BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Date Set for James Ossuary Verdict

The James Ossuary verdict will be announced on Wednesday, March 14th. As events unfold, check in with Bible History Daily for exclusive reporting and commentary.

The Biblical Archaeology Society has learned that Judge Aharon Farkash of the District Court in Jerusalem will announce the verdict on the alleged forgery of the famous James “brother of Jesus” Ossuary on Wednesday, March 14 2012 at 9 a.m. (2 a.m. EST). (Updated post-verdict resources are listed below the article)

After more than seven years, hundreds of exhibits and thousands of pages of testimony, the case against defendants Oded Golan and Robert Deutsch will be decided by the trial judge. The case, which includes allegations of forgery for numerous other artifacts, has accurately been described as the “forgery trial of the century.”

Among the case’s allegedly forged items is the 15-line inscription on the Jehoash tablet, which, if authentic, would stand as the only known royal Israelite inscription.

On March 12, two days before the verdict is scheduled to be announced, we will post a short summary of the case by Biblical Archaeology Review editor Hershel Shanks to help you appreciate the verdict as soon as it is announced.

**Update: Judge Aharon Farkash declared Oded Golan and Robert Deutsch not guilty on all counts of forgery.

Read BAR editor Hershel Shanks’s authoritative post-verdict analyses in the BHD post “Verdict: Not Guilty.”

Get the complete picture of the verdict through Bible History Daily’s “James Ossuary Forgery Trial Resources Guide.”

Download a FREE eBook “James, Brother of Jesus: The Forgery Trial of the Century” featuring BAR editor Hershel Shanks’s post-trial analyses along with the original scholarly publications on several of the alleged forgeries.**