Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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Location

JERU0005

Location unknown. 20 BCE to 70 CE. Soft limestone ossuary with chip-carved ornamentation. Funerary.
Transcription

ישו ישוע בר יהוסף

Translation

Yeshu. Yeshua', son of Yehosef.

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
The ossuary has an inner ledge on two sides and low feet. It is damaged and a lid is missing. Ornamentation on the front side consists of two metopes in line frames and a broadened triglyph. A six-petalled rosette encircled by two concentric line circles sits inside each metope. The inscription ישו is located near the top of the triglyph, while the "second line" is inscribed in the upper right corner of the left metope. There is a small zigzag mark on the chest's right side, presumably a direction mark. The form ישוע, familiar from the later books of the Bible and from the Talmud, is a contraction of the name יהושע, as is ישו. The appearance of the latter here indicates that it did not carry a negative connotation due to its association with Jesus of Nazareth.

Languages

Hebrew, Aramaic

Dimensions

H: 35.5 cm; W: 58 cm; D: 30.5 cm

Date

20 BCE to 70 CE

Current location

No provenance provided.

Figures

  • metopes front of ossuary

  • broadened triglyph between metopes

  • encircled six-petalled rosettes in metopes

  • concentric line circles encircling rosettes

Bibliography

Source of diplomatic

No bibliography available for diplomatic transcription.

Source of transcription

No bibliography available for transcription.

Source of translation

No bibliography available for translation.

Other sources

  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
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The project can be cited as:

Satlow, Michael L., ed. 2002 - . “Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine.” Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/PZ1D-ST89

This inscription can be cited as:

"Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine," JERU0005, 12 June 2026. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89