Jerusalem ? Breaking his silence, the reclusive owner of an ancient burial box said Thursday he would never sell what may be the oldest archaeological link to Jesus, but that he was willing to have it exhibited in Israel.

The inscription on the limestone box, or ossuary, reads “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” leading some scholars to believe it contained the remains of James, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. Others have said it might be a forgery, or that it might have been the burial box of a different James, unrelated to Jesus Christ.

The owner, Oded Golan, a 51-year-old engineer from Tel Aviv, said Thursday that he had refused to come forward until now because he was a private man.

Golan has been questioned by inspectors who wanted to know more about the origin of the ossuary. He insisted Thursday that he bought the James ossuary in the mid-1970s.

However, antiquities inspectors are also checking suspicions that Golan bought the ossuary only a few months ago.