well, I was reacting most especially with "JESUS' BONES". Simony is different thing.
I might be wrong (that's why I'm asking for sources), but as far as I know, no one ever shown up (except for the last ossuary affair of course) with a piece or bunch of bones claiming they were Jesus' ones. How could that be ?
I mean, just go back a few decades back, let's say a century when religious belief was a still bit more taken into consideration than today. Just imagine, someone showing up claiming ""hey lookit what I found, Jesus' bones, wanna buy ?" no one ever would have believed the guy(at best). In Christianity (and large part of the muslim Ummah as well), Jesus is considered to have physically ascended to heavens, thus leaving no body on Earth - so no bones to find !). Unless having absorbed some strongly mind alterating substances, no one would have ever claimed to have found'em...
More back in time, when Religion was truly ruling, that guy would have been chopped up to pieces.
Only in our very today's world when science is trying to impose its view of the world on traditionnal beliefs, such a thing can occur.
Of course, with Holy Relics (real or not) it's all different. Many things have shown up along the centuries definitely, bones and blood as well, but from Christian Saints, not Jesus !
hey, pretty interesting link Pertinax, thanx !
my, isn't that a bit too Hollywoodish ?