Something one seems to fight in this context are falsified artifacts -- especially with regard to something of murky origin. There seems agreement that this ossuary is from antiquity, and no one seems to doubt one-half of its inscription "james son of joseph". There is the tantilizing possibility of a missing ossuary from the Talpiot tomb. There is powerful chemical evidence that this ossuary belongs with those of Talpiot tomb. To take one example, just the major element chemistry suggests the sediment it carried is very like a mix of the landslide material from Talpiot hill and so unlike anything from other tombs that the likelihood of it being from some other tomb is exceedingly unlikely.
Thus if one is inclined to believe that James was placed within an ossuary and is in a tomb in the Jerusalem area, the Talpiot tomb is likely to be that tomb. Then because the names inscribed on ossuaries known to be from the Talpiot tomb are so like what one would expect of members of the Jesus family, then one would be inclined, even without the inscription "brother of jesus" to believe that the jesus and james in this tomb are brothers, and the two most famous members of the jesus family.
Based on a whole range of reasonable assumptions, and the physical evidence, I am inclined to think the Talpiot tomb is the tomb of the Jesus family, and the James ossuary held the remains of "the" James. Time will tell, but you and I may not last so long to this proved or disproved.
In a word "yes".
Something one seems to fight in this context are falsified artifacts -- especially with regard to something of murky origin. There seems agreement that this ossuary is from antiquity, and no one seems to doubt one-half of its inscription "james son of joseph". There is the tantilizing possibility of a missing ossuary from the Talpiot tomb. There is powerful chemical evidence that this ossuary belongs with those of Talpiot tomb. To take one example, just the major element chemistry suggests the sediment it carried is very like a mix of the landslide material from Talpiot hill and so unlike anything from other tombs that the likelihood of it being from some other tomb is exceedingly unlikely.
Thus if one is inclined to believe that James was placed within an ossuary and is in a tomb in the Jerusalem area, the Talpiot tomb is likely to be that tomb. Then because the names inscribed on ossuaries known to be from the Talpiot tomb are so like what one would expect of members of the Jesus family, then one would be inclined, even without the inscription "brother of jesus" to believe that the jesus and james in this tomb are brothers, and the two most famous members of the jesus family.
Based on a whole range of reasonable assumptions, and the physical evidence, I am inclined to think the Talpiot tomb is the tomb of the Jesus family, and the James ossuary held the remains of "the" James. Time will tell, but you and I may not last so long to this proved or disproved.