The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family

by Shanks, Hershel

• ISBN13: 9780060581176
• ISBN10: 0060581174
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780061941252
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-25
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

The first definitive account of what scholars and the media are calling 'the most important archaeological discovery' about Jesus and his family. This is the definitive story of the recent discovery of the first-century ossuary (limestone bone box) with the legend 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus', and its implications for understanding Jesus, his family (mother, father, brothers), his followers, the first Christians and the Jewish Christian movement in Jerusalem that James led. This ossuary is the first ever archaeological discovery directly confirming the existence of Jesus, and his relationship to his father, Joseph, and brother, James, who became the leader of the important Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem. No one is as qualified and well connected to recount the discovery and its authentication as Hershel Shanks, whose magazine first broke the story.

Author Biography

Ben Witherington III is a prominent expert on the historical Jesus and a New Testament scholar. He is the author of The Jesus Quest and many other books on Jesus, the New Testament, and early Christianity. He is professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Revised Edition	vii
Introduction	xiii
Foreword by Andre Lemaire	xvii
PART I. THE STORY OF A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY (Hershel Shanks)	1	(88)
1. Oh, No!	3	(4)
2. An Amazing Discovery	7	(16)
3. How Could the Son of God Have a Brother?	23	(8)
4. Is It a Fake?	31	(22)
5. Is It the Jesus?	53	(26)
6. Can We Ignore It?	79	(10)
PART II. THE STORY OF JAMES, SON OF JOSEPH, BROTHER OF JESUS (Ben Witherington III)	89	(136)
Introduction-In His End, a Beginning	91	(52)
7. From Brother to Follower	93	(18)
8. From Follower to Head of the Jerusalem Church	111	(16)
9. James, Mediator Between Jews and Gentiles	127	(16)
10. James the Sage	143	(22)
11. The Death of James	165	(12)
12. James the Legend	177	(22)
13. Brother, Cousin, or Kin?	199	(12)
14. Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus	211	(14)
PART III: IS IT A FAKE? WHERE MATTERS STAND	225	(82)
15. Summary Report of the Examining Committees for the James Ossuary and Yehoash Inscription (Israel Antiquities Authority)	227	(12)
16. Don't Close the Box Yet (Hershel Shanks)	239	(6)
17. Israel Antiquities Authority's Report on the James Ossuary Is Deeply Flawed (André Lemaire)	245	(20)
18. Bones of Contention (Ben Witherington III)	265	(8)
19. The Top Ten New Testament Archaeological Finds of the Past 150 Years (Ben Witherington III)	273	(8)
20. A Curator's Perspective (Edward J. Keall)	281	(26)
Acknowledgments	307