2008 Woodie Awards
Documentary with claims of finding Jesus' bones suffers from lack of credibility
By: Theron Willis
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: News
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Theron Willis
Staff Writer
A month ago now, The Discovery Channel aired a documentary called the The Lost Tomb of Jesus. This documentary made the statement that the actual bones of Jesus were buried in a tomb near Jerusalem, and that in this tomb are the remains of Mary Magdalene and their son Judah. The documentary was made by Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and famous Titanic director James Cameron. Much criticism has been leveled against the documentary, from Christian scholars and secular archaeologists.
The tomb that Cameron and Co. claims contains the remains of Jesus was uncovered in 1980 in the Jerusalem suburb of Talpiyot by a construction company while they were building a hotel. There is no exact reference to how many ossuaries were found in the tomb but biblical experts estimate around 200. An ossuary is a limestone box that the bones of the deceased are transferred to a year after death. Six of the ossuaries uncovered bear inscriptions that are translated as follows: Jeshua (Joshua or Jesus), Mara (Mary), Matthew, Josa (Joseph), Mariamene (which might be Mary Magdalene) and Judah, son of Jeshua. From this translation, he makes the assumption in his documentary that this is where Jesus and his family were buried.
Holes that critics have found with this statement include that the inscriptions found on the ossuaries are from around the time of 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. and Jesus did not die until 30 A.D. Also the name Jesus is a very common name during that time period and several other ossuaries with the name
"Jesus, son of Joseph" has been found throughout the years. Another inconsistency Archeological and Biblical experts have found in the evidence is that Jesus' family was a poor Galilee family in Nazareth and had no ties with Jerusalem and also could not have been able to afford the tomb in Talpiyot.
The documentary was aired on the Discovery Channel right before Holy Week. Some people believe this was done on purpose as a conspiracy to defame Christ when he should be praised. Dr. Bill Murray, an associate professor of Christian Studies at North Greenville, believes that there is a conspiracy against Christianity but it is a spiritual one and the people themselves that make such challenges against Christ may not even know about the spiritual warfare involved.
"In a spiritual sense yes there is a conspiracy. We have a adversary that is doing what he can in an attempt to frustrate God, but whether these people are knowingly or unknowingly participating in this conspiracy is impossible for us to know."
Instructor of Biology Mrs. Jean McManus believes that the timing of the airing of The Lost Tomb of Jesus was to boost ratings, "I think they used the timing around Easter time when Christians are celebrating the risen Lord to boost interest and to dramatize the situation."
The question we have to ask ourselves as students at North Greenville is, "How do we combat the growing attack against the sacredness of Christ?"
"First, we need to know what proper Orthodox Christianity teaches and then second, present those truths in a kind and reasonable way," said Murray.
Staff Writer
A month ago now, The Discovery Channel aired a documentary called the The Lost Tomb of Jesus. This documentary made the statement that the actual bones of Jesus were buried in a tomb near Jerusalem, and that in this tomb are the remains of Mary Magdalene and their son Judah. The documentary was made by Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and famous Titanic director James Cameron. Much criticism has been leveled against the documentary, from Christian scholars and secular archaeologists.
The tomb that Cameron and Co. claims contains the remains of Jesus was uncovered in 1980 in the Jerusalem suburb of Talpiyot by a construction company while they were building a hotel. There is no exact reference to how many ossuaries were found in the tomb but biblical experts estimate around 200. An ossuary is a limestone box that the bones of the deceased are transferred to a year after death. Six of the ossuaries uncovered bear inscriptions that are translated as follows: Jeshua (Joshua or Jesus), Mara (Mary), Matthew, Josa (Joseph), Mariamene (which might be Mary Magdalene) and Judah, son of Jeshua. From this translation, he makes the assumption in his documentary that this is where Jesus and his family were buried.
Holes that critics have found with this statement include that the inscriptions found on the ossuaries are from around the time of 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. and Jesus did not die until 30 A.D. Also the name Jesus is a very common name during that time period and several other ossuaries with the name
"Jesus, son of Joseph" has been found throughout the years. Another inconsistency Archeological and Biblical experts have found in the evidence is that Jesus' family was a poor Galilee family in Nazareth and had no ties with Jerusalem and also could not have been able to afford the tomb in Talpiyot.
The documentary was aired on the Discovery Channel right before Holy Week. Some people believe this was done on purpose as a conspiracy to defame Christ when he should be praised. Dr. Bill Murray, an associate professor of Christian Studies at North Greenville, believes that there is a conspiracy against Christianity but it is a spiritual one and the people themselves that make such challenges against Christ may not even know about the spiritual warfare involved.
"In a spiritual sense yes there is a conspiracy. We have a adversary that is doing what he can in an attempt to frustrate God, but whether these people are knowingly or unknowingly participating in this conspiracy is impossible for us to know."
Instructor of Biology Mrs. Jean McManus believes that the timing of the airing of The Lost Tomb of Jesus was to boost ratings, "I think they used the timing around Easter time when Christians are celebrating the risen Lord to boost interest and to dramatize the situation."
The question we have to ask ourselves as students at North Greenville is, "How do we combat the growing attack against the sacredness of Christ?"
"First, we need to know what proper Orthodox Christianity teaches and then second, present those truths in a kind and reasonable way," said Murray.
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