Bible Archaeology: Controversial 2,000-Year-Old Nails Being Linked To Jesus Christ's Crucifixion

Scraps of nails linked to events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were found to have fragments of bones on them, according to a new study. The 2,000-year-old nails which date back to the Roman period also contain microscopic traces of wood, a strong indication that the fragments were indeed used in a crucifixion.

A new study, published in Scientific Research, said the nails supposedly from the controversial Caiaphas site were used to crucify someone though not necessarily Jesus Christ. Retired Israeli geologist Aryeh Shimron, who led the research, said chemical and physical analysis of the nails showed strong indications that they came from the controversial burial site of Caiaphas. According to the Gospels, Caiaphas was the high priest who handed Jesus over to Pontius Pilate.

The nails have been the subject of debates among scientific experts and have also been the center of conspiracy theories since their first discovery in 1990. At some point, after the nails were retrieved from the burial site, they “mysteriously” went missing. They reemerged years later as the subject of a 2011 documentary titled “Nails of the Cross,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted in a detailed report.

In the documentary, journalist Simcha Jacobovici presented a story where Caiaphas allegedly kept the nails out of remorse for his participation in Jesus’ death. According to Jacovici’s story, the nails might have been passed on to Caiaphas’ relatives who used them as amulets.

The documentary went as far as claiming that there had been a cover-up regarding the true origin of the nails. He alleged that the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) shipped the fragments in the early 1990s to Tel Aviv University's physical anthropology lab.

Now that the nails were again making headlines because of the new study, IAA maintained that there is still no proof that the nails were really from the Caiaphas burial site. The organization said the new study is “interesting and thought-provoking” but more proof is needed, starting from the theory that the Caiaphas burial site is indeed that of the high priest.

“To the understanding of the Antiquities Authority, the uncovered nails may have been used to crucify any of the hundreds of people who challenged Roman authority and were executed,” the IAA said in a statement obtained by Haaretz.