Orthodox Filmmaker Says He Has Found Nails Used In The Crucifixion Of Jesus

"There is no doubt that the talented director Simcha Jacobovici created an interesting film with a real archaeological find at its centre, but the interpretation presented in it has no basis in archaeological findings or research," the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

 

Film says nails from Jesus cross found
New documentary by veteran investigator Simcha Jacobovici claims nails used to crucify Jesus discovered in 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb. Experts call case a publicity stunt
Reuters

Could two of the nails used to crucify Jesus have been discovered in a 2,000-year-old tomb in Jerusalem?

And could they have mysteriously disappeared for 20 years, only to turn up by chance in a Tel Aviv laboratory?

That is the premise of the new documentary film "The Nails of the Cross" by veteran investigator Simcha Jacobovici, which even before its release has prompted debate in the Holy Land.

The film follows three years of research during which Jacobovici presents his assertions – some based on empirical data, others requiring much imagination and a leap of faith.

He hails the find as historic, but most experts and scholars contacted by Reuters dismissed his case as far-fetched, some calling it a publicity stunt.

Many ancient relics, including other nails supposedly traced back to the crucifixion, have been presented over the centuries as having a connection to Jesus. Many were deemed phony, while others were embraced as holy.

Jacobovici, who sparked debate with a previous film that claimed to reveal the lost tomb of Jesus, says this find differs from others because of its historical and archaeological context.

"What we are bringing to the world is the best archaeological argument ever made that two of the nails from the crucifixion of Jesus have been found," he said in an interview, wearing his trademark traditional knitted cap.

"Do I know 100% yes, these are them? I don't."

Conspiracy, slip-up or baseless?

The film begins by revisiting an ancient Jerusalem grave discovered in 1990 which was hailed by many at the time as the burial place of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, who in the New Testament presides over the trial of Jesus.

The grave, along with a number of ossuaries, or bone boxes, was uncovered during construction work on a hillside a few kilometers south of the Old City. It has since been resealed.

Caiaphas is a major figure in the Gospels, having sent Jesus to the Romans and on to his death, and one of Jacobovici's assertions is that the high priest was not such a bad guy.

Two iron nails were found in the tomb, one on the ground and one actually inside an ossuary, and, according to the film, mysteriously disappeared shortly after. Jacobovici says he tracked them down to a laboratory in Tel Aviv of an anthropologist who is an expert on ancient bones.

And if they are indeed the same nails – eaten away by rust and bent at the end, almost purposefully – was their disappearance a conspiracy or a logistical slip-up?

No definite answer is offered.

Either way, Jacobovici shows why those nails could have been used in a crucifixion, which was a common practice two thousand years ago. He then offers his theory about why they may have been used in the most famous crucifixion in history.

"If you look at the whole story, historical, textual, archaeological, they all seem to point at these two nails being involved in a crucifixion," he said. "And since Caiaphas is only associated with Jesus' crucifixion, you put two and two together and they seem to imply that these are the nails."

The Israel Antiquities Authority, which oversaw the Jerusalem excavation, said in reaction to the film's release that it had never been proven beyond doubt that the tomb was the burial place of Caiaphas. It also said that nails are commonly found in tombs.

"There is no doubt that the talented director Simcha Jacobovici created an interesting film with a real archaeological find at its centre, but the interpretation presented in it has no basis in archaeological findings or research," it said.

Comments

[Garnel Ironheart]

I'll have to get in touch with him. I have JC's left Croc, the one he wore when he graduated from yeshiva ketana.

[Lumpy Rutherford]

Perverted rabbis are perverts:

FBI arrests Orthodox rabbi for in-flight groping of female passenger: http://bit.ly/hzPoEt

[Alteh Mirrer]

The headline should read "Orthodox filmmaker says he has found nails." As the article says, experts say it's a publicity stunt. In this context, experts means "people who have read the story".

[What kind of goyishe name is Harold z"l?]

Are the nails reusable?

[jancsipista]

to me and i saw him may times on the cable channel, this guy is as they say a publicity seeker also he looks bizarre in that oversized yarmulka he is wearring on his head weird guy.

[rebeljew]

My rabbit's foot came from the Easter bunny.

[effie]

I'm sure there is big money in these types of documentaries. Eh, why not?

[Mikey]

Were they Moskowitz Nails?

[Mikey]

Old man Moskowitz was getting along in years.
He decided to retire and let his 3 sons run the company (which manufactured a wide variety of nails).
The sons thought they could increase market-share with some judicious billboard advertising.
Only a week later the old man was taking his usual Sunday drive in the country when he saw the first billboard ad.
There it was - a picture of Christ on the Cross, with the caption: "Nails for Every Purpose. Use Moskowitz Nails."
The old man immediately met with his 3 sons to voice his concern. He explained that the backlash could be horrendous. The company could be ruined. The sons agreed to discontinue that ad.
A week later the old man was again taking his usual Sunday drive when he saw the second billboard ad. There it was - - a picture of the same cross, empty, with Christ crumpled on the ground below... and the caption: "Next Time Use Moskowitz Nails."

[shame on me]

Relics for sale, Relics for sale. Get your red hot Jeezuss nails with the Roman foundry stamp and traces of blood still visible. Analysis proves that the perrrince of peace was A-positive. Sorry, but supply is limited. (Home Depot stock was low this week.) Only the first million orders can be honored but don't fear next week we will be auctioning Muhammad's child pornography collection and wait til you learn what our analysis found. When you acuire one of these sets just think how green with envy all of your friends will be and how popular you'll be showing off your collection when on haj. Don't delay.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

From the look of that nail, it looks like he has well hung!

No wander someone put him up for the night!!

Happy and kosha pea sack to ya all!!

Don't forget to do the bed-dick-ass comets!!

[maven]

I believe this graphic explains it all: http://www.bettybowers.com/compare.html

[Bench Kvetcher]

Nails cannot support the weight of a fully grown man. They would tear right through. Crucifiction was done by tying on the cross. Or perhaps they should have used Moskowitz nails.

[anuran]

Considering that the Cruci-"fiction" almost certainly never happened I'm guessing ... no.

[Catcher50]

I'm with Anuran on this. There is absolutely no contemporaneous indication of any such individual (and the Romans were worse gossips than Americans, they wrote down everything)ever existed. Crucifixions were commonplace and, in fact, the condemned didn't drag their cross to the execution ground. They only carried the horizontal piece. The vertical was permanently in the ground. I could go on and on about this, but no one from Discovery Communications is paying me big bucks for this. They are doing that for Jacobovici. He has to produce.

Also, Effie, you are right about the big money, but do you need to take a swing at Canadians, like Jacobovici, Eh?

[chabib]

Where did he get his nails done ?

[Friar Yid]

No definite answer is offered.

Of course not. Just like the last documentary Jaco-nutsy made where he claimed to have "decoded" Exodus. There is never any definitive answer offered anytime any of these pseudo-sciency/historical channels attempt to do anything about religion-- be it Christianity, Judaism, or occasionally, Islam. It always starts with bold claims and then fizzles out ten minutes before the end of the hour with, "We may never really know." Really now? Thanks for wasting my time, Mr. Narrator.

Honestly, I wish they wouldn't bother in the first place.