Nazareth Inscription

Imperial Greek edict against tomb-robbing, possibly from the mid-1st century CE.

Date

1st century CE

Culture

Roman

Material

Marble

Dimensions

61 cm x 38 cm

Found at

Nazareth region (reported)

Held by

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Discovered by

Wilhelm Fröhner (acquisition) (1878)

inscriptionromanresurrection

Description

A marble tablet inscribed in Greek with an imperial decree ordering capital punishment for anyone who disturbs a tomb or moves a buried body. Provenance said to be Nazareth.

Biblical significance

Long discussed in connection with early reactions to reports of Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 28:11-15), though recent isotopic analysis suggests the marble originated on the Greek island of Kos.

From the same era

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