[by Dean Smith] While the Bible provides a first-hand account of the crucifixion of Christ, some have discredited the story as being little more than fabrication. However, the discovery of a crucified man in a tomb outside of Jerusalem in 1968 tossed cold water on these opinions. The discovery was made by Jewish archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis. He found the bones of a crucified man in an ossuary or burial box in a tomb.  After death, bodies were wrapped in cloth and laid out on shelves in the tomb. After decomposition, family members transferred the bones to an ossuary — small boxes (16 inches to 28 inches long). The name on this box was “Yehohanan son of Hagakol.” He was a 25 to 30-year-old man and based on the tomb contents from a wealthy family. The tomb was dated to the first century AD, sometime before 70 AD, which made Yehohanan a contemporary of Jesus. Because of the family’s wealth, they suspect the Romans crucified him for rebellious activities instead of criminal. The crucifixion style It …