More here:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/33587.html
-snip-
But the senior Israeli archaeologist who thoroughly researched the tombs after their discovery, and at the time deciphered the inscriptions, cast serious doubt on it.
"It's a beautiful story but without any proof whatsoever," Professor Amos Kloner, who had published the findings of his research in the Israeli periodical Atiqot in 1996, told Deutsche
Presse-Agentur dpa Friday.
"The names that are found on the tombs are names that are similar to the names of the family of Jesus," he conceded.
"But those were the most common names found among Jews in the first centuries BCE and CE," he added.
Kloner dismissed the combination of names found in the cave as a "coincidence."
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which is keeping the caskets in its archive in the town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, declined to comment on the documentary, saying it had not researchedthe caskets and that its duty was only to safeguard them.
-snip-
Why 'beautiful'? Another nail for them to use on Christianity?
Now the most common Jewish names are Cohen, Goldman, Silverman, Youngman, Spiderman...etc.
"The names that are found on the tombs are names that are similar to the names of the family of Jesus," he conceded.
"But those were the most common names found among Jews in the first centuries BCE and CE," he added.
Kloner dismissed the combination of names found in the cave as a "coincidence."
Well, that answers my questions in post #170.
Being Jewish, I am sure that the good archeologist has no ax to grind defending the Christian faiths.
And clearly, not being inclined to grasp the opportunity to attack Christianity, he obviously is not gay, either.
Thanks for posting this, bump!