St. Paul was the only human who lived in the first and second centuries AD

[Malthus]

How will that help?  Is Paul's DNA on file somewhere?

Boy that federal sex offender registry has *everything*.   

[DontSayBanana]

How will that help?  Is Paul's DNA on file somewhere?

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

[Caliga]

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

[Neil]

You forgot the part about the church tradition.  They already thought that the bones were Paul's, the testing merely confirmed that they were of the right age and strengthened their case.

It's like carbon-dating my grandmother's bones, finding out that she died in the twentieth century, and then you saying 'You think your grandmother was the only person who lived in the twentieth century'.

I thought the margin for error on Carbon-14 tests was about 200 years anyway.

It varies.

[DontSayBanana]

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

Recorded regional abnormalities, like the genetic "defect" that makes the Amish resistant to cardiac problems.

[Malthus]

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

There are other techniques which can do that.

From an analysis of the enamel on teeth, one can trace approximate place of origin.

http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/tests/oxygen_isotope.html

[Razgovory]

I thought Paul was in Venice.

[Razgovory]

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

I thought you were all up on science.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

The bone fragments were carbon dated to that time period and (I presume) shown to be human, so it seems to me like the Pope says that means the bones must belong to St. Paul.  What am I missing? 

Science hasn't been good to the church the last few centuries. It started with Galileo, then someone counted ribs and discovered that men don't have one less than women, then there was Darwin, and then there was the shroud of turin fiasco.

Let's let the pope have his moment--he is probably just giddy that science didn't disprove him for once.

't would have been funny if the bones were from a woman. :p

[Martinus]

 

[Martinus]

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

They could always clone him and find out.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Can DNA point to a specific county of origin now?  Even if it could, how do we know ancient dudes that lived there have similar DNA to modern ones?

They could always clone him and find out.

He'd have no saul, as it proper for clones.

[Josephus]

How will that help?  Is Paul's DNA on file somewhere?

I think Sask is talking about whether the genetics point to an ethnic Greek, Roman, Turk, or Jewish corpse.

Yeah, but that wouldn't satisfy most of you anyways...since undoubtedly there were many men of Greek, Roman, Turk or Jewish ethnicity in the first and second century.

Unlike most of the other relics, I believe this one has possibility. Unlike many others, it wasn't brought in from the Holy Land 6 or 700 years later by zealous knights. I don't know the history of these bones, but tradition holds Paul was killed in Rome, so it is likely that his followers buried him somewhere nice.

[Valmy]

They could always clone him and find out.

Supposedly Paul struggled with gayness so you could help us see if the clone is gay.

[Caliga]

Unlike most of the other relics, I believe this one has possibility. Unlike many others, it wasn't brought in from the Holy Land 6 or 700 years later by zealous knights. I don't know the history of these bones, but tradition holds Paul was killed in Rome, so it is likely that his followers buried him somewhere nice.

Oh, I agree that these *might* be the bones of St. Paul.  The Pope's apparent assertion that they *are* the bones is what I found amusing.