Reconsidering a Mark on
the Lid of the Talpiot Tomb’s Jesus Ossuary
By Scott F. Wolter P.G.
Abstract
The lid on
the “Yeshua bar Yehosef” (aka Jesus, son of Joseph) ossuary from the First
Century C.E. “Talpiot Tomb” in Jerusalem, has a prominent mark that has
received little attention. If mentioned at
all, it is typically referred to as a star and usually dismissed as something
insignificant, such as an alignment mark.
A careful examination of the mark reveals that it is actually not a
star. Rather, it appears to be a
combination of two symbols, one resembling a Tau Cross and the other a
so-called “Hooked X”. This paper will
build a case for this interpretation and demonstrate why this is an important
discovery.
Introduction
The
so-called Talpiot Tomb was discovered when it was revealed during blasting of
the bedrock comprised of a white calcareous chalk called Nari, during
construction of apartment buildings in March of 1980. Excavations of the tomb were performed under
the supervision of archaeologist, Joseph Gath, and a plan diagram of the tomb
with elevations was made by an assistant archaeologist and surveyor, Shimon
Gibson. Gath discovered ten ossuaries
within the six tunnels (called kokhim) during his excavations, but only nine were
cataloged and entered into the collection at the Israeli Antiquities
Authorities (IAA, nee IDAM) storage facility.
Recent geochemical testing has confirmed the so-called “James Ossuary” is
also from the Talpiot tomb and is this missing tenth ossuary.
Seven of the
ten ossuaries are inscribed with names; six in Hebrew/Aramaic and one in
Greek. The name inscribed in Greek (IAA
no. 80-500) arguably translated as “Mariamene, who is Mara” may refer to the
biblical Mary Magdalene. The six names
carved in Hebrew/Aramaic are as follows:
(IAA no.
80-501) “Yehuda, son of Yeshua” (Judah, son of Jesus)
(IAA no.
80-502) “Matya” (Matthew)
(IAA no.
80-503) “Yeshua, son of Yehosef” (Jesus, son of Joseph)
IAA no.
80-504) “Yose” (Jose/Joseph)
(IAA no.
80-505) “Marya” (Maria)
(IAA no.
80-509)
“Ya’aqob son of Yoseph, brother of Yeshua” (James, son of Joseph, brother of
Jesus)
This amazing
cluster of names carved on burial ossuaries from a single tomb has led many
(including the author of this paper) to conclude this is the family burial tomb
of the biblical Jesus, other members of his family and potentially his wife
Mary Magdalene. Much controversy and
research on the inscriptions carved on the ossuaries has occurred in the wake
of the discovery over the past 35 years, but very little has been said about
the marks carved on the lids, including two marks on the lid of the “Yeshua bar
Yehosef” ossuary. Although sketches of
these two marks carved on the “Yeshua bar Yehosef” lid were published in 1994,
photographs taken by Charles Pellegrino in 2005 are the first-ever photographs
of the marks to be published (Figures 2, 3 and 4). This paper appears to be the first attempt to
interpret the meaning of the mark that some had taken to be a simple star.
The Discovery
In May of
2014, a fellow independent researcher named Jerry Lutgen, introduced the author
in an email that included five photographs taken by Charles Pellegrino, of a
mark inscribed on the lid of the “Yeshua bar Yehosef” ossuary (Figure 1). In this email Pellegrino described the mark
as, “…a seven pointed star with one of the points diverging into a
"V."” Immediately upon reviewing
the photos the author saw not a single “star” mark, but two very familiar
symbols intertwined into a single monograph and wrote the following in his
response to Lutgen and Pellegrino:
“The "star" carving on the
Jesus ossuary lid looks like a monogram to me of two separate symbols; a
"T" and my Hooked X. Of
course, I may be seeing what I want to see, but the top bar/line of the
"T" is slightly below the intersecting lines in the middle of the
X. What do you think?”
Soon after
sending the email it occurred to the author this “T” was most likely a Tau
Cross, so that the mark was actually the combination of a “Hooked X” and a Tau
Cross. The rationale for reaching this
conclusion is presented below.
Pellegrino
pointed out there are actually two separate marks carved on the Yeshua ossuary
lid, the Hooked X/Tau Cross monogram and a chevron. He also pointed out there are no known
photographs of these marks on the lid other than Pellegrino’s. The second mark carved on the lid, a low-angle
(approximately 25 degrees) chevron, does appear faintly in one of the
photographs sent by Pellegrino (Figure 4).
The faintly visible chevron is confirmed by its position relative to the
Hooked X/Tau Cross as drawn in a sketch that appears on page 223 of the L.Y.
Rahmani’s, catalogue. The up-side down orientation
of the Rahmani sketch confirms the lack of understanding of the meaning of the Hooked
X/Tau Cross symbol. However, the author’s
drawing of the Hooked X/Tau Cross monogram (Figure 6) showing its centered
positioning on the ossuary lid suggests the carver intentionally placed the
symbol at the top end of the lid immediately adjacent to the short side of the
ossuary with the inscribed name, “Yeshua bar Yehosef”, and a large “X” symbol carved in front
of it (Figure 7).
On March 18,
2015, the author personally viewed the Yeshua ossuary lid, while it was on
display in the Dead Seas Scrolls exhibit in Los Angeles, California. The ossuary section of the exhibit included
the Yeshua ossuary which was positioned with the Hooked X/Tau Cross symbol clearly
visible only a few inches from the Plexiglas divider. However, the direct overhead lighting made viewing
the chevron symbol very difficult although the more deeply carved Hooked X/Tau
Cross was clearly visible.
“Mason’s Marks” or “Maker’s Marks”
One of the
arguments sure to be made against the Hooked X/Tau Cross interpretation for this mark will be that
it is a known practice to use marks,
such as small X’s or “star-like” marks on ossuaries as a way to align the
placement of the lids onto the limestone burial boxes. On pages 19-21 of L. Y. Rahmani’s Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries, he
discusses these marks found on approximately 40% of the ossuaries listed in his
catalogue. Rahmani states, “Most of the
marks on ossuaries are incised or drawn with charcoal. They usually occur in pairs, one on the lid
and the second on either the narrow side or rim of the chest or occasionally on
the chest’s long side.” The Hooked X/Tau
Cross symbol does not have a corresponding mark on the rim or narrow side and looks
to have been carved with considerably more care and skill than the aforementioned
chevron as well as the name and “X” symbol carved on the narrow side of the chest. Nearly all the examples of paired or single
direction marks in Rahmani’s catalogue are rather crudely made. In Kloner and Gibson’s article they termed
the two marks on the Yeshua lid to be “maker’s marks” writing in a footnote,
“Indeed, some of the marks may have been made by family members at the same
time they inscribed the names.” In light of this it’s possible the carver of
the Hooked X/Tau Cross monogram could have been the maker of the ossuary, a
family member at the time of interment, or even an intruder into the tomb at an
unknown date. Further, because of the differences
in the quality of the carvings it appears certain that whoever carved the
Hooked X/Tau Cross was not the same person who carved the Yeshua name and the
“X” on the ossuary.
Interpretations of the Hooked X Part
of the Monogram
The upper
symbol within the monogram is an “X” with an extra bar added to the upper right
arm that forms a well-known and controversial symbol called a “Hooked X”
(Outlined in red in figure 3). The author coined the term “Hooked X” in
2002, and has written extensively about the symbol which first became known to
him during his examination of the Kensington Rune Stone (Figure 8), discovered
in Minnesota in 1898, at his materials forensic laboratory, American
Petrographic Services, Inc., beginning in July of 2000. The Hooked X symbol appears twenty-two times and
is used for the letter “a” and “a” sound within the Kensington inscription that
is carved using medieval Scandinavian runes.
Since its discovery in 1898 scholars noted that the “Hooked X” symbol
had never been seen used in a runic inscription (which led to their persistent
belief it was a hoax). Subsequent
research by the author, various scholars, and other researchers into various
aspects of the artifact, including the geology, runes, language, dialect,
grammar, dating and history of the discovery has provided voluminous evidence
consistent with it being a genuine medieval artifact.
Four more
runic inscriptions were subsequently discovered in North America that included
the Hooked X symbol. Three rune stones were found buried together at
Spirit Pond, Maine, in 1971, and a two-line, nine character runic inscription
with a Hooked X carved into a multi-ton sandstone boulder in Narragansett Bay
that was documented as early as circa 1945.
Two of the three Spirit Pond Rune Stones are dated to 1401 and 1402
(twice) using the medieval Easter Table dating method. The Kensington Rune Stone is dated to 1362,
once using Pentadic numbers in Arabic placement, and 1362 again by plotting
singled out characters within the inscription into the medieval Easter Table. The Narragansett Rune Stone has no
discernable date within its inscription.
The author
has written three books that chronicle his research into several controversial
artifacts that include all five North American rune stones with the Hooked X, and
numerous other examples of the Hooked X found in Europe. Based on the fact the Hooked X is found
associated with only the Medieval
Knights Templar order, the associated Cistercian religious order and modern Freemasonry,
the author has concluded the symbol served a dual function in the known
examples. Besides being used for the “a”
sound, the symbol also occurs used as the Roman numeral ten. In his 2009 book, the author proposed the
Hooked X was also symbolic of a religious ideology called Monotheistic Dualism
that dated back to at least circa 1350 B.C.E., and the time of Egyptian Pharaoh
Akhenaten. The author also suggested a
very early rendition of the Hooked X symbol was the crossed Crook and Flail
(Figure 9 & 10).
The presence
of the Hooked X symbol on the ossuary of what many scholars now accept as the
First Century biblical Jesus could be evidence that is consistent with many
researchers’ belief in his Egyptian heritage.
It could also provide an important clue to the true religious ideology
that Jesus, his apparent wife, Mary Magdalene and their followers were
teaching.
Interpretations of the Tau Cross Part
of the Monogram
The top horizontal
bar of the “T” shaped Tau Cross appears to have been intentionally carved just
slightly below the intersection of the two longest lines forming the Hooked X thus
creating two separate symbols carved together into a single monogram. The Tau Cross also has Egyptian origins
starting off as a large “T” shaped flood gauge for measuring the water level of
the Nile River. The lifeblood of the people of Egypt was
directly dependent on the rise and fall of the Nile. If the water in the spring was to low there
would be drought and famine among the people.
If too high, floodwaters would destroy their stores and homes leading to
destruction of the people. The T-shaped
flood gauge became an important symbol of life and later a talisman in Egyptian
culture believed to avert evil and ward away sickness and disease. A loop was added to the Tau Cross making it
one of the most common and important symbols in all of ancient Egypt; the ankh
was symbolic of eternal life (Figure 11).
Curiously,
the Tau Cross is one of the most important symbols in Royal Arch Freemasonry
where three Tau Crosses are joined together where the bottom ends are joined at
a central point to produce what is called the “Triple Tau.” The Triple Tau is found within a Delta and a circle;
both considered symbols of the Deity, in the top center of the flap on the
Masonic apron of a Royal Arch Freemason (Figure 12). One can’t help but notice both the Triple Tau
on the Masonic apron and the Hooked X/Tau Cross on the Yeshua ossuary lid are
both in the same relative position; centered at the top. The Royal Arch Degree of Freemasonry deals
with the legend of the Knights Templar digging down nine levels under the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem where they reportedly found treasure. Some rumors say the treasure included gold,
scrolls, maps, navigation instruments, the Ark of the Covenant and the Delta of
Enoch, a triangle of gold with the immutable name of the Creator inscribed in
Hebrew letters, Yod, Hey, Vuv, Hey, inside a cube of agate.
The Triple
Tau symbol dates back to before the
official origin of English Freemasonry in 1717 (Figure 13). One can’t help but wonder if the symbol is
somehow connected to the Christian “IHS” symbol that began in the First Century
as “IH” which is identical to the Triple Tau symbol. The original meaning of the symbol was the
“T” over the “H” emblem which meant Templum Hierosolymӕ or the Temple of
Jerusalem. The symbol can also be seen
as “I” over “H” and a First Century Christogram of the Greek letters, I (iota)
and H (eta), the first two letters for the name “Jesus.” Reportedly, an “S” was added in the Second
Century creating the well-known symbol of the Christian “IHS” (Figure 14).
Interpretation of the Monogram Taken
as “Alpha-Omega”
Many have
speculated the Hooked X symbol is a carved-into-stone with straight lines
version of the Hebrew “Aleph,” the first character in the Hebrew/Aramaic
alphabet. The Tau is the nineteenth
character in the Greek alphabet, but it is also related to the Hebrew Taw (and
Aramaic Tav) which would have been the last character of the Hebrew Alphabet. If so, the monogram on the lid could be
equivalent to “Alpha-Omega, the beginning and the end.” It’s long been known in the Bible that Jesus
said, “I am the beginning and the end.”
Perhaps this pre-C.E. 70 symbol is evidence that this biblical passage was
accurately recorded, as spoken by Jesus.
Conclusions
The
discovery of the Hooked X/Tau Cross on the lid of the Yeshua ossuary from the
Talpiot Tomb could turn out to be as historically important as the recent
inclusion of “James” ossuary as a tenth ossuary discovered in, and looted from
the Talpiot Tomb. The author’s fifteen years of research into
who carved the Kensington, Spirit Pond, and Narragansett Rune Stones led
directly to the medieval Cistercians, the Knights Templar, to modern
Freemasonry, to Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades and the biblical Jesus
and the evolving theory that he was married to Mary Magdalene. To find what appears to be the Hooked X
carved on the lid of the Yeshua ossuary could be a major historical discovery
that is consistent with much of the speculative research the author has already
published. The Hooked X/Tau Cross discovery
and it’s apparent connection of the Hooked X to the American Rune Stones, the
Cistercians/Knight Templar, and Freemasonry could also be interpreted as
factual evidence that is consistent with the Talpiot Tomb being that of the
Biblical Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and other family members. However, a lot more scientific work on the lid
carvings needs to be done. Several
important questions need to be addressed. When were the carvings made? Were the symbols carved onto the lid at the
time of interment or were they added later when the tomb was entered at some
point after it was no longer used for burials as some have suggested? The author is hopeful of performing a number
of scientific procedures, including three-dimensional digital microscopy on all
of the ossuaries in the near future in order to shed more light on these and
other questions.
Charlesworth, 2013, Page 43.
L.Y. Rahmani,
A Catalogue of Jewish
Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel, Jerusalem, 1994.
Charlesworth, 2013, Footnote 23, Page 39.
The phrase “Hooked X” was trademarked
(Register No. 4,380,468) by Scott F. Wolter on August 6, 2013.
The details of the investigation into the geological aspects of the Kensington
Rune Stone performed by Wolter can read in his 2006 book listed in the
bibliography.
Hundreds of articles, papers and books have been published about the Kensington
Rune Stone since its discovery, but the geological findings led geologist,
Newton H. Winchell, the first State Geologist of Minnesota (1875-1900), to
conclude the artifact was genuine.
On
December 15, 1909,
he wrote to the
Museum Committee of the Minnesota Historical Society,
“I have personally made a topographical examination of the place where
the Kensington rune stone was found, and of the region northward to Pelican
Lake where the skerries are located, to which the inscription refers, and I am
convinced from the geological conditions, and the physical changes that the
region has experienced probably within the last five hundred years that the
said stone is not a modern forgery and must be accepted as a genuine record of
an exploration in Minnesota at the date stated in the inscription.”
Wolter, 2009, Pages 71-96.
Wolter, 2009, Pages 76-78.
Wolter, 2009, Pages 34-37.
Wolter, 2013, Page 214.
Jones, 1957/1991, Page 235.
Mackey, 1921, Page 244-5.
At
least five examples of the Triple Tau symbol were found by the author on early
to mid-1600’s era grave slabs in the ruined church in the St. Augustine
Monastery (four examples), and in the St. Francis of Assisi Church (one
example) in Old Goa, India, in May of 2015. Both churches and the monastery
were built by the Portuguese Templars then called the Order of Christ.
Charlesworth, 2013, Pages 43-45.
