The Nazareth Inscription

The Nazareth Inscription likely documents a first-century AD imperial reaction to the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. In response to the emperor’s decree, an unknown mason etched the fourteen-line inscription on a marble slab measuring 7.3 × 4.6 m. The earliest record of the plaque dates to 1878 when Wilhelm Froehner added it to his private collection with the note that “The marble was sent from Nazareth in 1878.” Later scientific tests established that the marble derived from one of the Greek islands. The now famous translation of the Greek text remained a mystery until the Paris National Library acquired the Froehner antiquities upon the collector’s death in 1925. The curator had the inscription transcribed and translated. The first line, “An Edict of Caesar” peaked scholarly inquiry, but the rest of the text dealing with the issuance of the death penalty for anyone stealing bodies from graves launched a near hysteria. By 1932, scholars had published over 20 articles attempting to interpret and date the artifact.

 All agreed that one of the Caesars decreed it before the temple’s destruction in AD 70. A strong case can be made for Claudius, early in his reign ca. AD 41 or Tiberius prior to his death in AD 37. If Claudius issued it, he was likely attempting to extinguish the spreading flames of the Nazarene sect of Judaism (as the Romans saw the early Christians). After all, the official government position concerning the disappearance of Jesus’ body was that the disciples had stolen it (Matt. 28:11–15). Also, the Romans clearly identified Jesus as being a Nazarene, as evidenced by the placard the Roman governor Pontius Pilate ordered to be placed over Jesus’ head on the cross: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews (Jn. 19:19). So, it stands to reason that the inscription occupied a public spot in Nazareth less than a decade after the resurrection. If Tiberius issued this decree, it was even closer to the resurrection in AD 33. Matthew 27:51–53 records that Jesus brought many other deceased righteous believers back from the dead when he resurrected and that they were seen walking around Jerusalem. These believers were probably recently deceased followers of Jesus. Assuming that Tiberius was responsible for the decree’s issuance, it should then be understood as a reaction to the empty tombs in Jerusalem in the spring of AD 33 and the fanatical new sect to which the event gave birth.

The Nazareth Inscription is a most spectacular and important artifact that offers a unique extrabiblical synchronism with the gospel accounts of the resurrection.

Written by: Dr. Scott Stripling

TBS Provost and 3J Museum Director

Open Bible (2025) advisor and contributor.

ScottStripling.net