JAMES OSSUARY WATCH: Further to Hershel Shanks's' Forgery Bombshell annoucement last month, Mr. Shanks now has an article ("Krumbein's bombshell") covering the same ground in greater detail in the Jerusalem Post. Excerpt:

Faced with this evidence, defendant's counsel consulted Prof. Steve Weiner, director of the Kimmel Center for Archeological Science of the Weizmann Institute for a recommendation as to a scientific expert. Defense counsel wanted the world's most reliable expert in stone patinas. Weiner recommended Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein of Oldenberg University, Germany.

Krumbein has 15 books and over 400 scientific articles to his credit. He has been a visiting professor at a number of universities, including Harvard, and has engaged in several post-doctorate research projects at Hebrew University.

A copy of Krumbein's report has now been published on the Web site of the Biblical Archaeology Society (www.biblicalarchaeology.org), and it is devastating to the prosecution.

Krumbein found that the patina inside the inscription could not have formed in less than 50 years. Thus, if the inscription is a forgery, it was forged at least 50 years ago.

He also strongly criticizes the IAA team that concluded that the patina was fake.

I assume Professor Krumbein will be testifying in the trial and this will be interesting. But I still don't think the discussion on the James Ossuary is going to get anywhere in the long run unless it moves to the peer-review journals. At that point, if it happens, I shall take a greater interest in it. The popular press is not a serious venue for debating such things.