The Enigmatic Jehoash Inscription: Genuine or Forged?

Year: 5771. Location: Temple Mount excavations. Possibility: Elaborate forgery

It was a groundbreaking historical discovery. One clear day in 5771, antiquities collector Oded Golan announced that he had acquired an ancient stone tablet featuring an inscription by King Jehoash, describing how he refurbished the Temple. An event recorded in the Book of Kings.

This was the first discovery of an inscription purportedly linked directly to the Temple. Gold specks found clinging to the tablet—allegedly remnants from the destruction that melted the Temple's golden gates—added a dramatic layer to the discovery.

Hardly had the ink dried on this sensational news when the Israeli police raided Golan's home and seized the rare find. The Antiquities Authority claimed that Golan operated a sophisticated network of antiquities forgers who manufactured and sold numerous finds, including the 'Jehoash Inscription,' to unsuspecting buyers for millions of dollars. The Antiquities Authority formed two investigation committees: one to examine the stone tablet and the other to investigate the inscription. Both concluded that the tablet and its inscription were forgeries.

Based on this determination, the prosecution decided to charge Golan with fraud and forgery. However, the trial, which dragged on for three years, ended unexpectedly: Judge Aharon Farkash ruled that the state had not succeeded in proving the inscription was a forgery.

Confused? That's not the end of the story. Last month, in a dramatic turn of events, the Antiquities Authority appealed to the court, insisting the contested inscription should not be returned to Golan. According to the Antiquities Authority, if the 'Jehoash Tablet' is authentic, it ranks among the most unique and rare discoveries in Israel and belongs in an official museum or at least in the Antiquities Authority's storage, not in a private collector's home.

Hershel Shanks, editor of the 'Biblical Archaeology Review,' argues that Golan has been greatly wronged. "From the start, there were experts who disagreed with the official stance of the Antiquities Authority, but their voices were silenced," says Shanks. "The establishment cannot accept criticism or admit mistakes. The 'Jehoash Tablet' doesn't fit the agenda of certain archaeologists, prompting them to go to great lengths to discredit it."

So, what is the truth about the Jehoash Tablet—an ingenious fake or an astonishing find? Only Oded Golan holds the answers.