Comments on Earliest Christian History: More on the resurrection and James Ossuary

"Were the crucified followers of Spartacus all rev...

2008-06-20T22:21:00.000Z

"Were the crucified followers of Spartacus all reviled by all their family members, none of whom wanting to associate themselves with crucified people?"

This point simply shows your ignorance of Second Temple history.

' The reason I say that is you don't brag about be...

2008-04-04T20:24:00.000Z

' The reason I say that is you don't brag about being related to Jesus if the last thing that happened to him was that he died on a cross – that was the most shocking way to die in antiquity.'

Were the crucified followers of Spartacus all reviled by all their family members, none of whom wanting to associate themselves with crucified people?

Thanks: just wish I could give you a decent answer...

2008-04-04T09:53:00.000Z

Thanks: just wish I could give you a decent answer!

"Cutting" was just what a forger did to form the i...

2008-04-04T08:10:00.000Z

"Cutting" was just what a forger did to form the inscription of the James ossuary. Only did you know the forgers are now using program-controlled etching tools to replicate authentic scripts? In any case, the person in the box couldn't claim anything, unless he arose to write his own inscripton. Or, may be the relatives of the dead anticipated that the box would be worth a small fortune 2000years later.

Jesus died on the cross in the story. We do not know the precise time people came to believe that story. The same applies to the resurrection story. Nor are we sure what was the "earliest Christian literature" since what we have has obviously been messed about.

Possibly one of the silliest things I've heard Dr....

2008-04-04T04:45:00.000Z

Possibly one of the silliest things I've heard Dr. Ben say (and I think that's a high bar).

What I find interesting is how the "authenticity" of the James ossuary (notwithstanding the pending criminal investigations surrounding it and the other suspect antiquities, of course) can be interpreted so differently by different people.

Witherington wants it to be authentic because, to his mind, it constitutes more food for faith.

I find myself hoping that it is authentic, but also wondering, if it is authentic, and if the chemical recipe of the patina does indeed match that of the Talpiot ossuaries, does that mean that we have to start taking the apostle Paul seriously when he says that the resurrection was a "spirit-body" one?

I enjoy your blog.

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