Here is his report on the judges final verdict today. Nina burleigh in 2002, an ancient limestone box called the james ossuary was trumpeted on front pages as the first material evidence of the existence of jesus christ. Oct 16, 2008 nevertheless, one of the detectives insisted, oded golan played with our beliefs, the beliefs of jews and christians. The relic was a media sensation, but archaeologists started raising alarm bells. Golan and four other coconspirators, including robert deutsch, one of israels leading antiquities dealer, were indicted on 44 charges of forgery and antiquities trafficking, not only of the james ossuary, but another inscribed artifact that had appeared on the black market in january of that year. Much interest was generated by this case, with several books written on the subject and several documentary. View oded golans profile on linkedin, the worlds largest professional community. However, experts at the israel antiquities authority iaa declared it a modernday forgery. Nov 01, 2003 finally, with documentation of the headlinemaking arrest of the ossuary owner mr. Oded golan member of the board of directors holmes.
Golan has been intimately connected with at least five or six extremely important, but now questionable, antiquities. May 30, 2012 oded golan said he was still studying the decision and had not yet decided whether to appeal the sentence. The trial lasted seven years before judge aharon farkash came to a verdict. Unholy business and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The inscription on an ancient ossuary put this question to the test. Judge mulls verdict in jesus forgery trial history news. Dec 30, 2004 the indictment alleges that oded golan, a major israeli collector and dealer, was the leader of a forgery ring that operated for more than two decades and included at least three other men. Oded golan has owned the ossuary since the late 1970s. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study.
Apr 14, 2008 there were immediately doubts about the authenticity of the tablet, and two committees of experts set up by the iaa confirmed the suspicions, concluding that the inscription was indeed a forgery. The israel antiquities authority iaa had tried to prove in court that the items were forged by antiquities collector oded golan, but they failed in their ruling and subsequently tried, unsuccessfully, to gain ownership of the item. Forgers tried to rewrite biblical history world news. In december 2004, oded golan was charged with 44 counts of forgery, fraud and deception, including forgery of the ossuary inscription. But experts at the israel antiquities authority declared it a modernday forgery. The judge stated that there is no evidence that any of the major artifacts were forged, and that the prosecution failed to prove their accusations beyond a reasonable doubt. A likely forgery of a plaque from the first temple in jerusalem. Following golans arrest, a panel of experts appointed by the israel antiquities authority declared the jehoash tablet and the james ossuary fakes.
May 23, 2014 oded golan agreed to hand over the tablet as part of a written agreement with the jerusalem district attorney, but was then arrested and charged with forging it and other antiquities, including a stone burial box with the inscription james, son of joseph, brother of jesus. A reporter at large about the possible forgery of the james ossuary and other biblical antiquities. Matthew kalman has covered the case for nearly a decade and he reports on the 21 decision by an appeal panel of israels supreme court. She cited an interview she conducted for her book with tel aviv university. A true tale of faith, greed and forgery in the holy land.
Israeli antiquities collector oden golan is the target of an intensive investigation by the israel antiquities authority iaa regarding a series of highend artifacts. Israel indicts 4 in brother of jesus hoax and other forgeries the. I respect the decision of the court, golan told this reporter. Golan and four others were indicted in december 2004 on multiple counts of forgery and. Israel indicts 4 in brother of jesus hoax and other. Oded golan, suspected for forgery because police found the supposedly sacred reliquary sitting on a toilet in a rooftop workshop, the scene filled with telltale forgers equipment, is the saddest feature of all. A true tale of faith, greed and forgery in the holy land burleigh, nina on. Israeli antiquities collector talks about his trial and his acquittal. However, the decision may be based on a mistaken interpretation of israeli law. The four men indicted are a tel aviv collector, oded golan, owner of the james ossuary and the yoash tablet. Oded golan acquitted ossuary set free ben witherington. Nov 17, 2008 the unholy business of biblical forgeries in 2002. At the end of 2004, antiquities collector oded golan was put on trial. Did you know that joseph is never mentioned in the gospel of.
Dec 31, 2017 i remember reading the trial brief for oded golan, owner of the james ossuary who was accused of forgery, the only israeli trial brief i have ever read, and he was referred to as oded golan, son of his fatherwith his first name given. Oded golan, an israeli antiquities collector, is a. After the start of the forgery investigation by the iaa and the police of israel, golan allegedly destroyed the seal. Matthew kalman is the one reporter who sat through the whole year after year trial. Israeli police seized the burial box and arrested its owner, tel aviv collector oded golan. Israeli police arrest owner of the james ossuary and joash tablet after a sixmonth investigation, israeli police on monday arrested antiques collector oded. Apr 15, 2009 nina burleigh is the author of four critically acclaimed nonfiction books.
Oded golan was acquitted wednesday of forging antiquities, but the judge did not rule whether the artifacts in question were genuine or fake. Golan subsequently tried to sell the seal to another buyer, but was again unsuccessful. Golan claimed to have bought the ossuary from a dealer in the 1970s, only realizing its importance three decades later. Eliseo gil trial highlights how forgers prey on true believers. Jun 12, 2012 a criminal indictment issued in december 2004 placed golan at the center of a sophisticated international forgery ring. Last year we saw the trial of oded golan and others on the charge that they had forged the inscription on. Every day, oded golan and thousands of other voices read, write, and share important stories on. Oct 18, 20 the forgery case against oded golan has been concluded with the courts rejection of the israel antiquities authoritys claim of ownership of the jehoash inscription. The sale and purchase of antiquities is a legal pursuit in israel and collecting antiquities has been my hobby for over 40 years. The saga of the james ossuary culminated in 2012 with the acquittal of israeli antiquities collector and owner of the ossuary oded golan in a sevenyear forgery trial of the century, but. Whats what regarding the controversial james ossuary. Three weeks ago, antiquities collector oded golan was acquitted, on. Israeli police seized the ossuary and arrested its owner, tel aviv collector oded golan. The extraordinary story of how israeli detectives built a case against golan and his alleged cohorts is the subject of unholy business.
And golan never tried to sell the ossuary or publicize the inscription. One of the most precious biblical artefacts of all time to go. The indictment alleges that oded golan, a major israeli collector and dealer, was the leader of a forgery ring that operated for more than two decades and. Mar 14, 2012 there are other, simpler reasons why i believe that the inscription is not a forgery. In december 2004 he was charged with faking the ossuary and dozens of other items, including. Oded golan member of the board of directors holmes place. The author of the inscription knew that edom was an ancient source of copper but that information was still unknown at the time of the alleged forgery. The defense has presented its argument and the case has gone to the judge to render his decision. He owns one of the largest collections of biblical archaeology in the world. Golan is best known as the owner of the bone box, or ossuary, inscribed james, son of joseph, brother of jesus that has now been condemned as a modern forgery by the unanimous decision of a 15member iaa committee. A true tale of faith, greed and forgery in the holy land nina burleigh.
Mar 14, 2012 golan claimed to have bought the ossuary from a dealer in the 1970s, only realizing its importance three decades later. May 21, 2014 following golans arrest, a panel of experts appointed by the israel antiquities authority declared the jehoash tablet and the james ossuary fakes. Collinssmithsonian, 288p in november 2002, the public display of an ossuary an ancient burial vessel inscribed james, the brother of jesus, sent ripples of excitement, doubt and. His trial went on for seven years, but collector extraordinaire oded golan, who was accused of faking antiquities, never changed his story. She has written for the new yorker, new york magazine, time, people, the washington post and numerous national magazines, and is an occasional blogger on the huffington post. He was charged with 44 separate crimes including fraud, forgery and deception. In 2012, the court acquitted golan of all charges of forgery and fraud, but convicted of illegal trading in antiquities. The james ossuarythe trial of oded golan is coming to an end. The indictment alleges that oded golan, a major israeli collector and dealer, was the leader of a forgery ring that operated for more than two. Oded golan, 58, has been on trial at the district court in jerusalem for the past four years, charged with forging an inscription on a romanera burial box or ossuary that says it contained the. Jun 12, 2009 oded golan, 58, has been on trial at the district court in jerusalem for the past four years, charged with forging an inscription on a romanera burial box or ossuary that says it contained the. Mar 14, 2012 on march 14, jerusalem judge aharon farkash found defendants oded golan and robert deutsch not guilty of all charges of forgery. Nov 16, 20 the limestone box has been at the centre of the most controversial forgery cases in decades. A criminal indictment issued in december 2004 placed golan at the center of a sophisticated international forgery ring.
Oded golan, the tel aviv collector accused of forging biblical artifacts, was at the center of a sevenyear trial that ended in his acquittal. Andre lemaire, an epigraphist who early on testified to the. The failure of a highprofile prosecution for antiquities fraud perpetuates the mystery of a find hailed as physical. A true tale of faith, greed and forgery in the holy landnina burleigh.
See the complete profile on linkedin and discover odeds connections and jobs at similar companies. The title of this onesided broadcast was the hunt for oded golan and its topic was the forgery of antiquities. Israeli antiquities collector talks about his trial and his. The jerusalem district court ruled today march 14 that oded golan could not be. The case against golan is whether the ossuary containing a hebrew inscription that reads james son of joseph brother of jesus is authentic. Himself israeli entrepreneur segment the stone box. Golan and four others were indicted in december 2004 on multiple counts of forgery and accused of being members of an international antiquities forgery ring. Biblical relic dealer acquitted in forgery trial, sparking. The first, deja dead, brought her instant acclaim when it became a new york times bestseller and won the 1997 ellis award for best first novel.