Archaeology Review>> Archaeological Articles >>The Caiaphas Ossuary

In 1990 ornately decorate limestone ossuary (bone depository) was found in Jerusalem's Peace Forest. In the ossuary were the bones of two babies, a adolescent child, a teenage boy, an adult woman, and a man about 60years of age. An Aramaic inscription on the side reads "Joseph son of Caiaphas." This has led nearly all scholars to terminate that the bones of the elder man belonged to the famous Caiaphas, the soaring priest in Jerusalem at the point of Jesus' crucifixion. Indeed, Josephus called the first century soaring priest "Joseph Caiaphas". The bones were buried again back on the Mount of Olives and the ossuary currently is located in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

This marvelously festooned ossuary found in the ruins of Jerusalem, had the bones of Caiaphas, the first century AD. Caiaphas was the soaring priest of the Jews under Tiberius. The Procurator Valerius Gratas appointed him to the self-esteem. He was son-in-law of Anna's and was the Jewish soaring priest who ruled over the Sanhedrin, the uppermost Jewish court, from 18 - 36 AD. This made him second in influence only to the Roman governor.

In December of 1990, an exhilarating discovery astounded the world of archaeology! In the Peace Forset section of Jerusalem, a first century Ossuary, or "bone box," was found. Emblazoned on the ossuary were the words "Yehosef bar Kayafa," translated as "Joseph, son of Caiaphas." Excavator Zvi Greenhut of the Israeli ancient times Authority recovered the work of art, which is now on exhibit at the Isael Museum in Jerusalem.

Matthew, Luke and John each identify Caiaphas as the high priest that presided over the arrest and trial of Jesus. The historian Josephus also identifies "Joseph Caiaphas" as the Jewish high priest from 18 to 36 AD (Jewish Antiquities 18:35). Josephus also refers to him as "Joseph who was known as Caiaphas of the high priesthood “Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate Caiaphas had no power to inflict the sentence of death, and thus Jesus was sent to Pilate, the Roman governor, that he may accordingly pronounce the sentence against Jesus. At later era Caiaphas's antagonism to the gospel is still apparent even after the resurrection - (Acts 4:6).

The Caiaphas Ossuary, Pontius Pilate's Caesarea inscription, proof of crucifixion, and historians also naming Pilate and Caiaphas corroborate that the tale of Christ's crucifixion is by no way a fairy tale.