The Frailty of Archeological 'Evidence'
April 14, 2011 Two Roman nails next to a Roman period ossuary which Simcha Jacobovici believes may have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Photo: AFPJERUSALEM: Two nails used in Jesus's crucifixion have been discovered in a 2000-year-old tomb, a documentary maker has claimed, sparking intense debate among historians. The rusted, bent iron nails were found more than 20 years ago in a tomb outside Jerusalem that contained a number of ossuaries, or boxes containing bones. Two boxes were inscribed with the name Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest who presided over Christ's crucifixion, the New Testament says. Simcha Jacobovici, who has made a documentary about the find for the History Channel, contends that the nails were used to hammer Christ to the Cross. He believes the high priest may have wanted them buried alongside his body for their talismanic powers and as divine protection in the afterlife. ''What we are bringing to the world is the best archaeological argument ever made that two of the nails from the crucifixion of Jesus have been found,'' he said. ''If you look at the whole story - historical, textual, archaeological - they all seem to point at these two nails being involved in a crucifixion. And since Caiaphas is only associated with Jesus's crucifixion, you put two and two together and they seem to imply that these are the nails.'' The nails were discovered in 1990 before disappearing. Jacobovici claims to have tracked them down to a laboratory in Tel Aviv. The documentary, The Nails of the Cross, airs in the US next week. http://www.smh.com.au/world/crucifixion-nails-found-in-tomb-20110413-1de2k.html
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck