Ossuary of Caiaphas


Ossuary of Caiaphas

Did this ossuary contain the bones of Caiaphas, high priest during the time of Jesus?

This beautifully decorated ossuary found in the ruins of Jerusalem, contained the bones of Caiaphas, the first century AD. high priest during the time of Jesus.

On the side (as seen above) and the back of the ossuary is inscribed Caiaphas' name ("Yosef bar Caifa"). 

(see Matt 26:3, 57; Luke 3:2; John 11:49; 18:13-14, 24, 28; Acts 4:6; Josephus, Ant. 23.25, 39). It was a custom in ancient Israel to store the bones of the dead in ossuaries. They gathered the bones about a year after burial.

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