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The inscription on an ancient stone box -- "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" -- was a fake.
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| By Associated Press December 23, 2004 |
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An Israeli antiquities collector who claimed he had discovered the burial box of Jesus' brother James will be charged with forgery next week, a Justice Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
The spokesman, Jacob Galanti, said the indictment against Oded Golan contained several charges, including forgery, but declined to elaborate.
Uzi Dahari, the deputy director of Israel's Antiquities Authority, said six others would also be charged in connection with the case. Galanti said he was unaware of any additional indictments.
Reached by telephone, Golan declined to give immediate comment but said he would discuss the issue later. Golan has previously denied having any connection to forgeries.
Galanti said prosecutors had to act now because some of the artifacts seized during the investigation would have to be returned to their owners unless charges were filed by Jan. 1.
Golan came to prominence after the October 2002 disclosure of the existence of an ancient ossuary, or burial box, bearing the inscription, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." At the time, the find was touted as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the modern era, demonstrating a physical connection between the modern world and the Bible.
However, Israel's Antiquities Authority concluded that the inscription on the 50-centimeter (20-inch) by 27-centimeter (11-inch) burial container was a forgery, because the letters cut through the ancient patina covering the box.
Golan has denied the inscription was forged.
A documentary broadcast on Israeli TV earlier this year described Golan as a talented con man who made millions of dollars selling forged antiquities to gullible buyers around the world.
The deputy head of the fraud squad in the Jerusalem police district, Yoni Pagis, said at the time that "we are talking about dozens of items (produced) in cooperation with a number of people over a period of many years."
"It's a real Pandora's Box. The scale is huge," Pagis said in the documentary.
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