| DESCRIPTION |
||
|---|---|---|
used by permission |
||
| Language | Aramaic | |
| Medium | limestone | |
| Approximate Size | 37 centimeters high 75 centimeters long |
|
| Length | 1 line of writing | |
| Genre | Ossuary Inscription | |
| Date | 1st century CE | |
| Place of Discovery | The Peace Forest, Jerusalem | Date of Discovery | December 1990 |
| Excavator | Zvi Greenhut Israel Antiquities Authority |
|
| Current Location | Israel Museum, Jerusalem |
|
| Inventory Number | IAA 91-468 |
|
| Reburial of bones | Mount of Olives, Jerusalem |
|
| TEXT |
|
|---|---|
| ARAMAIC |
TRANSLATION |
Yehosef bar Qafa' |
|
| *The name is actually scratched twice in these two different spellings. | |
| DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
1. How would one go about authenticating such an ossuary and inscription? 2. What reasons did the ancient Judeans have for "secondary burial" in ossuaries (bone boxes)? 3. In which of the four New Testament Gospels is Caiaphas mentioned? How is he depicted in each? What would account for the differences? 4. What is the importance of such an archaeological find for the history of first-century Judea? For New Testament interpretation? |
| SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY |
|
Avni, Gideon, and Zvi Greenhut, editors. The Akeldama Tombs: Three Burial Caves in the
Kidron Valley, Jerusalem. Volume 1. IAA Report no. 1. Jerusalem: Ahva Press, 1996. Chilton, Bruce. "Caiaphas." In Anchor Bible Dictionary, edited by D. N. Freedman, 1:803-6. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Crossan, John Dominic, and Jonathan L. Reed. Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Greenhut, Zvi. "Burial Cave of the Caiaphas Family." Biblical Archaeology Review 18.5 (Sept/Oct 1992) 29-36, 76. Greenhut, Zvi. "The 'Caiaphas' Tomb in the North of Jerusalem." 'Atiqot 21 (1992) 63-71. Greenhut, Zvi. "Discovery of the Caiaphas Family Tomb." Jerusalem Perspective 4.5-6 (July/Oct 1991) 6-12. Hanson, K. C., and Douglas E. Oakman. Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998. Reed, Jonathan L. Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Reassessment of the Evidence. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity, 2000. Reich, Ronny. "Caiaphas Name Inscribed on Bone Boxes." Biblical Archaeology Review 18.5 (1992) 40-44, 76. Reich, Ronny. "Ossuary Inscriptions from the Caiaphas Tomb." Jerusalem Perspective 4.5-6 (July/October 1991) 13-21. Rousseau, John J., and Rami Arav. Jesus and His World: An Archaeological and Cultural Dictionary. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995. |
Return to Palestine in the Time of Jesus
Return to A Collection of West Semitic Documents
Return to K. C. Hanson's Collection of Ancient Documents
Return to K. C. Hanson's HomePage|
|