Jesus Family Tomb Talking Points

Gamecock

[Gamecock]

I'm sure that by now all of you have heard about the claim that the ossuary of Christ's family has been found.

I would like to open a thread that will help us develop answers to friends, both Christians and atheists who might come to us with questions about it all.

Please feel free to post your rebuttals for others to use!

Biblical, rational, scientific, philosophical, whatever you can come up with is more than welcome!

[Tax-chick]

Good idea!

[MNJohnnie]

Umm they claim to "have used DNA" to "prove" their claims.

So can anyone explain to us just how they got a DNA sample to match to Jesus Christ's DNA?

[Gamecock]

My thoughts and some taken from elsewhere in Cyberspace:

1. One mathematician gave "odds" that there was only a 1:600 chance that the boxes of bones belonged to anyone else. This was based on the chance that the names of Christ's family would all be in the same vault.

-1:600 is not really impressive. Would you get on a plane that had 1:600 chance of crashing?

2. We know that there was incredible persecution of the early Christians. Would they risk such persecution if they knew Christ really didn't exist?

3. We also know that the Romans and Jews would have done anything to suppress Christianity. Is it likely that they would have built up a ossuary and put any bones in there in the hopes that they could refute Jesus's claims?

-Is there a chain of custody showing that this was never tampered with.

4. Why would a family from Galilee, and a poor one at that, be buried in Jerusalem, in such an impressive (read expensive) chamber?

5. How do we know that some misguided pilgrim didn't set this up at some point in the distant past?

[kittymyrib]

Hmmm...God's Word or the word of another atheist from Hollywood? Not much of a choice for any believer in Jesus.
This clown just wants the publicity and the money that "The DaVinci Code" got. The best thing for Christians to do is laugh at him for thinking we are dumb enough to give his blasphemy any attention at all.
These enemies of Jesus know that Christians aren't into slitting the throats of blasphemers, as the Muslims would do if he attacked their faith. However, perhaps someone should mention to him that Jesus will punish anyone who endangers the faith of a child, promising that it would be better for him to have a millstone hanged around his neck and before being tossed into the sea.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

I think you would have a hard time convincing Betty Baxter that Jesus isn't alive and well. One of the greatest testimonies in the history of the Church, and just a preview of what is coming.

Betty Baxter Story

[Bringbackthedraft]

Who is next? Muhammed and the horse?

[Gamecock]

Please feel free to ping your respective Ping Lists.

No slight intended if I missed anyone.

[Gamecock]

GRPL Ping

Please ping any other list you may be a menber of....

[P-Marlowe]

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, (Luke 24:2-8 KJV)

[deaconjim]

1. Their claims seek to prove God a liar. They cannot, therefore, be true.

2. The chief archeologist that oversaw the work at the tomb, Bar-Ilan University Prof. Amos Kloner, called their claims "nonsense".

3. "There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb," Kloner said. "They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the 1st century CE."

4. There were many tombs found in the area over the years that had the words "Jesus son of Joseph" inscribed on them.

[siunevada]

How about Amos Kloner saying the story is "nonsense"? Mt. Athos posted this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1791244/posts

[Enosh]

Purporting to find Christ's bones is nothing more than rehashed Templar pulp fiction.

[redgolum]

Is Dan Brown releasing another book?

I am not being sarcastic. This sounds like a PR tie in. The guy that excavated the tomb (can't remember his name off had) says it is most certainly NOT the tomb of Jesus.

[MadIvan]

There are only two historical sources that spring to mind which might have Christ's DNA - first is the Shroud of Turin; however the authenticity of that is still a matter of debate. The second is a relic which I believe has been lost in the mists of time, the "True Cross" - the cross upon which Christ was nailed. This was a holy symbol for Byzantine emperors, but I believe was lost when the Turks took over the Byzantine empire.

Given this, the idea that they somehow have his DNA isolated is laughable at best.

Regards, Ivan

[dangus]

Well, for one, they are appealing to the lies about the Ossuary of James. Whatever researchers think this is credible, presume the Ossuary of James, one of the most pathetic hoaxes in archaeological history, is actually true.

The inscription on the Ossuary of James was scratched THROUGH the patina, proving that the Ossuary was old, but the inscription is new. This discovery, with an empty space that the authors presume to be where the Ossuary of James was, lacks patina altogether on all but one ossuary.

Oh, wait... I forgot... a lot of folks fell for the Ossuary of James hoax because it was only anti-Catholic. Defending Christ would require eating too much crow...

[dangus]

>> Would this be the same ossuary alleged to contain the remains of Jesus' brother James? Or did they discover a new one? <<

Sorta. The authors claim this is a tomb containing several ossuaries, and they suppose that the ossuary of James was removed from it.