draws a picture of 3rd century Roman polemicists seeking to advance their social agendas.

I enjoyed the second part, and it is unfortunate that the blunders of Shanks will undoubtedly put Witherington in a very bad light.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed the ride
Review: The book is divided into two parts. The first, by Shanks, describes the now infamous 'James ossuary'. Shanks reviews the discovery, early inspections, and display in Canada. Alluding to a civil lawsuit where only a majority is required to determine the case, he concludes that the balance of evidence supports the authenticity of the box and inscription.

After more research, the majority clearly thinks the object a fraud. Shanks and all the experts he quotes look incompetent. Since I didn't know the outcome of the academic investigation until after finishing the book, the outcome provides something of a detective story thrill that wasn't anticipated.

The second part of the book, by Witherington, ignores the ossuary and simply recaps ancient references to James. Witherington assumes the reader came to the subject of James due to the press reports on the bone-box, and tries to answer questions that a Western reader would ask. In brief, he tries to date various undated documents and infer their author's experiences, motives and assumptions. In particular, he draws a picture of 3rd century Roman polemicists seeking to advance their social agendas.

I enjoyed the second part, and it is unfortunate that the blunders of Shanks will undoubtedly put Witherington in a very bad light.

Rating:
Summary: Six month shelf life
Review: This book is so great! And it is all the more useful now that the IAA has made their unofficial statement about the ossuary inscription. The book details the amazing discovery and its authentication process:

--How it was deemed authentic by an independent and most reputable paleographer.

--The GSI ran their routinely thorough tests on the ossuary and inscription and issued the following statement: "No sign of the use of a modern tool or instrument was found. No evidence that might detract from the authenticity of the patina and the inscription was found." (P. 18)

--The worlds leading paleographers authenticated the inscription as anything but a modern forgery. They were unanimous in this.

--The Toronto museum then ran a mass-spectrometry test, which shows "absolutely no evidence of modern tampering with the box or the inscription."

--Unqualified "experts" then attempted to show the inscription to be a fake by claiming outlandish things like that "it was excised." This is now proven to be false, along with all of the other outlandish claims that were made.

--Finally, today, we have an unofficial statement by the IAA, saying that the inscription is a modern forgery.

All except for the last item are detailed in the book. Read it and learn more so that you can judge for yourself where the evidence leads!

My only complaint is that Dr. Witherington did a poor job on researching the Holy Family. He should probably get a better grounding in Aramaic before he writes about our Lord's 'brothers' in the popular press. His claim that there is a word for 'cousin' in Aramaic is completely unsubstantiated. He has been unable (at every request) to state what this word is/was.

Rating:
Summary: What a Joke!!!
Review: Uh..hello..The box is a fake. Shanks and Witherington are too quick to overlook important FACTS in a desperate attempt to show the existence of truth behind the mythology they blindly follow. I am so glad that I didn't pay for this book. I don't want to be responsible for enabling their fairy tale chasing.