TORONTO, Canada, November 22, 2002 — The recently repaired James ossuary went on display at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) last week to mixed reactions from visitors, says a museum spokesman.
Francisco Alvarez, Manager of Media Relations for the ROM says while numbers of people coming to the museum to see the ancient burial box have been good, many visitors are withholding judgement on the origins of the artefact. "Some people can't get over the fact that Jesus might have had a brother. A lot of the discussion is around looking at the family tree and going, 'Oh, gee - that's interesting. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that before?' That's one reaction. I'd say a lot of people are really moved by it. But I'm not sure people are all necessarily coming to believe that it actually is (the brother of Christ's) ossuary, and I think there's a lot of healthy scepticism around it still," Alvarez said.
The 2,000-year-old beige, limestone box, which may be the oldest archaeological link to Jesus Christ, measures 20 by 11 inches. Bearing an Aramaic inscription that translates, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus", it sits alone in a glass case; the only artefact on display in a temporary exhibit room on the third floor of the museum, adjacent to the Greek and Roman galleries. Alvarez says it's quite dramatic to walk into the room and see the display, which he called "very beautiful". In his words, "tons and tons and tons" of background text is displayed on the wall of the room, with details on the life of James, brother of the Lord and founder of the early church, as well as information on ancient Jewish burial customs, Aramaic writing, and the conservation treatment carried out on the ossuary.
The conservation was necessary to repair cracks that developed during shipping, when the ossuary was brought to Toronto from Israel, packed only in layers of bubble wrap and cardboard. Chemical adhesives were injected into the cracks to consolidate the box's structure. But all adhesives used were soluble in nature, so they can be removed, should that ever become necessary or desirable.
During the conservation process, experts made additional discoveries concerning the relic. According to a story in the Globe and Mail, once the box was under the museum's bright repair lights, archaeologist Ed Keall discovered the clear outline of a carved funereal rosette and minute flecks of red paint on the back of the ossuary. Such rosettes were traditional decorative features on bone boxes of the first century AD. Keall believes the rosette is an indication the ossuary had been previously owned; that James' bones would have been placed in it when the original bones disintegrated, and that the re-use of the box points to its ownership by a family of modest means.
With over 8,000 Biblical scholars in Toronto this week for a variety of conventions, Alvarez says the museum is anticipating higher attendance numbers, as both the well-informed and the simply curious come to see the ancient treasure, and arrive at their own conclusions about its authenticity.
Source: Patricia L. Paddey, Bible Network News
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