Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Minimalist · 09-07-2009, 09:22 PM

Herod is one of those people in history for whom it can be said that the only things we have written about him were written by his enemies, (Nero comes to mind as another example.)

Perhaps the commons appreciated him more than the nobility?

avi · 09-08-2009, 03:07 AM

1. With regard to the incorrect notion that $500 was a modest sum of money to James, supposed son of Joseph, supposed brother of Jesus, the fourth century priest, Jerome, author of De Viris Illustribus, quotes Hegesippus' account of James from the fifth book of Hegesippus' lost Commentaries:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerome

After the apostles, James the brother of the Lord surnamed the Just was made head of the Church at Jerusalem. Many indeed are called James. This one was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved or anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, since indeed he did not use woolen vestments but linen and went alone into the temple and prayed in behalf of the people, insomuch that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels' knees.

2. Although we are uncertain when James died, argument has been advanced that he died during or about the time of the first Roman -Jewish war, a battle lasting several years, with estimates of up to a million people dying. Does that scenario seem compatible with the process of watching a cadaver's decay, until such time as only the bones remain, when they can be inserted into an expensive ossuary?

3. At least one account has claimed that James was buried at the spot where he was stoned to death. So, are we then to imagine that his body was exhumed to retrieve the bones, some years later?

Toto · 09-09-2009, 09:15 AM

Getting back to the OP, the trial is proceding. The Jerusalem Post site is overloaded, but the latest news is on this blog

Quote:

Shuka Dorfman, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said that both Prof. Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne and Ada Yardeni, Israel's leading epigrapher, had been under suspicion as the Authority prepared its case against those accused of faking dozens of priceless archeological items, including a burial box possibly connected to Jesus.

Roger Pearse · 09-09-2009, 01:02 PM

Frauds of finds like this have existed ever since the renaissance. Take some ordinary object, link it to Caesar or Cato somehow, and, voila! Your artefact suddenly acquires loads of commercial value.

Any item where the association would make the owner very wealthy or famous should be regarded as potentially dubious.

bacht · 09-09-2009, 01:20 PM

It kind of sucks that all this attention has been focused on a probable hoax when all kinds of irreplaceable artifacts have been looted or destroyed since the U.S. invasion of Iraq
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeo...ooting_in_Iraq

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09-07-2009, 09:22 PM	#11
Minimalist Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,808	Herod is one of those people in history for whom it can be said that the only things we have written about him were written by his enemies, (Nero comes to mind as another example.) Perhaps the commons appreciated him more than the nobility?

09-09-2009, 01:02 PM	#14
Roger Pearse Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: N/A Posts: 4,370	Frauds of finds like this have existed ever since the renaissance. Take some ordinary object, link it to Caesar or Cato somehow, and, voila! Your artefact suddenly acquires loads of commercial value. Any item where the association would make the owner very wealthy or famous should be regarded as potentially dubious.

09-09-2009, 01:20 PM	#15
bacht Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 2,305	It kind of sucks that all this attention has been focused on a probable hoax when all kinds of irreplaceable artifacts have been looted or destroyed since the U.S. invasion of Iraq http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeo...ooting_in_Iraq

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