TORONTO FILMMAKER THINKS THE OSSUARY INSCRIPTION MAY BE GENUINE.

Ossuary might be real after all: Filmmaker (Toronto Star)

CANADIAN PRESS

A Toronto filmmaker says the "jury is still out" on the authenticity of the controversial James ossuary, despite the declaration last week by Israeli experts that its inscription is fake.

Simcha Jacobovici, whose documentary on the ancient burial chest aired in April on the Discovery Channel, calls the announcement by Israel's Antiquities Authority "a rush to judgment."

Why should we care what a Toronto filmmaker thinks? Well, there's this.

The test, which compared the ossuary against other burial boxes by checking isotopes in the patina, was done by the Geological Survey of Israel and had never before been used to verify an ancient inscription, Jacobovici said.

The filmmaker said he was in Israel earlier this week where he interviewed the director of the Geological Survey, Amos Bein, who told him that the box may in fact still be authentic. Jacobovici filmed the interview and said he may update his documentary.

This is a very interesting codicil to Dr. Bein's letter to the IAA, copied to Archaeology Magazine. I'd like to see this interview or at least read a transcript.