In October 2002, the Biblical Archaeology Society announced a discovery which could provide historical evidence for the existence of Jesus. An inscription had been found on an ancient bone box (ossuary) that reads “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” If authentic, this container provides the only new Testament-era mention of
 the central figure of Christianity and is the first-ever archaeological discovery to corroborate biblical references to Jesus. This June, the Discovery Channel followed the story of the unearthing in Israel of this ancient ossuary, providing viewers with new information about the discovery of this historic relic and raising questions about Jesus’ family life.

　　According to one of the world’s leading specialist in ancient inscriptions, Andre Lemaire of the Sorbonne University in Paris, the Aramaic words etched on the box’s side show a cursive form of writing used only from about 10 to 70 AD. Ancient inscriptions are typically found on royal monuments or on lavish tombs, commemorating rulers and other official figures. But Jesus, who was raised by a carpenter, was a man of the people, so finding documentation of his family is unexpected. The find is also significant in that it corroborates the existence of Joseph, Jesus’ father, and James, Jesus’ brother and a leader of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. The family relationships contained on the ossuary helped experts uncover that the inscription very likely refers to the biblical James, brother of Jesus. Although all three names were common in ancient times, the statistical probability of their appearing in that combination is extremely slim. In addition, the mention of a brother is unusual, indicating that this Jesus must have been a well-known figure.

        耶稣的兄弟

　　2002年10月，圣经考古学会宣布一项发现，可能提供了耶稣确实存在人世的历史证据。在一个古代的藏骨柜上发现了以下的镌刻文字：“雅名，约瑟之子，耶稣的兄弟”。如果属实，这座藏骨柜将是“新约时代”首度提及这位基督世界的中心人物，也是第一个能证实圣经提及之耶稣事迹的考古发现。今年6月，Discovery频道追踪了这座古代藏骨棺在以色列的出土过程，提供观众有关发现这个历史遗物的新资讯，也对耶稣的家庭生活提出了新的疑问。

　　根据世界上首屈一指的碑铭研究家，巴黎索邦大学的李梅尔教授表示，刻在藏骨棺旁边的阿拉姆文字，是以一种仅在西元10到70年间使用的草写方式完成的。一般来说，古代铭文常在皇室纪念碑或奢华的陵墓中发现，用来纪念统治者或其他官方人物。但是耶稣生长在木匠之家，属一介平民，因此能够发现他家族的文字记载，实在出人意料。这项发现的重要性还在于它证实了耶稣的父亲约瑟以及兄弟雅各的存在，雅各也是早期耶路撒冷基督教的领袖。记载于藏骨棺上的家庭关系有助于专家确定，此铭文极可能与圣经中耶稣的兄弟雅各脱不了关系。虽然这三个名字在古时候都很普遍，但统计机率显示，三个名字同时出现于父子三人组合的机会微乎其微。此外，在铭文中提到某人的兄弟是很不寻常的，此举表示这位耶稣必然曾是一位知名人物。

　　关键词

　　inscription / / n.铭文，碑文

　　authentic / / adj.真实的，可靠的

　　corroborate / / v.证实，确认

　　biblical / / adj.圣经的，圣经中的

　　reference / / n.提及，涉及

　　unearthing / / n.发现，出土

　　etch / / v.蚀刻

　　typically / /adv.典型地，一般地

　　commemorate / / v.庆祝，纪念

　　unexpected / / adj.意外的，突如其来的

　　significant / / adj.有意义的，重要的

　　slim / / adj.渺茫的