Apparent differences in the handwriting in the inscription on the limestone box believed to be the most significant biblical archaeological discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls have led critics to suggest that the phrase about Jesus could have been added by a forger.
The inscription appears to be written in two different hands, the critics say. The first phrase, 'James, son of Joseph', was written in a formal script while the second, 'brother of Jesus', is a more free-flowing cursive style, according to The New York Times on December 3.
Experts discussed the validity of the inscription at a conference of biblical and archaeological researchers in Toronto. André Lemaire, the French specialist in Aramaic who first proposed the inscription's connection to Jesus, defended its authenticity at the conference.
