These remains of and hand bone still found attached to a nail, was originally discovered in 1971, but has only recently come to light again.
I have not read anything in Bart’s work that mentions this, but professor Israel Hershkovitz led the research and after scans of the bone established that the nail was driven through the back of the hand rather than the front.
This link to the documentary on this find proves this is a legitimate piece of evidence for crucifixion.
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** you do not have permission to see this link **
I don’t think anyone has ever denied it was from a crucifixion. To say it has only recently come to light again is not really true. It’s never been forgotten. Prof. Ehrman has mentioned the nail on his blog, but I can’t recall it from any of his books. If you search the blog for “nail” his comments are the first result in the search results.
Dear Bart,
Thank you for your response. I was referring to the remains of the Abba cave nail with the metacarpal bones still attached to it.
I saw your comments on the thread about the Caiaphas ossuary and Joe Zias’s opinion on nails in found in tombs general. However, that article never mentioned this case.
The Tomb was considered to be containing the possible remains of the last Maccabean King who had been crucified and beheaded by Marc Anthony.
Professor Israel Hershkovitz was involved with the forensic analysis and scans and it has been confirmed to be evidence crucifixion nail through a hand, and in fact the only evidence other evidence of crucifixion found since Jehohanan.
I wondered if you had any opinions on this case?
Crizz71 said
These remains of and hand bone still found attached to a nail, was originally discovered in 1971, but has only recently come to light again.I have not read anything in Bart’s work that mentions this, but professor Israel Hershkovitz led the research and after scans of the bone established that the nail was driven through the back of the hand rather than the front.
This link to the documentary on this find proves this is a legitimate piece of evidence for crucifixion.
** you do not have permission to see this link **
My thanks for the video. Very interesting re the shape of the crucifixion instrument….
As to the bones in the Abba Cave – as far as I’m aware they have not been officially identified as those of Antigonus. Y. Elitzur, who was in the video, has published his theory – that the bones are those of Antigonus. (IEJ 2013. – The Abba Cave: Unpublished Findings and a New Proposal Regarding Abba’s Identity.)
However, there has been a response to Elitzur – unfortunately published in Hebrew:
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Yeah, it’s a bit like saying the “Ice Man” discovered as a natural mummy in the Alps proves there was death by natural causes 5300 years ago. (Though I vaguely recall some were insinuating it might be–MURDER!)
It’s the fine details that matter with such discoveries. Roman cruelty is not something we need to establish with factual evidence. Or human cruelty, for that matter.
Personally, I’m curious about how those crucifixion remains ended up in a cave.
BDEhrman
FreedomBen
evgendob
Robert