 | | An empty ossuary, or limestone burial box for bones is seen with an inscription in Aramaic reading ' ``James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.'' |
An inscription on a burial artifact that was recently discovered in Israel appears to provide the oldest archaeological evidence of Jesus Christ, according to an expert who dates it to three decades after the rucifixion.
Writing in Biblical Archaeology Review, Andre Lemaire, a specialist in ancient inscriptions, says it is very probable the find is an authentic reference to Jesus of Nazareth. That Jesus existed is not doubted by scholars, but what the world knows about him comes almost entirely from the New Testament. No physical artifact from the first century related to Jesus has been discovered and verified. Lemaire believes that has changed, though questions remain, such as where the piece with the inscription has been for more than 19 centuries. The inscription, in the Aramaic language, appears on an empty ossuary, or limestone burial box for bones. It reads: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Lemaire dates the object to 63 A.D. Lemaire says the writing style, and the fact that Jews practiced ossuary burials only between 20 B.C. and A.D. 70, puts the inscription squarely in the time of Jesus and James, who led the early church in Jerusalem. All three names were commonplace, but he estimates that only 20 Jameses in Jerusalem during that era would have had a father named Joseph and a brother named Jesus. Moreover, naming the brother as well as the father on an ossuary was "very unusual," Lemaire says. There's only one other known example in Aramaic. Thus, this particular Jesus must have had some unusual role or fame - and Jesus of Nazareth certainly qualified, Lemaire concludes. It's impossible, however, to prove absolutely that the Jesus named on the box was Jesus of Nazareth. (Agencies) | 近日，在以色列出土的一件陪葬品上的墓志銘有可能成為迄今年代最久遠的能夠證實耶酥基督存在的考古證據。專家鑒定，該陪葬品的年代應該是在耶酥殉難后的三十年。 對此，古代墓志銘專家安德烈·勒邁里在《圣經考古學評論》期刊中寫道，這些墓志銘極有可能成為拿撒勒人耶穌存在的可信證據。 盡管對于學者來說，耶酥的存在從來就是不爭的事實，但關于他的一切人們都只能從《新約》中獲知。在這之前，從來沒有發現任何從第一世紀留存下來的與耶酥存在有關的物品。勒邁里認為現在這一墓志銘的發現能夠說明一些問題，盡管還有部分謎團未解。例如在過去的19個世紀中這份墓志銘究竟存在于何處等。  這份墓志銘寫在一個空的存放尸骨的石灰石盒子上，上面用亞拉姆語寫道："詹姆士，約瑟夫之子，耶酥之兄。"勒邁里判斷該墓志銘的年代為公元63年。
勒邁里說，公元前20年到公元70年之間，猶太人慣于用石灰石盒子盛放尸骨，而從該墓志銘的寫作風格來判斷，該墓志銘所指的就應該是當時在耶路撒冷領導早期教堂的耶酥和詹姆士兄弟。 盡管墓志銘中提到的三個名字在當時都很普遍，但勒邁里估計說當時的耶路撒冷最多只有20個詹姆士有叫約瑟夫的父親和耶酥的兄弟。 而且，據勒邁里說，在墓志銘中同時提及兄弟和父親的名字顯得"很不尋常"。目前已知的在亞拉姆語中僅有一例。因此，勒邁里認為有理由相信這個"耶酥"一定有非同尋常的身份地位--而拿撒勒人耶穌就剛好具備這個條件。 盡管如此，科學家們仍然找不出任何足夠充足的證據，來證明墓志銘中所說的"耶酥"就是拿撒勒人耶穌。 注：拿撒勒（Nazareth）：西南亞巴勒斯坦地區北部古城 （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2002-10-22 01:00
