James Cameron's new documentary for the Discovery Channel is stirring up a lot of controversy, which is to be expected when you attempt to disprove the beliefs of a billion Christians. Cameron contends that some ossuaries discovered in Jerusalem back in 1980 might have been the family tomb of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and their son Judah.
Needless to say, there are a whole lot of people with a whole lot to lose if Cameron turns out to be correct. Experts are jumping out all over the place to refute his claims.
From what little I have read, it seems there hasn't been a whole lot of tests done to determine the real age and origin of the boxes, and the bones were reburied according to Orthodox law when they were discovered.
Here is some of the story as posted at Reuters:
Cameron and a team of scholars showed two stone ossuaries, or bone boxes, that he said might have once contained the bones of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The findings are the subject of a documentary he produced called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" and a book "The Jesus Family Tomb."And here is part of the story posted at Breitbart.com that argues against the "discovery":The two small caskets were part of 10 found in 1980 during construction in South Jerusalem. Several had inscriptions translated as Jesus, Mary Magdalene and "Judah, son of Jesus," Cameron told a news conference at the New York Public Library surrounded by scholars and archeologists.
"This is the beginnings of an ongoing investigation," Cameron said. "If things come to light that erode this investigation, then so be it."
If true, the revelations are likely to raise the ire of Christians because the discovery would challenge the belief that Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven.
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."
I find this all a little amusing. I doubt, personally, that what they have are the family tombs of Jesus, Mary, and their child. But I also do not believe the resurrection myth of Jesus (an old motif that turns up in many cultures in that region and era).
It would go a long toward dispelling the mythic thinking of Christians if it could be proven that Jesus was just a very wise Jewish teacher who died like any other human being. Still, I doubt that the truly faithful would acknowledge it and give up their faith, no matter how much evidence is presented.
If nothing else, Cameron and the Discovery Channel are doing some good marketing for the show.
No comments:
Post a Comment