Unholy business : a true tale of faith, greed, and forgery in the Holy Land / Nina Burleigh

Includes bibliographical references (p. [257]-260) and index.

A woman with many cats, Oct 2001 -- The billionaire's table, Spr 2002 -- The detective, Fal 2002 -- Pieces of God -- The collector -- Doubt -- The tablet -- The mysterious Tzuriel, Win 2003 -- Scholars, Spr 03 -- The workshop, Sum 03 -- The gulls, Fall 03 -- Accused, Fal 04.

In 2002, an ancient limestone box called the James Ossuary was trumpeted on front pages as the first material evidence of the existence of Jesus Christ. Today it is exhibit A in a forgery trial involving millions of dollars worth of high-end Biblical-era relics, which could lead to the incarceration of some very wealthy men and embarrass major international institutions, including the British Museum and Sotheby's. Set in Israel, with its 30,000 archaeological digs crammed with biblical-era artifacts, and full of colorful characters--scholars, evangelicals, detectives, and millionaire collectors--this book tells the story of what Israeli authorities have called "the fraud of the century." It takes readers into the murky world of Holy Land relic dealing, from the back alleys of Jerusalem's Old City to New York's Fifth Avenue, and reveals biblical archaeology as it is pulled apart by religious believers on one side and scientists on the other.--From publisher description.