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

Hershel Shanks (Author), Ben Witherington III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2003

The discovery of a limestone burial box with the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" set the world of biblical archaeology abuzz. Could this be the first tangible proof of Jesus' existence? Hershel Shanks, celebrated for making biblical archaeology accessible to general readers, and Ben Witherington III, leading New Testament expert, reveal not only what the discovery means for understanding the Bible, but what it shows about the family of Jesus and the earliest Christians--and what it may mean for the most fundamental and deeply held beliefs of the church.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Before lay readers can grasp the significance of this book, they’ll need a little historical reference. In the time of Jesus, the Jews of Jerusalem often buried their dead in tombs. After a year, when the flesh had disintegrated, it was customary to gather the bones and place them in a small limestone chest called an ossuary. Sometimes the name of the deceased would be inscribed onto the outside of the box. Flash forward to the spring of 2002 when Andre Lemaire, a specialist in ancient texts, was asked to read the Aramaic inscription on an ossuary that was owned by a collector in Israel. When Lemaire translated the inscription--"James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"--he knew he had just stumbled upon an artifact in the same caliber as the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Just as this artifact is now in safe hands, so is the amazing story of its discovery. Co-authors Hershel Shanks (The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and Ben Witherington III (The Jesus Quest) are esteemed scholars as well as riveting storytellers. They expertly recount the exciting moments of discovery and the darker moments of despair (at one point the ossuary is improperly shipped and breaks into five pieces). They build a convincing case against its forgery and offer a flourishing finish in which they delve into the life of James, who was a linking force between the Jews and Christian of the first millennium, and could possibly continue that role into the second millennium. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

Last October, biblical archaeologists stunned the world with news that a limestone ossuary with the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" had surfaced in Palestine and may have once contained the bones of James, the early church leader and brother of Jesus of Nazareth. While it may seem a startling claim for the unassuming and unadorned 20-inch box, numerous scholars who have examined the ossuary now vouch for its first-century origins, if not its theological significance. Jews employed ossuaries for a relatively brief historical period (approximately 20 B.C. to A.D. 70), which fits with the textual evidence of James's martyrdom around A.D. 62. This book is the first full-length treatment of the ossuary, and is written by a couple of big guns: Shanks is the editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review (which first broke the story), and Witherington is a seminary professor and author of a score of books on the Bible. Their collaboration is a well-argued and truly fascinating study of the ossuary and its importance. The opening chapters tell of the box's discovery and authentication, while the later chapters discuss its potential relevance and describe what is at stake if the ossuary is genuine. Particularly interesting is the book's discussion of what the ossuary does for Jewish-Christian relations: James, the bishop of Jerusalem, was known for encouraging Christians to retain aspects of their Jewish heritage instead of jettisoning that heritage as Paul had. This engaging book invites readers to ponder the numerous questions and possibilities raised by the ossuary's discovery.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st edition (March 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060556609
• ISBN-13: 978-0060556600
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read, June 18, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family (Hardcover)

In October of 2002, headlines around the world proclaimed that an archaeologist had discovered an ossuary bearing an inscription that read "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." While Christians hailed this newly discovered "proof" for the existence of Jesus Christ, others were dubious and demanded that the ossuary be subjected to strenuous examination.

First of all, I must say what an ossuary even is. As a young Christian, I remember being puzzled at the Bible's statement that, after the crucifixion, Jesus' body was laid in a tomb, "in which no one had ever been laid." You see, at the time of Jesus' death, many Jewish people were placed in a tomb after death, and after the flesh had rotted off of their bones, the bones were then placed in a chest, or ossuary, where they were kept on a more permanent basis.

Anyway, this book is really two books in one. The first part of the book is by Hershel Shanks, and gives both the story of the finding of this ossuary, and a defense of its authenticity. I found this part to be quite interesting and found it to be quite persuasive. I must admit, though, that this is not the report of a disinterested party, plus examination of the ossuary is likely to continue for a long time to come, with new insights constantly found.

The second part of the book is actually my favorite! It is written by Professor Ben Witherington III, and is an investigation into the person known to history as James the Just or James the brother of Jesus. Beginning with the biblical passages that reference him, the Prof. Witherington collects the information into a fascinating biography of James. After that, he looks at the extra-biblical sources that discuss James, and what they can tell us. [Note: Prof. Witherington comes down decisively on the Protestant view that James was a son of Mary and Joseph, and as such Jesus' half-brother.]

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating read. I am very happy that I read this book, and I highly recommend it to all Christians.

36 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Preponderance of Evidence, April 19, 2003

By 

Virgil Brown (White Oak, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family (Hardcover)

This book is actually the story of the James ossuary as well as a description of who James was. Shanks writes first about the James ossuary. In the first 80 pages he, tells the story of the find and dispels many of the concerns about the ossuary's authenticity. There was no sign of a modern tool used to make the inscription. The inscription (including the second half) is covered with patina which adheres to the ossuary yet there is no sign of a modern adhesive. Altman's reason for thinking that there were two handwritings may be explained by the softness of the limestone upon which are written the words "brother of Jesus." Ben Witherington then writes a very interesting account of James, the younger brother of Jesus, his asceticism, and his rise to prominence in the early church.

What's the verdict? Being an attorney Shanks says it this way: the evidence can not prove the authenticity beyond a shadow of a doubt, but there is a preponderance of evidence that would win a civil case.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, February 9, 2006

By 

Dr. James Gardner (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family (Hardcover)

Shanks and Witherington present us with a gift in their book about the discovery of a 1st century ossuary that could contain the bones of James the Just, the brother of Jesus. There is far too little written about James, which is all the more paradoxical since he is one of the few people from that time period to actually have some historic validity.

The book provides a thorough discussion of the archeological circumstances surronding such a finding, which by itself is an interesting and informative read. But beyond that, Shanks and Witherington provide a detailed discussion of the life and death of James. Personally, I would have preferred more in depth discussions here, and I would have preferred a lengthy discussion of the ties with the Essenes and the Ebionites as well as some speculation on the death of James (Josephus simply says that he was stoned, not stoned to death. It was not uncommon for people stoned to death to be hung from a tree, and there is no indication that James was hung, hence, maybe he was stoned, but not to death - I don't want to belabor the point here, just to note that a few paragraphs about alternate theories of James' death would have been nice).

In addition, there is a section on ossuaries which is very educational, including information about the population in Jerusalem, the types of names found on ossuaries, the different types of inscriptions, etc.

This is a great book for anyone interested in Jesus or the time period, and it certainly is a must read for people interested in James the Just. It's also going to be of interest for people interested in ossuaries in general. The book can be read by beginning students as well as advanced scholars.

PS - I would give this book a 4+ but the ratings only allow a 4 or a 5.