|
These
are links to articles and essays which appear
elsewhere on the Internet. This material is NOT on
our website. Because the Academy lists material
from other websites on the Internet does not imply
acceptance or approval of the comments or opinions
expressed by the author of the material. Nor is the
Academy responsible for any misrepresentation of
the facts included. It is your job to be a critical
reader.
Posted on March 1,
2007
Introduction and resources provided by
Leadership
University
The
Jesus Family Tomb?
James
Cameron, director of the movie Titanic, and his
documentary director Simcha Jacobovici, claim they
have found the "Jesus Family Tomb," the tomb in
which Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene, and their son
Judah were buried, along with other family members.
This week amid much fanfare, they unveiled the
ossuaries, or ancient "bone boxes," where they
believe Jesus' and his family members' bones were
buried (but have since decayed). They have produced
a special for the Discovery Channel, "The Jesus
Family Tomb," which airs Sunday night, March 4, at
9pm Eastern, and they've released a book to go with
it, The Jesus Family Tomb. One thing is certain: if
their theory is correct, the bodily resurrection of
Jesus is false. He would have been just another man
crucified by the Romans and entombed in an
ossuary.
What are we to make of this? While Cameron and
Jacobovici claim they have good evidence that this
is indeed where Jesus was buried, there has been
skepticism among archaeologists (especially the
ones who excavated the gravesite in 1980), as well
as Christian leaders who are frustrated at yet
another attempt, Da Vinci style, to discredit the
traditional faith. Even the secular media have been
dubious. Newsweek writes, "Good sense, and
the Bible, still the best existing historical
record of Jesus of Nazareth, argue against
Jacobovici's claims." Time magazine called
the theory "problematic" and filled with "debatable
conjecture." They're right. Here's why.
First, there is too much historical evidence
that we already have about Jesus which doesn't fit
with this tomb theory. For one thing, Amos Kloner,
the archaeologist who originally excavated the
site, knew that "Jesus," "Mary" and "Joseph," as
well as "Mathew" were very common names at this
time in Israel, so the fact that they're in a tomb
together is not surprising at all. Kloner still
maintains there's nothing special about the tomb.
Second, there are names on some of the ossuaries in
the tombs that we don't have any other historical
record as being part of Jesus' family: "Matthew,"
and "Judah" (the latter whom Jacobovici claims is
Jesus' son). Third, there are members of Jesus'
family that we do know about which are not buried
in this tomb. Why would they be buried somewhere
else? In fact, why would Joseph, Jesus' father, be
buried in Jerusalem at all, since he was born in
Bethlehem and died in Nazareth? Fourth, New
Testament scholars (both secular and Christian)
agree that the early Christian movement could not
have began without some sort of belief in the
Resurrection of Jesus. But how could such a belief
have been maintained (and how could Jesus'
followers have risked their lives for it) if Jesus'
tomb was right there outside of Jerusalem for
anyone to look at? Surely the Jewish authorities
who wanted to shut down the burgeoning Christian
movement would have produced Jesus' body for all to
see. See more detailed articles on this below.
Furthermore, critics and scholars alike are
already attacking Jacobovici's DNA evidence
(allegedly showing Jesus and Mary Magdalene were
married) as well as attacking the probability
statistics that supposedly show a 600 to 1 chance
that this is not Jesus' family tomb. The articles
we have collected below are mainly from some
scholarly blog sites. As this is an ongoing saga,
we will be adding new articles on this subject as
they become available, so be sure to bookmark the
page.
The Jesus' Family Tomb: Scholars
Respond
Problems
Multiply for Jesus Tomb Theory, by Ben Witherington
III: Ben Witherington, author of What Have They
Done with Jesus?, outlines many problems with the
book, The Jesus Family Tomb, co-released with the
Discovery Channel special.
Hollywood
Hype: The Oscars and Jesus Family Tomb, What Do
They Share, by Darrell Bock: Seminary professor
and author Dr. Darrell Bock points out significant
questions concerning the evidence and conclusions
of "The Jesus Family Tomb."
The
Jesus Tomb? Titanic Talpiot Tomb Sunk from the
Start, by Ben Witherington III: New Testament
scholar Ben Witherington blogs on the "Jesus Family
Tomb" theory on the day of the press conference
announcing the discovery.
Related Articles
The
Historicity of the Empty Tomb of Jesus, by William
Lane Craig: In this scholarly article, Dr.
Craig examines the evidence for the empty tomb from
the New Testament, including Paul's narrative of
the Resurrection and early traditions in the Gospel
accounts. Craig does not presuppose the New
Testament is historical, but sifts through the
documents to argue for the historicity of each
section of Scripture.
Contemporary
Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the
Resurrection of Jesus, by William Lane Craig:
In this summary article, Craig recounts how in the
last 25 years, a turn in contemporary scholarly
study of Jesus has led to conclusions that tend to
strengthen, rather than weaken, traditional
interpretations of the Biblical accounts of the
Resurrection.
Cruci-fiction
and Resuscitation: The Greatest Hoax in the History
of Humanity?, by Russ Wise: Russ Wise from
Probe Ministries examinesthe view liberal scholars
have of the Resurrection: that there was no
miracle, and that it is not central to
Christianity. Also included is a discussion of the
Gospels that did not make it into the Bible.
Jesus and
DaVinci: Who Was Jesus Really?: The DaVinci
Code is related to the controversy surrounding "The
Jesus Family Tomb." Visit our sister website for
articles related to the famous book and movie.
Christian
Leadership Ministries has created a Resource Center
to help you find resources for ministry. Browse our
growing collection of books, Bible studies, videos
and other resources offered for the purpose of
encouraging you in your spiritual growth and
ministry. Items published by Campus Crusade for
Christ, NavPress, InterVarsity Press and many
others, as well as those created and published
specifically for the Christian professor, are made
available for your selection. Every effort is made
to serve you by providing proven resources at
competitive prices. Resource
Center.
The place to buy ministry materials.
All material within this frame
is © 1995-2007 by Leadership University. All
rights reserved.
|