Simon's Bones
The fuss about the James ossuary hasn't died down yet and we have another ossuary to report. It was found in the Kedron Valley outside Jerusalem some 60 years ago, but like so many other finds, the thin writing on it was either not read or was not properly understood. Now, according to a report in Biblical Archaeology Review, it has been read as "Alexander (son of) Simon".
The system of burial in ossuaries (bone boxes) was confined to a short period between 20 BC and AD 70 a period that covered the lifetime of Jesus Christ. Bodies were laid in tombs until the flesh had all decayed and then the bones were gathered up and placed in an ossuary, usually carved out of limestone. The outside of most ossuaries was plain, but some had a geometric design carved on the face and a few had an inscription identifying the deceased.
In 1941 archaeologists Eleazer Sukenik and Nahman Avigad conducted a systematic survey of the Kedron Valley and in the process located a tomb in which were some ossuaries. Sukenik died in 1953 and Avigad did not publish the results of the survey and its finds until 1962. By that time nobody had much interest in these discoveries and they were not highly publicised.
There were 13 intact vessels in the tomb, including a Herodian oil lamp which enabled a date in the early Christian century to be assigned. There were 11 ossuaries and some scattered bones, probably from bodies that had been interred in the tomb before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. The peple who buried the bodies there may have been killed by the Romans, so never returned to place the bones in an ossuary or they may have returned to their homeland in north Africa.
Of the 11 ossuaries, nine of them had inscriptions scratched into their surfaces. Such a high proportion of inscriptions on ossuaries was unusual. Included in these inscriptions were twelve names, one written in Hebrew, one was a bilingual written in Greek and Hebrew, and the rest were in Greek. Eight of the Greek-style names were of the type used by Jewish exiles living in Cyrene, 500 miles west of Alexandria.
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| This ossuary has the words "Alexander of Simon" scratched into the lid. |
One of the osuaries was inscribed in three places. The names were not professionally carved, suggesting that the persons who put them there simply wanted to identify who belonged to which ossuary. In one place he started off by writing "Simon Ale" which was probably a mistake, so the writer started off again, this time writing "Alexander (son of) Simon".
The final inscription says in Greek "of Alexander" and beneath that in Hebrew, "Alexander QRNYT". Avigad suggested that the last word was a mis-spelling of "QRNYH", which means "Cyrene". So the total meaning may have been "Alexander son of Simon of Cyrene" and that, according to Tom Powers, the author of the BAR article, could identify him with the New Testament record.
Jesus was probably a strong, healthy, well-built young man, but He suffered incredible hardship during the last week of His life on earth. He had no sleep or food since Thursday evening. That night He was subjected to trials, torture, abuse and two cruel floggings. By Friday morning He must have been suffering from weariness, hunger and loss of blood, and when the heavy cross was laid on His shoulders it was just too much. He fell fainting under the load.
It was beneath the dignity of a Roman to carry such a load and no Jew was likely to volunteer to perform the task. Apparently at that critical moment a man named "Simon, a Cyrenean, the father of Alexander and Rufus" happened on the scene. (Mark 15:21) The Romans seized him and compelled him to carry the cross.
Simon was a common name among Jewish people, but Alexander was not, and the author concludes by saying, "I find it very unlikely that there could have been two families living in the first century Jerusalem, both of them from Cyrene in north Africa, both of them headed by a man named Simon and both of the men gave their sons the uncommon name Alexander. I believe the Simon memorialised on the Kedron Valley ossuary was very likely the Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus' cross at the crucifixion."
