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Testimony in what has been dubbed the “forgery trial of the century” ended last February in a Jerusalem courtroom.
The trial went on for more than five years. The transcript of the testimony exceeds 11,000 pages. More than 130 witnesses testified and supported their testimony with more than 300 exhibits.
The indictment charges that some of Israel’s highest-profile archaeological relics are modern forgeries, including the ossuary or bone box inscribed “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”; a plaque that, if authentic, would be the only known royal Israelite inscription; a small inscribed ivory pomegranate allegedly used in Solomon’s Temple; an inscribed pottery sherd recording a donation of three shekels to the Temple; and many more.
Duke University professor Eric Meyers has opined that between 30 and 40 percent of the inscriptions in the Israel Museum are forgeries.
The trial opened with charges of a vast conspiracy, including the five defendants in the case. Then two defendants were simply dropped. Another was dismissed when he pleaded guilty to a minor charge unrelated to forgery. This left only two defendants, Tel Aviv collector Oded Golan and antiquities dealer and scholar Robert Deutsch (he taught at Haifa University and has published numerous volumes of ancient seals).
Israel has no juries. The verdict will now be rendered by the presiding judge, Aharon Farkash. But first he will hear oral argument by the parties. He has scheduled three days of oral argument for each of the parties, the last of which will be in October. Thereafter he will presumably prepare a written opinion in support of his verdict.
Scuttlebutt at the courthouse is that the government has failed to prove its case and the prosecutor knows it. A 2008 story in The San Francisco Chronicle headlined “Case Involving Jesus’ Brother Burial Box Hoax on Verge of Collapse” reported that the judge had advised the prosecution to consider dropping the case. But the government refused to take the judge’s advice, even though it is he, rather than a 017jury, who will decide the case. Why? Jerusalem courtwatchers suggest that a withdrawal would be just too humiliating to prosecutor Dan Bahat (not the same person as the well-known archaeologist with the same name). The government has spent millions of dollars on the prosecution of the case. From a public relations viewpoint, it would be better for the government to let the judge decide that the government has failed to prove its case than prematurely to admit failure. After all, even the best lawyers sometimes lose cases.—H.S.
Testimony in what has been dubbed the “forgery trial of the century” ended last February in a Jerusalem courtroom.
The trial went on for more than five years. The transcript of the testimony exceeds 11,000 pages. More than 130 witnesses testified and supported their testimony with more than 300 exhibits.
