Monday, October 20, 2008

ANOTHER REVIEW of Unholy Business by Nina Burleigh in the WSJ. Excerpt:
As Nina Burleigh shows in "Unholy Business," her lively account of the case, the story behind the James Ossuary remains unclear. Oded Golan, the owner of the box itself, maintains his innocence, despite the discovery -- by two Israeli detectives on an unauthorized smoking break when they were staking out Mr. Golan's apartment -- of a cache that included Tupperware containers of dirt from archaeological sites, diamond cutting tools, dentist drills and artifacts stashed in an unused laundry room. The scientific panel that the Israeli Antiquities Authority convened to examine the ossuary concluded that it appeared to be genuine but that someone had carved the inscription onto it and then covered the letters with a paste made from water and chalk concocted to mimic the natural varnish that covers objects over time.

Ms. Burleigh, who focuses her narrative primarily on the role of Mr. Golan, seems to believe that he is guilty as charged, but she suspects that his lawyers have been able to raise enough doubts in trial testimony that he may be able to avoid conviction. There is still no verdict in a court case that has dragged on for years.
Background here.