Bible Era Relics faked...

[Hutch]

....Accroding to this story on CNN (and in my local paper).

The indictments issued Wednesday labeled as fakes perhaps the two biggest biblical discoveries in the Holy Land -- the purported burial box of Jesus' brother James and a stone tablet with written instructions by King Yoash on maintenance work at the Jewish Temple -- and many other "finds."

The forgers "were trying to change history," said Shuka Dorfman, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The forgery ring has been operating for more than 20 years, Dorfman said.

Hmmm...something to remember when Creationists bring up the Piltdown Man as to how Scientists are so easily fooled.....

Well, the indicted are claiming it's a put-up job and they'll be vindicated, so we'll see what else comes down. But a lot of money, egos, and religious faith is at stake, so it could be interesting.

 

[Mr Clingford]

....Accroding to this story on CNN (and in my local paper).

But a lot of money, egos, and religious faith is at stake, so it could be interesting.

If a person's faith rests on whether these items are real it isn't much of a faith.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I like how whenever any actual genuine antiquities are found in that region, there's an immediate rush to associate whatever-it-was with something in the Bible. Did you find a well? It simply must be the well Rachel fell in! A cup? It's the Holy Grail! A wine jug? From the Wedding at Cana! Oooh, a ring! Clearly, it's the one the Queen of Sheba found in her champagne during a romantic candlelit dinner with Solomon! That's not just a coprolith: it's an actual donkey turd from the holy donkey that carried Our Lord to the barbecue cookout on the Mount of Olives!

Although I suspect the archaelogists sometimes encourage this nonsense in the hopes of getting more funding. "I found some broken pots and utensils" doesn't sound nearly as impressive as "I may have found the Virgin Mary's complete table setting! She choose a daisy pattern."

 

[Mr Clingford]

Although I suspect the archaelogists sometimes encourage this nonsense in the hopes of getting more funding. "I found some broken pots and utensils" doesn't sound nearly as impressive as "I may have found the Virgin Mary's complete table setting! She choose a daisy pattern."

You might well be right there!

 

[AtheistArchon]

- Some people in Israel faked bible relics for quick cash?

- I'm shocked. Shocked, I tellya.

 

[Brown]

"60 Minutes" did a story on this, but was too chicken to call a spade a spade:

First the ossuary, and then the tablet, both revealed in the space of two months? It was an amazing coincidence, but the amazing coincidences don't stop there.

Amir Ganor, head of the Antiquities Authority Detective Unit, was put on the tablet's trail and all leads pointed to the apartment of [Israeli entrepreneur and "collector" of biblical antiquities Oded] Golan. They confiscated the tablet and decided to take the ossuary as well. But when Golan led them to it, the detectives could barely believe their eyes.

"He opened a small chamber on the roof, and I saw this chamber is a toilet, and what I found on top of the toilet, I found the ossuary of James the brother of Jesus," says Ganor.
...
As the unit continued to search the building, they stumbled upon a workshop that they found interesting. There were drills designed, they thought, to cut new inscriptions. There were half-completed seals. Ancient charcoal, useful perhaps, to outwit carbon dating. There were samples of soil from archaeological sites, which could be used to make fake patinas. The cops called the workspace a factory of fakes.

"The police are talking to us also about earth and charcoal samples from a specific period that they say you would have used to make something appear to be much older than it is," says Simon.

In spite of the wealth of evidence pointing to the conclusion that there was some fakery going on, some "experts" still felt that the ossuary, at least, was authentic. It wasn't clear from the report, however, whether they felt that the entire inscription was authentic or whether the ossuary itself was a legitimate antiquity.

There was one aspect of the story that "60 Minutes" mentioned, but downplayed:

But some experts felt they couldn't render a definitive verdict because it [the ossuary] was put on public display so quickly they didn't have time to study it.

"The ossuary was kept more or less secret by a small group of scholars who knew about it," says Neil Silberman, a historian of archaeology who believes the box was presented to the public by people more interested in showmanship than science.

"It was thrust on the world, in a combination of public relations campaign and huge exhibition, that really didn't allow people to think about it."

But isn't that how the world operates if something as spectacular as an ossuary with the name of Jesus is found?

"Well, maybe that's part of the problem," says Silberman. "In studying the history of archaeology, I'd have to say that this is perhaps the most outrageous case of tabloid archaeology, and the most singular celebrity artifact I've ever seen."

Where have we seen this sort of thing before? Where have we seen earth-shattering discoveries presented with fanfare to the media without extensive study or peer review? Why, cold fusion springs to mind. As does human cloning. And the health benefits of various herbal supplements. And the Hitler diaries. And various other frauds and hoaxes. A discoverer who takes his/her monumental discovery straight to the public, bypassing peer review, should always be treated with the greatest suspicion. Especially by responsible news media.

 

[c4ts]

Re: Re: Bible Era Relics faked...

If a person's faith rests on whether these items are real it isn't much of a faith.

If it did, wouldn't that be idolatry? Or do they actually have to worship the items as gods?

 

[Bikewer]

Skeptical inquirer ran a brief article months ago wherin one of their Fellows had an opportunity to view the "James Ossuary", and he pronounced it a fake then.

 

[c4ts]

Skeptical inquirer ran a brief article months ago wherin one of their Fellows had an opportunity to view the "James Ossuary", and he pronounced it a fake then.

Yes, but nobody listens to the skeptics because THEY LIE! ALL THE TIME!

Oh... wait, I mean C.N.N. LIES! 60 MINUTES LIES! ALL MEDIA IS A LIE! ALL THE TIME! WHENEVER IT CONFLICTS WITH WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!

 

[bluess]

Yes, but nobody listens to the skeptics because THEY LIE! ALL THE TIME!

Oh... wait, I mean C.N.N. LIES! 60 MINUTES LIES! ALL MEDIA IS A LIE! ALL THE TIME! WHENEVER IT CONFLICTS WITH WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!

Sorry, bud. To be truly emphatic you need to use a much bigger font and the color red. Pay attention to 1inC.

 

[Beady]

But a lot of money, egos, and religious faith is at stake, so it could be interesting.

Bull! The True Cross has been on sale for the better part of 2,000 years, and there's not a single documented case of anyone losing their faith, nor the merchants their profits, because someone else proved the pieces were all fake.

 

[Dr Adequate]

When they found the supposed coffin of James, I thought, might be, might not... almost certainly Jesus existed, was the idea that he had a brother James such an unlikely myth, or historical truth? Why would anyone make it up? On the other hand, there must have been quite a few Jesuses with brothers called James, so why is this coffin special?

On the other hand, the words MONEY or FRAUD did not flash before my eyes. Now I feel like the World's Most Gullible Sceptic.

Gah!

 

[Roadtoad]

The greater problem with all the fakery is that when you actually find something that can be authenticated, (and it's usually nowhere near as "important" as anything made of a precious metal or embedded with colored stones), the "faithful" are usually not so impressed. C4ts called it: it's nothing more than a form of idolatry. It's got less and less to do with authentication of Biblical sites or even the reasoned discussion of ancient history, but more to do with acquisition and greed.

I've said this before: the primary evidence of Christianity is changed lives. Having served as a lay minister, worked in Christian Radio, (an oxymoron if there ever was one), and participated in a number of Christian activities over the past few decades, I can tell you right now, the Church has less and less evidence to support it's assertions these days.

Let me give one piece of evidence of my own assertion: My brother-in-law, who at one point had actually applied to the Multnomah Seminary in Oregon, has for my younger two sons' entire lives referred to them as "Jon-the-brat" and "Bratthew." He thinks it's hysterical. He's called my wife "Piggy," (her name, by the way, is PEGGY), until I finally cornered his @$$ and told him that if he did it again, I'd tear his throat out. (My wife stopped me from going further. She said it wasn't worth a split in the family.)

I've had pastors tell me that I'm being hypersensitive about this, that I should just let it slide. I disagree. We will act on what we've learned is acceptable behavior. I've had a long hard haul trying to get through to my sons that this sort of childish name-calling is NOT acceptable. It's rude, it's hurtful, and ultimately, if you're going to claim you're a Christian, you had damn well better not be doing it. (If you need the scripture to back this up, PM me. I have it.)

Of course, I'm just a truck driver, so I wouldn't know about such things. And, on top of it all, I have little knowledge about such things as Biblical Prophecy, Biblical Archeology, and the like, all of which is proof positive of Christ's life, burial and resurrection.

Unfortunately, what people like my brother-in-law forget is that if you claim Christ as Lord and Savior, and you show no evidence of change in your life, you reduce Christ's ministry to insignificance, and ultimately, you make it out to be a lie. Frankly, Biblical Archeology is interesting, but if it isn't backed up with your actions, it's worthless.

Let's put things in proper perspective, folks. The Church has become little more than a money sponge in many cases, and you can point to the few that are actually doing what the Bible says to do and understand that it's well within the law of averages. If that's the case, then the toys and trinkets we find in Israel are in essence interesting but meaningless.