Posted on 02/26/2007 7:39:12 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
Scholars, clergy slam Jesus documentary
By MARSHALL THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
35 minutes ago
JERUSALEM - Archaeologists and clergymen in the Holy Land derided claims in a new documentary produced by the Oscar-winning director James Cameron that contradict major Christian tenets. "The Lost Tomb of Christ," which the Discovery Channel will run on March 4, argues that 10 ancient ossuaries — small caskets used to store bones — discovered in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1980 may have contained the bones of Jesus and his family, according to a press release issued by the Discovery Channel.
One of the caskets even bears the title, "Judah, son of Jesus," hinting that Jesus may have had a son. And the very fact that Jesus had an ossuary would contradict the Christian belief that he was resurrected and ascended to heaven.
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 Cameron's documentary is in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood nowhere near the church.
In 1996, when the BBC aired a short documentary on the same subject, archaeologists challenged the claims. Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site, said the idea fails to hold up by archaeological standards but makes for profitable television.
"They just want to get money for it," Kloner said.
The claims have raised the ire of Christian leaders in the Holy Land.
"The historical, religious and archaeological evidence show that the place where Christ was buried is the Church of the Resurrection," said Attallah Hana, a Greek Orthodox clergyman in Jerusalem. The documentary, he said, "contradicts the religious principles and the historic and spiritual principles that we hold tightly to."
Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem who was interviewed in the documentary, said the film's hypothesis holds little weight.
"I don't think that Christians are going to buy into this," Pfann said. "But skeptics, in general, would like to see something that pokes holes into the story that so many people hold dear."
"How possible is it?" Pfann said. "On a scale of one through 10 — 10 being completely possible — it's probably a one, maybe a one and a half."
Pfann is even unsure that the name "Jesus" on the caskets was read correctly. He thinks it's more likely the name "Hanun."
Kloner also said the filmmakers' assertions are false.
"It was an ordinary middle-class Jerusalem burial cave," Kloner said. "The names on the caskets are the most common names found among Jews at the time."
Archaeologists also balk at the filmmaker's claim that the James Ossuary — the center of a famous antiquities fraud in Israel — might have originated from the same cave. In 2005, Israel charged five suspects with forgery in connection with the infamous bone box.
"I don't think the James Ossuary came from the same cave," said Dan Bahat, an archaeologist at Bar-Ilan University. "If it were found there, the man who made the forgery would have taken something better. He would have taken Jesus."
Although the documentary makers claim to have found the tomb of Jesus, the British Broadcasting Corporation beat them to the punch by 11 years.
Osnat Goaz, a spokeswoman for the Israeli government agency responsible for archaeology, declined to comment before the documentary was aired.
If it really was Jesus there would be no bones about it.
Was there a "J" on it? Because everyone knows that "I" is "J" in Aramaic. Just ask Indiana Jones
Hopefully this ship is going to sink the remainder of his career.
I have a theory on why they found an empty tomb. He left.
They found a cave...I found a book...I know which to believe...
That's the whole key to our religion- faith...
Faith is the mental acceptance of and confidence in a claim as truth without proof supporting the claim.
All I know is that if any of this were true it would have been mentioned in the most authoritative book of The Bible: The Gospel of Judas.
This was probably "Hey-suess", not Jesus
Lots of men were named Joshua (which in Greek is Jesus) in Hebrew culture. Given the popularity of the names Joshua and Joseph, I'm sure there were a lot of men named Joshua bar Joseph (Jesus, son of Joseph).
There is nothing new about this.
It seems that every few years, someone somewhere manages to crawls out of obscurity, and proclaims that they have "irrefutable evidence" which proves Christ as a fraud.
I say the same thing every time this happens; "Could it be that the frightened disciples of Christ, who managed to find incredible bravery after his ascension, were martyred for the sake of something they knew was not true? How could they support a lie, if they were not fully convinced by what they personally witnessed?"
And what about the apostle Paul, who spent his earlier years as the great Pharisee persecutor of Christians. How is it that even he would dare walk away from such a high position within the Jewish faith, and put his life on the line for a lie? Those who study the bible, know that Paul was perhaps one of the single most intelligent men of his time, and there was nothing material to gain for any of these men. In light of all the so called evidence that can be provided by the naysayers, I tend to always revert back to the historical account of the Saints.
Also, I know in my spirit that Jesus is just who he claims to be, so let the naysayers rail on.
They prove nothing.
I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard about your comment - the visual is hilarious. I wonder if muslims could see the humor in it. Thanks, a great take on the situation.
Thought #2: Can I exempt Mythbusters from my boycott? Hmmmmm...
Ah, the one titled; "If I did it".
Yep. That's the one!
Where he sold out for 30 pairs of Bruno Mahlis.
Is Cameron Jewish?
For Muslims, there is no humor, only anger, in most everything.
Many people want to believe this, so they will believe it. I mean, people still buy into the da Vinci crap.
It will probably have the opposite effect.
I've advised Discovery Communications and my local Sat TV Provider that I am going to cancel service if this airs....
I've written to everyone I can think of to protest this Prime Time Apostacy.
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