Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar)

Greek edict threatening death for tomb-robbing — once tied to the empty tomb, now traced to Kos

Herod, Yeshua & Jerusalem's Fall · inscription · Unprovenanced (from the antiquities market) · found 1878

Marble tablet with 22 lines of Greek text — Photo: Cumont, F. · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1878 — Acquired in 1878 by the collector Wilhelm Froehner, whose notes say only 'sent from Nazareth'; first published by Franz Cumont in 1930

Where Provenance unknown; labeled 'Nazareth'; marble from Kos (Unknown (Greece likely; Israel by tradition))

Dates from 1st century BCE–1st century CE (probably c. 30–20 BCE) · Early Roman · Late Hellenistic / early Roman period

Now at Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cabinet des Médailles, Paris

How Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) was found

Not excavated. The marble slab entered Froehner's collection through the antiquities trade with a note that it came from Nazareth. In 2020 Kyle Harper and colleagues matched its marble by isotope analysis to a quarry on the Greek island of Kos, suggesting it was set up there — perhaps after the desecration of the tomb of the tyrant Nikias around 20 BCE.

What it is

A marble tablet about 61 by 38 cm with 22 lines of Greek, an 'Edict of Caesar' ordering that graves remain undisturbed and that anyone who moves a body or breaks seals be put to death. The emperor is not named.

Why it matters for the Bible

For decades some argued that this was Claudius' reaction to reports that Yeshua's body had been stolen (Matthew 28:13) and reached him through the 'Chrestus' disturbances. The 2020 marble study makes a Nazareth origin unlikely and points to a Greek-island context unrelated to Yeshua. It still shows how seriously Rome treated tomb-tampering, the very charge Matthew says the guards were told to spread.

Unprovenanced (from the antiquities market): Genuine ancient inscription of unknown findspot. The link to Nazareth and to the resurrection is now rejected by most scholars after the 2020 isotope study; a minority still defend a Judean context.

The Hebrew word: KEH-ver

קֶבֶר

קֶבֶר is pronounced KEH-ver and means grave, tomb (Strong's H6913).

Places

Nazareth — נָצְרַת (Nats-RAT) — from netzer, 'branch', or 'watchtower'

Events

Guards' story that the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28)

Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) in Scripture

Matthew 2:23 First mention of Nazareth in Scripture.

Matthew 27:64-66 The tomb is sealed and guarded, showing the seal-breaking the edict names.

Matthew 28:12-13 The chief priests pay the guards to say the disciples stole the body — the kind of tomb-tampering this decree punishes.

Questions people ask

What is Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar)?
A marble tablet about 61 by 38 cm with 22 lines of Greek, an 'Edict of Caesar' ordering that graves remain undisturbed and that anyone who moves a body or breaks seals be put to death. The emperor is not named.

When was Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) discovered?
It was found in 1878 by Acquired in 1878 by the collector Wilhelm Froehner, whose notes say only 'sent from Nazareth'; first published by Franz Cumont in 1930, at Provenance unknown; labeled 'Nazareth'; marble from Kos.

Where is Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) today?
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cabinet des Médailles, Paris.

Which Bible verses does Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) relate to?
Matthew 2:23, Matthew 27:64-66, Matthew 28:12-13.

Is Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) authentic?
Genuine ancient inscription of unknown findspot. The link to Nazareth and to the resurrection is now rejected by most scholars after the 2020 isotope study; a minority still defend a Judean context.

Related discoveries

Sources

Open Nazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar) in Hebrew Explorer →

Part of Biblical Archaeology — 533 discoveries that run alongside the biblical story · Herod, Yeshua & Jerusalem's Fall

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →