Judah, son of Jesus
Ossuary 80/501: �Yehuda bar Yeshua� � �Judah, son of Jesus�
The most controversial ossuary pulled from the Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries was undoubtedly the one inscribed �Judah, son of Jesus,� the ossuary of a child. If indeed the tomb uncovered in East Talpiot in 1980 is that of Jesus and his family, and if indeed Jesus of Nazareth had a son, this ossuary contradicts dramatically nearly 2000 years of Christian tradition.
It�s true that the New Testament says nothing about Jesus having a wife or fathering a child, but it doesn�t say he didn�t. It�s true that Jesus commended John the Baptist�s ascetic choices, but he didn�t say they were for him. The fact is, the celibate life was not a big part of Hebrew tradition. The command “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) was taken very seriously. A large family was a blessing from God (Genesis 22:17); sterility was a curse (1 Samuel 1:6-8); and virginity grievous (Judges 11:37). Rabbis, especially, were expected to be observantly fruitful.
In the end, the most Jesus ever said about the issue of celibacy was: “Let anyone accept this who can” (Mt. 19:12). It was the early Church fathers who connected sex with sin (outside of such Hebrew Bible prohibitions as incest, adultery, and masturbation) and began to build the story of Jesus� celibacy.
Absolutely nothing in the New Testament indicates that Jesus was celibate. He could very well have been married and had children.
Could Judah, son of Jesus have been the �Beloved Disciple� mentioned in the Gospels? If the �Judah� of ossuary 80/501 was still alive after the crucifixion, he would have been protected by Jesus� followers. If spoken of at all, he would have been referred to in code.
The child of a pretender to the throne would have been a target, especially in those turbulent times, with Jewish revolt in the air and the Romans not on their home turf.
A glance through history reveals that the Romans killed heirs to those who were contenders for kingship, even as they let siblings live. And a son of Jesus would have been a claimant to the Davidic throne.