The question of Jesus' existence as a real flesh and blood human being seems to have been laid to rest at last, but most Christians and many Jews don't it. I've been following this story for several years. The "Jesus Family tomb" has now past another confirmation hurdle and can now be accepted with 99% certainty. I am now personally convinced that this is the actual family remains of Yeshua and his family based on the solid evidence.

What is an Ossuary?

An ossuary is a limestone bone-box used for burial. It is known that the Jews used them in Israel from around the second-century B.C.E. until the destruction of Holy City and Temple in 70 C.E. Over ten thousand ossuaries have been discovered. It would not therefore be surprising that the historic Yeshua's remains would have been laid to rest in such a box. But were they?

Is This Yeshua's Ossuary?

"Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui di Yeshua"

Interestingly enough, and adding fuel to the embers of the still smouldering debate, is the fact that the vast majority of these ossuaries are anonymous. This is interesting because it suggests that the people who were laid to rest in this way were typically (at least) not persons of social significance. Jewish tradition is that everyone is equal in death, and yet socially prominent figures were normally given special honors in their death.

If the ossuaries are anonymous. how can we determine that this one out of the thousands is Yeshua's resting place? Ah, this is another reason this is so interesting!

Of the ten thousand plus discovered ossuaries, only about one hundred have inscriptions identifying the remains. Of these one hundred, only two have etchings that are similar to what is now known as the James Ossuary. The entire Aramaic inscription reads on this one reads: Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui di Yeshua, or in English "Jacob (James), son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

Having inscriptions on ossuaries is rare, but common enough to confirm the practice was done in some cases. While the style of the etching on this one is even more rare, the fact that another one like it has been found demonstrates that this method was done. I conclude this as confirming that Yeshua and Ya'akov were not people of great social significance and yet they had some prestige and whoever placed the inscription on the ossuary did so in way to imply the uniqueness of its inhabitants in their view. Religious dogmas aside, this sounds right to me.

The James Ossuary was not made known to the public until October, 2002.

From the piece below:

Through methodical scientific testing, Shimron and Jacobovici say that they were able to connect the James ossuary ... archeologically and statistically proving the existence of Jesus [who was called] Christ. The discovery, according to the researchers, proves that Jesus was buried in Jerusalem along with nine other people, one being "Judah, son of Jesus," another his supposed wife, Mary."
(emphasis mine)

This amazing discovery and its repeated vindication over the many years of research conclusively disproves Yeshua's bodily resurrection and ascension into the heavens as described in the Gospels. The ossuary also disproves the Church's claim of his lifelong celibacy by giving physical evidence of his marriage with Mary Magdalena. Beyond this physical evidence, the Gospels refer to Yeshua as a rabbi. It cites a Rabbi Nicodemus (of whom we know nothing save what's in the Gospel texts) as referring to Yeshua with this title. For example John 3:2 quotes Rabbi Nicodemus as saying: "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him...." According to Jewish tradition one can not be considered a rabbi unless he is married and has produced at least one child with his wife. The ossuary also includes the remains James, who apparently owned it. he was the physical and spiritual brother of Yeshua and the leader of the Way sect elder and author of the Book of James), Jesus' brother, which the Catholic Church denies, claiming that Mary only had one child and remained a perpetual virgin.

That the rabbis of the period accepted Yeshua's physical life and essential story (but not the altered Church version of the god-man) is affirmed in the pre-censored Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a (circa 200 C.E.). The current editions of the Talmud have omitted much of this material in an effort at appeasement with then then persecuting Mediaeval Church. That this version of the pre-censored Talmud is accurate, as found in the Munich Manuscript, the only known complete "uncensored version of the Talmud, has now been confirmed to me privately by four different highly respected Rabbis including Rav Ari from Rav Dror's Emunah.com.

First we have the current censored version:

"On the eve of the Passover they hung Jesus of Nazareth ["Yeshu HaNotzri"] for sorcery and leading Israel astray"

And here is the original uncensored version according to the Munich version:

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf. But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of Passover!' -- Sanhedrin, vol 3 of Nezikin, Babylonian Talmud, edited by Isidore Epstein, reprint (London: Soncino, 1938), 281.

The current claims by some that Yeshua never lived, that he was merely invented propaganda by certain powerful Roman families, simply is not true, nor is it generally accepted by scholars and historians. Like the so-called "Jesus Seminar" of a few year back, this is simply an attempt to rewrite history and destroy what they like. Whether its the Taliban and Isis destroying Buddha statues and other monuments, American racists like Antifa and Black Lives Matter destroying historic monuments here, the Holocaust deniers, or so-called scholars, it seems that many people today would prefer to destroy everything that does not meet their "politically correct" standards rather than accept the facts of history. We are drawing ever more close to the world of George Orwell's 1984. This does not bode well for the future of humanity since "they who fail to remember the past are surely condemned to repeat it!"

Such physical discoveries as the Ossuary of James (also called the "Jesus Family Crypt") opens the door to rediscovering the historic Yeshua ben Miriam and his reformist teachings. Not in order to recreate his heretical movement, but to discover the truth of his teachings and the origins of the original Way sect of his talmidim (students). Once armed with the truth, people will determine their own course. The truth is impossible as no one would knowingly choose to embrace falsehood.

Rather than destroying the "Jesus myth" this discovery affirms that the reform Jewish rabbi followed by millions of Christians did in fact exist as an historic figure. He was not G-d of course. He was not the Messiah of Israel since he failed to meet the biblical requirements. His physical death conclusively proves this because all messianic aspirations die with the clamant.

We now know that the historic Yeshua was married to Mary (doubtless Mary Magdalena., but not conclusively). The Way Sect Elder James was Yeshua's physical brother, thus disproving the Vatican claim that Miriam was a perpetual virgin who gave birth no other children, a claim rejected in the Gospels themselves as well as by this ossuary. Yeshua and "Mary" were the parents of at least one son, named Judah, thus supporting the claim that he could have been regarded as a "rabbi" before they determined him to be a heretic. For a very long time the term "rabbi" simply meant a Pharisee sect Torah teacher. The term later came to be used only for sect and movement approved Torah teachers who had received ordination. It is doubtful that Yeshua ever received semikha, other than by the Essene preacher John who was not Rabbinic. The ossuary supports the Christian faith's original Way sect foundation although it disproves much of came to be Christian dogma.

What does not support Church created Jesus myth however is the Talmudic evidences such as he had only five talmidim, not twelve. For those who are truly committed to being followers of this controversial first century rabbi and heretic, this should come as great news. Such people can now adjust their Nicene/Nicolaitan beliefs and dispel the myths created by the Catholic Bishops. I am not familiar with anyone who is doing this however. Most people who claim they want to return to "first century Christianity," including the so-called Messianic, Holy Names, and so on are all careful to maintain the anti-Torah and anti-historic beliefs of the Nicolaitan Nicene Counsels (compare Revelation 2:9 and 3:9). Of course as stated, were people to rediscover the original Way sect and form such a movement they would only be restoring an ancient rejected heresy.

For those of you who continue to deny Yeshua's historic existence, that debate is now over with the Ossuary of James and other evidences we now have, including the Talmud passage quoted above. Rather than wasting time seeking to disprove the historic fact of his existence, and the heretical Jewish sect that emerged from his teachings, my suggestion is to focus on learning Torah and seeking HaShem. If you feel compelled to be a counter missionary, help sincere people learn the truth of Truth. To that end show them how the Way sect and the global religious power that was created on its remains got it wrong. But do so in LOVE, not with the negative spirit of "proving them wrong." We are the wayward sons and daughters of the Most High. We should act accordingly.

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Geologists claim stats, science prove Jesus buried in Jerusalem with wife and supposed son

By Ariel Cohen © April 05, 2015 for the Jerusalem Post (Source)

Canadian-Israeli filmmaker-journalist and geoarcheologist claim they've reached a scientific and theological breakthrough.

A group of geologists believe that they have found the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, and this time they think they’ve found the tomb of his son, too.

After 150 tests of particles and elements, Canadian-Israeli filmmaker-journalist Simcha Jacobovici and geoarcheologist Aryeh Shimron claim they’ve reached a scientific and theological breakthrough.

The finding has been over 35 years in the making, amid court cases, legal restrictions and scientific and biblical push back. Through methodical scientific testing, Shimron and Jacobovici say that were able to connect the James ossuary – whose existence was announced in 2002 and containing inscriptions referencing the burial of Jesus – to the long disputed “Jesus Family tomb” in the capital’s East Talpiot neighborhood – thus archeologically and statistically proving the existence of Jesus Christ. The discovery, according to the researchers, proves that Jesus was buried in Jerusalem along with nine other people, one being “Judah, son of Jesus,” another his supposed wife, “Mary” – an obvious affront to the common-knowledge New Testament theology. “He [Shimron] has made what I think is a huge discovery,” Jacobovici told The Jerusalem Post. “I have been following him and his work for the past seven years, this is not an overnight thing.”

Shimron’s work has linked together two findings that on their own hold less significance, but when but together they lead to what Jacobovici calls “an archeological slam dunk.” The story began with the 1980 discovery of the Talpiot tomb, otherwise known as the “Jesus Family Tomb.” At that time, the discovery was not considered controversial as more than 800 tombs were unearthed during the construction boom in Jerusalem at the time, most dating back to the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus.

The bones in the tomb were in boxes known as ossuaries, with multiple ossuaries in one tomb. Three thousand ossuaries from the Second Temple period have been found to date – 2,000 are in possession of the Antiquities Authority, but the rest are in private ownership, many sold by vendors in the Old City.

Around 20 percent of the ossuaries have inscriptions on them. In the tomb found in East Talpiot there were numerous inscriptions that fit the story of Jesus. One ossuary was a box with the inscription “Jesus son of Joseph.” Next to it there were “Maria,” “Joseph,” another “Mary,” “Yose” (a name associated in the New Testament with the brother of Jesus), “Matthew” and most controversially of all – “Judah, son of Jesus.” For 16 years the relic lay with the Antiquities Authority, unreported and disregarded due to the lack of proof backing its possible significance. After all, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all common names at the time.

Jacobovici was producing a documentary on the artifact, and went to a statistician from the University of Toronto, who told him those names each separately composed 8% of the population. But of that population who had the common names, a very small percentage had a mother named Mary and a brother named Joseph. Jacobovici was sure there was something more here. So he had the patinas of the tombs scraped and analyzed, searching for links proving or discounting the New Testament connection.

But there was something here that becomes theologically upsetting to people,” Jacobovici said. “Many people that believe that Jesus spiritually rose to heaven. But many others believe that he stood up, left the tomb, and physically went up. But now there’s a bone box here with his tomb, that's not good.”

Work on the findings came to a halt in 2007 when archeologists deemed the chances too slim for the story to be real.

Jacobovici’s documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus, produced by James Cameron (Titanic) was first broadcast on the Discovery Channel in 2007.

The second prong of the mystery emerged in 2002, with the discovery of a bone box in the private collection of Oded Golan, the largest collector of biblical ossuaries in the world.

While examining Golan’s collection, an academic from the Sorbonne found an ossuary with the inscription “James son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” This is became known as the “James ossuary.” At the time it made headlines as the first archeological evidence that Jesus existed. The hype grew around the discovery, until the story came crashing down when Golan was accused of forging the inscription. Shimron and Jacobovici linked up on the project and began their search for more evidence. If the James ossuary originated from the “Jesus Family tomb,” it was possible that the ossuary held the bones of Jesus. They knew chances were near statistically impossible, but continued pursuit.

The Antiquities Authority declared the “brother of Jesus” part of the inscription a forgery and pressed charges against Golan. After seven years, a Jerusalem court found him innocent.

Golan spent seven years on trial on charges of forging the inscription on the ossuary. He was found innocent in 2012.

Just two weeks ago, Shimron received access to the James tomb, enabling him to cross reference findings between the two tombs.

Shimron said that testing the patina, as Jacobovici did, was not enough to prove the scientific connection, as the surface of patinas could be contaminated. He scraped underneath the patinas of the box to get into the ossuary itself. He ran approximately 200 tests on the chemistry of the samples. As Shimron did further tests, the results for magnesium, silicon and iron matched up. It seemed statistically too good to be true.

He found that the Talpiot tomb had a unique chemical signature and that the random samples did not match that signature, but that the James ossuary did. He also found that the soil that seeped inside the James ossuary perfectly matched the soil that seeped inside the Talpiot ossuaries, including the “Jesus Family tomb,” thus illustrating that the James ossuary spent most of its existence in the East Talpiot location.

This find illustrates that the James ossuary is authentic and the Jesus Family tomb indeed belongs to the family of Jesus Christ,” Jacobovici said.

Today the Talpiot tomb is sealed underground between apartment buildings in East Talpiot, and its ossuaries are back with the Antiquities Authority. The James ossuary is with its owner, Golan, who according to The New York Times, keeps the box in a secret location.

The findings of the James ossuary and the “Jesus Family tomb” have the ability to shake up the Christian debate, and Shimron and Jacobovici are well aware of that. They expect the Christian community to not take well to the findings, but they argue that their research is purely scientific, and not theological, in nature.

If true, not only do the findings prove Jesus’s existence and burial in Jerusalem, but they also lead scientists to believe he was buried with his supposed son, Judah. The case has already aroused international interest, after the Times devoted an Easter Sunday feature to the claims.

In response to the finding, Prof. James Tabor from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte said that scholars should take these kinds of findings as historical data. He believes that archeologists, geologists and scholars should remain in search of truth and fact. “If in fact Jesus’s tomb is found, the procedures would be no different than the discovery of any other tomb,” Tabor said. “But in the case of Jesus everything changes, because he is such a lightning rod figure for so many people – because if you find the bones of Jesus in a tomb then he did not rise from the dead.”

This discovery would be a concern for evangelicals, Protestants, Roman Catholics, even the Vatican, due to its contradiction of the faith.

“There are lots of more modern Christians who view the resurrection as more spiritual, and as a historical and scientific event that does not threaten the faith,” Tabor said. “But for most it is very controversial, let’s face it. With the James [ossuary] added to the mix, it puts the likelihood the tomb is real up to 99%. The tomb says ‘Jesus son of Joseph brother of James.’” “It does not necessarily contradict biblical findings, but it contradicts faith more,” he said.
For more on this from J-Post Go here.

Christian friend, please understand that I am not judging you! I deeply respect observant Christians, who stand with Klal Israel, as I do those of all other religions, that do not oppose us. There is however a deep and unique connection between Jews and Christians due to historic realities. Many of my Christian friends sincerely want to understand the Jewish origins of their religion. They sincerely want to more fully attach themselves to the One True G-d, the G-d of Israel. I for one appreciate this! It is mainly for these people and our Noahide friends that I share my material freely. Of course, everyone else welcome here as well!

But I must counsel you that those who come to understand a Truth of Torah are expected by HaShem to embrace that Truth. So as your understandings develop there may well come a time when you will need to act on your growing insights and abandon your currently deeply help beliefs and faith in the mythical Jesus created by the Roman Catholic Bishops and accepted by all major Christian denominations and sects. Those with accurate understanding of these matters are held responsible for them. They can no longer embrace myths they know to be false and have G-d 'wink His eye' at them as He did before their enlightenment.

The New Testament says he died on stake impaled ("stauros") not a cross, but was he even executed?

G-d judges us all according to our consciousness. Not our dogmas.

G-d is ONE and He alone determines who is righteous and who is not.

                              “A word to the wise is sufficient.”