Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-158) and indexes.

1. Jewish Burial Practices in Late Antiquity -- 2. Inscriptions - Non-Burial -- 3. Burial Inscriptions - Themes -- 4. Burial Inscriptions - Names -- 5. Significant Ossuaries for Research in the Historical Jesus -- 6. Conclusion.

"The recent discovery and exhibition of an ancient Jewish ossuary (a burial box) that bears the inscription "James the son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has stunned scholars and the public alike. While the story of the ossuary's authenticity unfolds, what is not shrouded in mystery is that this ossuary is only one of several that shed important archaeological light on the historical Jesus and the origins of Christianity. In Jesus and the Ossuaries Craig A. Evans helps all readers, expert and layperson alike, understand the importance this recent find might have for the quest for the historical Jesus and any historical reconstruction of early Christianity."--BOOK JACKET.