General - Written by NSC- Admin on Friday, March 2, 2007 23:08 - Read 876 times , 2 so far today - 19 Comments

The Lost tomb of Jesus- The Jesus Family Tomb- Discovery Channel -News Analysis

Year in and year out new theories debunking the claims of Christ appear just in time for Easter. This year lenting season the release is from James Cameron from the house of The “Terminator,” “Aliens” and “Titanic” .His latest flick is pure science fiction.


Hollywood has attacked and mocked the Christian faith through out this centuary. But whats different in this new release is the documentary makes a mockery of the archaeological profession. Christian faith is always open for attack and critisiation. I just remember about the Danish cartoonist of Prophet Mohammed. He has to go on exile to save his life. Critics say James Cameron has picked the right subject as its about Christianity, saving his life for next mega money making movie. What people forget is there is a recordable history of 2000 years for Christian faith not just in Jerusalam where all houses are built on graves but in the rest of the world too. You cannot just ridicule all the scriptures by shooting on air.   This is not something new.
In 1996, when the British Broadcasting Corp. aired a short documentary on the subject, archaeologists challenged the link to Jesus and his family. Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site, said the idea fails to hold up to archaeological standards but makes for profitable television.  The Plot This week the Discovery Channel, together with HarperSanFrancisco, announces the release of “The Jesus Family Tomb,” a television documentary and a book that aim to show that the tomb next door to Tova Bracha’s apartment, located in a nondescript suburb called East Talpiot, near the family plot of Jesus Christ. Spearheaded by a well-known TV director named Simcha Jacobovici, and produced by “Titanic” director James Cameron, “The Jesus Family Tomb” is—both in book and movie form—a slick and suspenseful narrative about the 1980 discovery of a first-century Jewish burial cave and the 10 bone boxes, or ossuaries, found therein. With the help of statisticians, archeologists, historians, DNA experts, robot-camera technicians, epigraphers and a CSI expert from New York’s Long Island, Jacobovici puts together a case in which he argues that the bones of Jesus, Mary and Mary Magdalene, along with some of their lesser-known relatives, were once entombed in this cave.  The filmmakers contend that the inscriptions on the boxes say Yeshua bar Yosef (Jesus son of Joseph), Maria (Mary), Yose (Joseph), Matia (Matthew), Mariamene e Mara (Maria the Master) and Yehuda bar Yeshua (Judah son of Jesus). They maintain that “Mariamene e Mara” is Mary Magdalene and that Yehuda bar Yeshua may be her son by Jesus. Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States yesterday denounced the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt. 

The Ridiculous Publicity stunt

 We should note that the surviving six names are only six of many more who were buried in this family tomb. There may have been as many as 35. The six people whose names we have could have belonged to as many as four different generations. This is a large family tomb, which would certainly have been used for quite some time by the same family. We should not imagine a small family group. Some members of the family of Jesus we know lived in Jerusalem for only three decades (from the death of Jesus to the execution of his brother James in 62). None of our other evidence would suggest that there were so many of them as to require a tomb of this size. 

 Jesus was a very common name at the time — Mary even more so. 48 percent of women living at the time were named Mary, Mariam or the Hebrew name Shlomzion. In addition, Jesus’ family was poor. Those who paid for the tomb were middle-class, at least. If Jesus’ family did have the cash, the family tomb would likely have been situated in Nazareth. After all, Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth.  

  Jesus did not marry Mary Magdalene and nor did he have a son. If you had been Jesus and (for argument’s sake) had had a son, would you have named him Judas (same as Judah or Jude), like the man who betrayed you?. There is no historical evidence that Jesus was ever married or had a child. 

  There are more than 900 buried tombs just like the “Jesus” tomb within a 2-mile radius of Talpiyot. For years, it was just another of the many tombs of ancient middle-class families who lived roughly in the time of Jesus.  Two years earlier, Israeli archaeologist Amos Kloner was the first to find the tomb. He found the tomb and the ossuaries — the urns or vaults used to hold the bones of the dead — interesting but of no particular archaeological importance.Is someone next year going to make a documentary saying all those are of disciples of Jesus 

  This was discovered in 1982, by Tova Bracha’s family. Why it took this much of time .This is making a mockery of the archaeological profession. If there was something important it could have been presented to a team of archeologist than in news conference and television. 

 Most Christians believe Jesus’ body spent three days at the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old
City. The burial site identified in the documentary is in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood nowhere near the church.
 
 

 Simcha Jacobovici also said tests on the patina, or surface residue, of the “James Ossuary,” which surfaced in 2002, indicate that it also came from the Talpiyot tomb. Israeli authorities have pronounced the James Ossuary, which purportedly held the bones of a brother of Jesus, a forgery and are prosecuting its owner. Jacobovici, who made a 2003 Discovery Channel film about it, maintains it is real.

 There is no DNA evidence that this is the historical Jesus of Nazareth. 

 The statistical analysis is untrustworthy 

 The name “Jesus” was a popular name in the first century, appearing in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries. 

 The earliest followers of Jesus never called him “Jesus, son of Joseph.” 

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19 Responses

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Daniel
Mar 3, 2007 0:53


Post : 556

Good work.Keep us updated.

Chris Rosebrough
Mar 3, 2007 1:18


Post : 555

I’ve written a comprehensive rebuttal of the films claims. Please read it and decide for yourself whether or not the film claims are solid or a hoax.

You will find it at extremetheology.com

Proud Nasrani
Mar 3, 2007 5:11


Post : 557

The necessity of fusion of cultures necesserily alter many valuable historical evidences. Were we, Nasaranies of Kerala, able to immune from the influence of west and our local neighbours we would have something different but very valuable to offer to the World related to any issue of Jesus. We never ever forget that Thomas knew the historical Jesus more than Paul who almost single handedly founded the western christianity.

Anoop
Mar 3, 2007 6:49


Post : 548

Commandable work.

Vick
Mar 3, 2007 7:00


Post : 549

Jacobovici is a liar and Cameron doesnot know what history means.

Peter
Mar 3, 2007 7:02


Post : 550

Great news. Discovery Channel is not airing the show in India. They have apologised to the Chrisitan Community in India.

Justin
Mar 3, 2007 7:09


Post : 552

Cameron just wants to make money by a new movie.He is taking the world for ransom for his greed.

Vincent
Mar 3, 2007 7:10


Post : 553

Good work and thanks for keeping us updated.

Thomas
Mar 3, 2007 7:22


Post : 551

It was easy to go through the points.Nice presentation.Keep up the good work.

Varghese
Mar 3, 2007 7:27


Post : 554

Israel govt is prosecuting the owner of Jacobovici’s earlier documnetary for forgery.This is just another fictional work for fame.

Anon Nasrani
Mar 3, 2007 7:30


Post : 547

Even though am commenting anonymously.
I appreciate your works.Its very commendable and you comes out as expert in what ever you do.Who ever you are am sure you are quite successfull in your filed.It would be great if you reveal your identity.We need more people like you among us who are ready to do selfless service.

Catholic Secular Forum
Mar 3, 2007 8:48


Post : 546

”The Lost Tomb of Jesus’ hurts the sentiments in a pluralistic society and is an attempt for selfish profits and commercial gains or cheap publicity.We want the Discovery Channel to relent from broadcasting the documentary in India. We have lodged our complaint with the channels.

http://www.indiaenews.com/religion/20070301/41593.htm

Proud Syrian Christian
Mar 3, 2007 8:49


Post : 544

great effort.

Gomes
Mar 3, 2007 9:37


Post : 545

Cameron sucks !!!

Vadakkan
Mar 3, 2007 21:29


Post : 543

Does Cameron or Discovery or anyone has the courage to take a documentary about the archeoligical findings on Propjet Mohammed or or any other religions.I bet !!!

Jose
Mar 10, 2007 4:18


Post : 558

Lost tomb of Jesus has now a place in the worlds most published controversies.

It failed miserably.

Joseph George
Aug 30, 2007 10:57


Post : 559

Once I read this in the Biblical Archaeological Review. The Editor of that Review was not ready to endorse this “discovery”.

Though it disturbs a lot to read such hoaxes against the Lord, these things WILL keep on happening as it was already prophesied 2000 years ago by a prophet when Jesus was born:

“Behold, this One is set for the fall and rising up of many in Israel, and for a sign SPOKEN AGAINST;”(Luke 2:34).

He was born with the announcement of “good will among men”(Luke 2:14) but some men wanted to give ill will back to Him.

When we provide the best historical evidences in the 4 gospels they say that these are oral transmissions by a handful of Christians for their personal benefits and hence cannot be trusted. when we provide the best secular evidences they say these are additions or later interpolations by the Christian hypochrites and hence cannot be trusted. At the same time they do not doubt the historic account of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Plato, Aristotle, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin…….!

Jesus Himself has described these people in the most apt words: “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like little children sitting in the markets, and calling to their mates, and saying, We piped to you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not wail. For John(the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, he has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a wine drinker, and a friend of tax collectors, and of sinners”(Matth 11:16-19).

Whatever you do these skeptics have only one propaganda; ridicule!

One way this is for good because each time this happens, we are prompted to study further diligently to reassess our conviction which gets more and more established instead of shaken.

At the same time it does not become Christian to hate these people. Reading through Luke 9:51-56 is very good. Jesus has a magnificent personality that He is above all these hoaxes and will not be touched by the skeptics.

NJ
Feb 10, 2008 0:12


Post : 1175

The Jesus Family Tomb Controversy: How the Evidence Falls Short By Dillon Burroughs published in 2007 has reference to this NSC NET article in Page 123.

Just thought of sharing this bit of information.

roy george
Apr 3, 2008 8:10


Post : 2001

The problem is we are christains ( issayi) having no global idol or a stone which we could assemble and worship it so sacride it non muslims could see it . if we know as issa is the son of marry why there is no biological father . and any body could test the kabba-stone as islam belive it was come from heaven and one should take round atleast 7 times once in his life time.

the languge of god is aramaic which is christain and no christains speak it or atleast the prayer which is teached by jesus should be the same language . now muslims tells us the language of jesus is arabic as quran says so quran may wrong .

my request is atleast the language of jesus should be known to a christain.

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