Roll Back the Stone: Death and Burial in the World of Jesus

Directly relating to our understanding of the biblical and early Christian stories of Jesus' burial, this text includes a provocative interpretation of burial practices of the period 63 BCE to 135 CE, with particular emphasis on the time of Jesus. A strong connection to the recent discovery of the ossuary (bone box) purported to be that of James, brother of Jesus features. The book reveals what took place when the early Jews and Christians in Palestine gathered to bury their dead. It addresses questions such as whether Jesus' burial was a shameful event, and how different the death rituals of the Jews were from the earliest Christian communities.