Roman era nails found in unearthed burial tomb 'were used to crucify Jesus'
In November 1990, archaeologists in south Jerusalem were taken aback as they discovered a burial cave containing 12 bone boxes, two of which bore the name 'Caiaphas' - the New Testament cites him as the high priest integral to Jesus' crucifixion.
The find also included two Roman-era nails, with one nestled within a box and another lying on the ground beside an ossuary, hinting at first-century burial customs that involved interring individuals with items for their afterlife journey.
Documentary maker Simcha Jacobovici suggested that Caiaphas, haunted by his part in condemning Jesus, might have wanted these iron pieces as companions for eternity. The nails then disappeared for roughly two decades until Jacobovici reopened the investigation, conducting a fruitless re-excavation of the tomb, followed by a detective mission on Amazon Prime's Decoding The Ancients.
During the programme, he shared his perspective from 2004: "If my hunch is right, and the Israeli archaeologists who were involved in the Caiaphas tomb suspected that the Roman nails found there had something to do with crucifixion, maybe they sent them to Professor Hershkovitz' lab at Tel Aviv University. Now, he's a forensic anthropologist, he deals with bone, not nails, but crucifixion is where bone meets the nail."
He aired further conjecture, postulating a promising direction for inquiry: "So maybe someone sent the nails there, maybe that's the right address for our investigation."
Mr Jacobovici probed Professor Israel Hershkovitz with a pointed question: "We've been tracking two nails that went missing and the antiquities authority say it was probably misplaced, did you ever get two nails together?" To which Dr Hershkovitz admitted: "Yes, we have two nails together, yes from Jerusalem. These are the two nails from Jerusalem that arrived in the lab more than 15 years ago from the second temple period."
An eager Mr Jacobovici pressed on: "Could it be 18 years ago?" And the Professor conceded: "Yeah, could be." Seizing on the moment, Mr Jacobovici asserted: "It's the only example of two nails arriving together and the fact that they're bent this way, would this be consistent with crucifixion?"
Dr Hershkovitz provided further insight: "It could be, if you put the nail through the palm of the hand, you can easily free the hand. But if you put the nail through the palm of the hand, then stick it to the wood by bending the nail, the palm of the hands are attached to the crossbar. The fact that they are bent is more consistent with crucifixion than if they were straight."
He also disclosed: "There are remnants of lime on one of the nails, that's what most ossuaries are made of."
Nails 'came from Jesus' cross'
Professor Hershkovitz was taken aback by a striking discovery: the crucifixion nails in his possession matched up with the only ones of their kind found globally, also residing in his lab. The series' narrator conveyed a sense of awe: "It seems there are the missing nails, the nails which came from Jesus' cross."
The chamber tomb, unearthed by builders in November 1990, was nestled in the Peace Forest, merely a short distance from Jerusalem's North Talpiot area, reports the Mirror US. All That's Interesting noted that Caiaphas is believed to have delivered Jesus to the Romans for crucifixion in 33 A.D., and according to LiveScience, these same nails were initially discovered within a decorated ossuary in his burial place.
Despite general scepticism among scholars regarding scriptural specifics, Caiaphas emerges as a reference of historical veracity. If the ossuary can indeed be linked to the infamous high priest, it would validate the New Testament account and provide a richer understanding of Jesus's historical context.
However, controversy has hung over the ossuary since its revelation, with some experts questioning its relation to Caiaphas due to irregularities such as misspellings on the inscription, a lack of direct mention of his role as High Priest, and the grave's unassuming nature.
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