Current Events: The Lost Tomb of Jesus

If you follow television much, particularly channels like the Discovery Channel or the History Channel, you'll see many interesting specials.  I have to admit that I have an almost unhealthy addiction with the Discovery Channel.  This past Sunday a new film was aired on the Discovery Channel.  The film was/is called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus".  Now you might be thinking, "Have they found the tomb that Jesus was buried in before his resurrection?"  Well...no. 

In 1980 a tomb was discovered by a construction crew in Talpiot (a suburb of Jerusalem).  This was actually quite a common occurrence during the 80's.  During the 1980's construction crews unearthed hundreds of tombs which contained thousands of ossuaries (small boxes that contained the bones of the deceased).  During the time of Jesus it was common for families, with the means to do so, to build tombs for their departed family members.   A freshly deceased body would be laid out on a rock in the open air to help it decompose rather quickly.  Once the body had decomposed the family members would take the bones, put them inside a small box (ossuary), and then place them inside the family tomb.  Well, in 1980, in Talpiot, a tomb was discovered with ten Ossuaries inside of it.  Several of the Ossuaries had inscriptions on them.  These inscriptions were as follows:  Jesus, Son of Joseph;  Maria (the Latin form of Mary);  Mariamene (the Greek form for Mary);  Matthew;  Judah,  Son of Jesus; and Jose, a diminuitive form of Joseph.  The original official report of this find was written by a man named Amos Kloner and he found nothing remarkable about this discovery.  His reasoning?  The following is a quote from an article in Newsweek magazine, "The cave, it was said, was probably in use by three of four generations of Jews from the beginning of the Common Era.  It was disturbed in antiquity, and vandalized.  The names on the boxes were common in the first century (25 percent of women in Jerusalem were named Miriam or a derivative).  The original report does not speculate on family relationships nor does it make any connections between the inscriptions and the figure countless Christians through two millennia believe physically rose from the dead and, according to tradition, 'ascended into heaven'."  To this very day Kloner believes that there is nothing significant about the discovery of the cave in Talpiot. 

Enter an Emmy award winning journalist (Simcha Jacobovici) and a major Hollywood filmmaker (James Cameron).  Simcha actually has quite an impressive biography and he has two Emmy awards (one from 1995 and 1996 for Outstanding Investigative Journalism).  Simcha has fallen under some heavy fire from scientists, archaeologists, and theologians for his controversial views of Biblical events and general historical perspectives.   Some seem to think Simcha is a hack whereas others seem to think he is a certifiable genius and a brave innovator of his generation.  I can't really say.  I've never seen any of his documentary work (except the one being spoken about in this article).  So as far as the credibility of Simcha Jacobovici goes, I cannot render an intelligent opinion based merely on one work that I have viewed by him.  James Cameron needs little to no introduction for anyone who has had a pulse in the last twenty years.  Cameron is responsible for some of the biggest films in popular culture over the last 21 years.  Cameron is responsible for films such as the 1st and 2nd Terminator movies, the insanely successful Aliens, the thought provoking under water drama The Abyss, and the epic Titanic (which won the Academy Award for best picture in 1997).  Simcha and Cameron have combined their respective disciplines to bring us The Lost Tomb of Jesus.  The filmmakers seem to assert the opinion that the Talpiot tomb that was discovered in 1980, which was sighted as not historically relevant by Amos Kloner (the head archaeologist overseeing the cataloging of the Talpiot tomb in 1980), is actually the lost family tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene (the wife of Jesus according to the assertions of the film), a child of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (according to the film) named Judah, Matthew, the tax collector and disciple of Jesus, and Yose (a nickname for Joseph) i.e. the younger brother of Jesus.  The claim here is that Jesus did not physically arise from the tomb and ascend into heaven as the gospels and the book of Acts asserts.  Rather, the body of Jesus, to be more precise his bones, were actually buried in this tomb in Talpiot. 

As you can imagine, the recent documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" has raised more than a few eyebrows.  I watched the bulk of the documentary when it aired on Sunday night and found myself largely unaffected by it.  The whole theory presented by the filmmakers, in my humble opinion, is so full of holes and partial conclusions that it is nearly impossible to take any of the information presented in the documentary as credible.  My opinion on this documentary is obviously not a flattering one but it is not simply because I'm a Christian.  It just all seems like bad science, bad archeology, and bad theology rolled into, as one critic of the documentary put it, an "archeoporn" film.  There is far too much information to go into regarding the intricacies of the Talpiot tomb so what I wanted to provide for you were several links that will lead you to information about this new documentary.

Here is a link to the documentaries official website:  www.jesusfamilytomb.com
Here is a link to a Newsweek Article Regarding the Film:  Raiders of the Lost Tomb
Here is a link to a Christian critic's viewpoint of the documentary:  Alpha & Omega Ministries Article

I was trying to find an objective source to support the documentary but I didn't really have a whole lot of luck in the time I spent searching.  View the material for yourself.  Pray and use great discernment.  Do not be shaken by this documentary.  I encourage you to watch it.  Stand firm and steadfast in the word of God.  He is true and unshakable.  After you check out the material, maybe even poke around on the web to see what else is being said about the documentary and the Talpiot tomb in general, register your thoughts back here.  It should prove for some good conversation. 

all my love

chad

Comments

[Peg]

Like you, Chad, I had seen the news clip talking about the tomb of Jesus or whatever they call it. But did not watch the documentary.

I feel sorry for these people. Sad they don't believe the "Real Story". But then again, many people will do most anything to make money, cause a stir, or make a person doubt.

When scripture, or any written matter, is taken out of context, anyone can say it means whatever they "like". Excuse me, but I like the original version. Don't think they read far enough.

So sad, for them and others that fall into the same trap.

Love back at ya'

Peg

[smiles]

Chad,

Thanks, bro. This is good pastoring.

Peg,

I like the original story best, too! You know, one of the cool things is that many people who are active in their pursuit to squelch Christ and Christianity end up being saved by grace, and become very active in spreading the Gospel. Let's pray that this happens with these people.

All my love, too...
smiles

[earnestine landseadel]

Chad, this my first visit to your site and I am happy I found it. Thanks so much for your enlightened evaluation of the latest attempt to undermind and destroy faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It grieves me that people are so suceptible to the evil one's tactics as he goes about to kill, steal and destroy. My hearts goes out to those who are taken in by his tactics, but I remember that the bible says, there is none so blind as those who "will" not see. It is still a matter of "free will." I pray for the souls who chose not to believe. Bless you,Chad. In God's love, Ernie