This 60 minute documentary was made in 2003 for the History Channel. Executive Producer was Robb Weller. Narrator is Father Ken Deasey. Talking heads included several people from Canada - Herbert Basser (Queens U), Steve Mason (York U), Ed Keall (Royal Ontario Museum) and Adele Reinhartz (Wilfred Laurier U). To round out the international audience is Andre Lemaire (Sorbonne), John Painter (Charlestead U, Australia), and Oded Golan (Israel). US heads include P. Kyle McCarter (Johns Hopkins), Eric Meyers (Duke), Robert Eisenman (CSU), Jonathan Reed (LaVerne), Marvin Meyer (Chapman) and Hershel Shanks (Oregon).

This is a well-balanced look at the ossuary enscribed "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." The program tells us that the ossuary contains 20 Aramaic letters that are 7.5 inches long and 1/3 inch high. It was dated to the mid First Century and composed of limestone consistent with that time. At that time, they claim 14% of males were called Joseph, 9% Jesus, and 2% James. Of the estimated 40,000 males alive at that time, they estimate that 20 people could have been called James and had a father named Joseph and a brother named Jesus.

In favor of the theory that the ossuary contains the bones of James the Just, the producers point out that an ossuary with "brother of" enscribed on the outside was extremely unusual, indicating that this brother (Jesus) must have been a celebrity. Moreover, the dating of the ossuary comes from the time that James was killed (62 AD).

Against the theory, Eric Myers points out that we know nothing of the archeological context of the ossuary, questioning its authenticity. Jonathan Reed agrees and says that while the ossuary isn't a "bad forgery", its unknown origins seriously questions its validity. Beyond that, Ed Keall points out that the two sections of the inscription appears to be from different hands and use characters that were common during different periods. In other words, it appears that "James, son of Joseph" is in one style and "brother of Jesus" is in another style. Moreover, problems with missing patinas suggest that some sections of the writing are much more recent that other sections. Finally, they claim that if Jesus was a celebrity, thus causing the addition of the unusual term "brother of", they would expect some more information about Jesus (e.g., brother of Jesus the Nazarene or Jesus the Christ, etc.)

All told, the evidence against this being the ossuary of James the Just seems to outweigh the evidence for the theory, yet no one was willing to completely reject the idea.

The only obvious error in the documentary is the claim that James was stoned to death. It's questionable how he died. Some accounts have him thrown from a high wall, others stoned, and still others have him bludgeoned to death. Some accounts say all three things happened, and some have him experience these assaults without dying. Otherwise the documentary accurately portrays the history of James, as we know it.

If you've seen "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" you will appreciate how this documentary on the ossuary of James can take the same topic and treat it with dignity and care.