Construction workers in Jerusalem were bulldozing a forest when they happened upon an ancient tomb. The tomb, hidden deep in an underground cave, held decaying artifacts from the first century, including two Roman nails. Researchers suggested these might be the exact nails that pinned Jesus to the cross. They thought the find was a major win — but then the nails mysteriously disappeared.
Who Lies Below?
While ripping through Jerusalem’s Peace Forest in 1990, a construction crew realized they were above hollow land when they crashed right through the roof of a secret tomb. Once news of the tomb’s size spread, archaeologists came running.
Underground Labyrinth
The massive rock-cut tomb had 12 chambers, six of which had been ransacked by grave robbers. The thieves had taken some instrumental clues to the tomb’s origins, but four of the lost chambers were still untouched. Naturally, archeologists pried them open.
Gathering Clues
While excavating the four untouched chambers, archaeologists unearthed dozens of ancient treasures, including first-century pottery and glass perfume bottles. However, the biggest clues came from the 12 ossuaries, or “bone boxes,” which perhaps unsurprisingly, come in a variety of haunting forms.
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Precious Bones
Some bone boxes are body-size boxes containing the skeletons of family members, while others are massive crypts riddled with human remains. The boxes in this tomb were rather average. However, one box offered unquestionable evidence as to whom this burial site belonged to.
Sign Your Name
Each of the bone boxes were engraved with intricate patterns. One elaborate box contained the bones of four children and two adults, marked with the words, “Yehosef bar Qayafa,” or, “Joseph, son of Caiaphas.” Anyone familiar with the Bible knows exactly who this man was.
All Signs Point to Caiaphas
Between the inscription, the location of the tomb, and the date of the artifacts, archeologists fiercely believed this to be the tomb of Christ’s notorious foe. With this in mind, researchers were turning their attention to another discovery from the excavation: a pair of iron nails.
Where’d They Go?
The two iron nails had been found in separate places: one inside a bone box and another on the dirt floor. After being tossed into the inventory, the nails were misplaced. When researchers came looking for them months later, they began searching like mad.
Long Gone Nails
Researchers eventually halted their search after turning up nothing. Perhaps, they thought, this clue to one of the largest events in human history had been tossed in the garbage, heartbreaking as it may be. All hope was lost until 2011, when Simcha Jacobovici made headlines for a “big discovery.”
A Controversial Claim
Simcha Jacobovici claimed to have found the two missing nails from the excavation of Caiaphas’ tomb, garnering international attention. To explain his case, he released a 2011 film titled Nails Of The Cross. Everyone wanted to know how Jacobovici made this supposed discovery.
Jacobovici’s Search
After hearing of the 1990 excavation and the missing nails, Jacobovici combed museum nail collections across Israel. He searched without the aid of photographs, measurements, or drawings, making his mission all-the-more difficult. That’s when he came upon a set of nails in a different type of collection.
In The Lab
After months of searching, Jacobovici found a pair of iron nails in an anthropology laboratory at Tel Aviv University. Anthropologists said the nails had been received in an unmarked box, which filled Jacobovici with hope. Could this be the missing pair?
Found At Last?
Lab workers didn’t have “official” records of the nails arriving at the university. However, they did know that the nails were made of iron dating back to the first century. Jacobovici was convinced these were the Caiaphas nails, leading to his notorious film. People had a lot of questions.
Movie Critics
Critics of Nails Of The Cross said Jacobovici lacked enough evidence to make the science work in his favor. However, while people weren’t 100% convinced by his ludicrous theory, they admitted that some of it made perfect sense. In fact, Jacobovici seemed to be building a strong case.
Jacobovici’s Argument
For instance, Jacobovici knew the nails were used in a crucifixion because of the way they were bent. Both nails had been hammered upwards, as was common in that method of execution. The purpose? To keep people from lifting the body from the cross. While this evidence was compelling, Jacobovici had even more to offer.
Keepsakes
Throughout history, crucifixion nails were made into healing amulets. Jacobovici believed this gave Caiaphas a reason to keep the nails without knowing their significance. If Caiaphas did know their significance, said Jacobovici, he might have kept them out of guilt. Still, there was one crucial piece of evidence missing.
Not Enough Science
Without a team to take a serious look at the nails in question, Jacobovici was written off for his findings. Almost a decade later, when Jacobovici’s film was far from everyone’s minds, researchers decided to examine the nails with new technology. Their findings put Jacobovici right back in the spotlight.
Who’s The Father?
In 2020, a team of researchers used an electron microscope to re-analyze the nails’ composition. First, they studied the old bone boxes and sediment from the Caiaphas tomb. Then, they examined the chemical composition of the nails. If the samples matched, the findings could exonerate Jacobovici’s claims!
It’s A Match!
To Jacobovici’s delight, the two iron nails contained the same exact materials found in the remains from Caiaphas’ tomb! Not only that, but the nails had slivers of wood and bone both outside and inside — meaning they were undoubtedly used in a crucifixion. But was it the crucifixion of Jesus?
Heaven Knows
“If you look at the whole story – historical, textual, archaeological – they all seem to point at these two nails being involved in a crucifixion,” says Jacobovici. “Since Caiaphas is only associated with Jesus’s crucifixion, you put two and two together and they seem to imply that these are the nails.”
The Shroud of Turin
However, the find was complicated by another Biblical discovery. The Shroud of Turin is believed by many to depict the literal face of Jesus Christ following his burial. It’s one of the most coveted historical relics known to man — and its mystery may have finally been solved.
Shrouded in Mystery
The Shroud of Turin is a simple piece of twill cloth bearing traces of blood and a subtle imprint of a man’s body. Thousands of people visit the shroud each year to see the object that covered Jesus Christ’s battered body prior to the Resurrection.
Dating the Shroud
In the 1980s, a group of scientists used radiocarbon dating to analyze the cloth, concluding that the shroud was crafted between 1260 and 1390. This suggested the shroud was an ingenious and elaborate fake, which ruffled feathers.
Dubious Results
Religious zealots and critics alike immediately argued that researchers used patched up portions of the shroud that could vary in age depending on when they were done. This would result in an inaccurate estimate.
Neutron Burst
According to the Gospel of Matthew, upon Jesus’ death, “The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open,” indicating that a massive earthquake occurred. Some geologists argued that an earthquake of a high magnitude could have released a surge of neutrons that would throw off the radiocarbon dating.
DNA Extractions
In the most recent 2015 study, a geneticist named Gianni Barcaccia and his team analyzed dust carefully extracted from the shroud. These dust particles contained traces of both plant and human DNA.
An International Background
Barcaccia then separated and sequenced the human mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from mother to child. The genetic lineage of the sequenced DNA suggested that the garment had been touched by people in North Africa, East Africa, and even China.
Rooted in Truth
Once sequenced and analyzed the plant DNA expressed a diverse lineage as well. The DNA snippets came from everywhere. Mediterranean clovers, European spruce trees, trees from North America, and East Asian plum trees were all present on the shroud.
Close Enough
Nevertheless, the most prominent genetic indicators seemed to originate from areas around the middle east and the Caucasus. This could signal that the cloth came from an area close to the supposed tomb of Jesus Christ.
Abundant Human Haplotypes
According to Barcaccia, one of the most prominent haplotypes found in the DNA is likely from the Druze community, an ethnic group whose origins trace back to the areas in the Middle East.
A Good Job
Farley stated, “They’ve done a good job, and they’ve identified a number of species that mean, broadly speaking, nothing at all.” Meaning that Hugh Farley doesn’t believe the results are conclusive.
Renee Enevold, Danish Geoscientist
Another critic, Danish geoscientist Renee Enevold, argued that past studies of pollen performed on the shroud were unreliable, and therefore Barcaccia’s study is facing a similar issue. He isn’t sure that the plant DNA is truly linked to the correct source, throwing a wrench in the results.
On Display
Farey also disputed that the shroud has been on public display for centuries and has, naturally, been exposed to people from across the globe. Sure, the United States may not be the source of the shroud, but pretty much everywhere else is open.
Both Sides
Farey insists that in order to garner convincing results, scientists would have to analyze the flax seed used to make the linen garment, which they haven’t done yet. “The proper thing to do is to maintain an open mind at the moment,” insisted Farey.
Upcoming Technology
Ultimately, using more sophisticated scientific techniques could settle the question once and for all. Because geologists can now figure out the origins of a rock with exacting precision, we may soon have an answer to this centuries-old mystery. Meanwhile, experts are turning their attention to other biblical discoveries around Jerusalem.
