100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
85. The Ciaphas Ossuary
According to the New Testament, a man named Ciaphas presided as the Jewish high priest during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry. In 1990, a limestone burial chest known as an ossuary was discovered on a slope south of the old city of Jerusalem, which bore the name Joseph Ciaphas. Most agree that the superbly carved chest once contained the remains of the high priest Ciaphas mentioned in the scriptures A.
85. The Ciaphas Ossuary - Notes and References
A. “A limestone ossuary, discovered on a slope south of the old city of Jerusalem in 1990, is inscribed with the name Joseph Caiaphas. Five whorl rosettes surround a center rosette inside the two great circles of this superbly carved bone chest, which most probably contained the remains of the Jewish high priest who indicted Jesus before Pontius Pilate.” Paul L. Maier “Eusebius, the Church History”, Kregel Publications,1999, p. 44
“…the high priest Caiaphas was a Sadducee, and his ossuary turned up in 1990.” “Time” Magazine, , Nov. 4, 2002, with reporting from Adrea Dorfman, Matt Rees, Matthew Kalman, and Tala Skari