Question:
Discovery Channel just did a documentary about what is believed to be Jesus` tomb. I was wondering, what are your thoughts on this? I don`t know enough of Christian history to make an informed decision on how I feel about it.
Answer:
Thanks for the note and question. I saw a newspaper article about this program just this morning (02/27). So I'll do some research on this and give you a fuller response soon (see article links below). However, even from the brief Associated Press article that I read, it seemed that the find was of dubious value.
Producer/Director James Cameron of "Titanic" fame, is behind the project and he's not known for his scholarly pursuits. In fact, it was noted that this tomb was discovered in 1980 and speculation was made long ago that this was Jesus family tomb. The fact that this theory has never gained traction before should tell us something. We see it now splashed on our front pages (just in time for Easter!), because it sells newspapers and TV advertising, but it hasn’t "stuck" in the academic community because these claims must have very little actual historical value.
What has been found, are about 10, 1st century Ossuaries near Jerusalem. Ossuaries are bone boxes which usually have name labels for the occupants remains - I'm told you had to be a person of means to afford one, the first clue that this likely isn’t Jesus’ family tomb. The labels on these boxes include one that says "Judah son of Jesus", another “Jesua son of Joseph” and another “Mariamene e Mara” (meaning Mary the Master). The assumption by the Discovery crew is that this must mean Jesus was buried with his "wife" Mary from Magdala and they had a kid named Judah.
The independent scholars that were asked to comment for the article I read, noted that the names on the boxes were not clear. In fact one scholar said, the name read “Jesua” could actually be read "Hanun". Also the name Joshua was the most popular Jewish name in the first century. So the likelihood of this Joshua referring to the Jesus of the New Testament is 1 in 6 million, one scholar said.
The only other thing I can add right now, is something I've researched long before this. It's a historical fact that no group ever venerated the tomb of Jesus. This would have been absolutely astounding, if in fact he HAD a permanent tomb. Jewish and Pagan cultures marked the tombs of significant people, and pilgrimages and sepulchers and monuments were made for them, bones were raided for their magical powers. Ancient historian Eusebius notes that James, Jesus brother, had a well known tomb venerated by the early church. No tomb was ever so marked or visited for Jesus in the first century – not until Constantine tried to identify Golgotha and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on that site in the 4th century.
If the tales of Jesus resurrection were only late developing (as most skeptics claim), then before there was a legend to protect, there HAD to be a long period of time when the tomb of Jesus was known to all who loved him (and hated him) and would have been marked, visited, venerated, raided and probably, eventually, built on. This is certainly true of many other religious and political figures of that time. The fact that no such tomb was known is significant. Also, for Jesus, this tomb would have been in his home town of Nazareth not in Jerusalem were the bone boxes were found.
Of course, if the legend hypothesis were true, Christianity would never have gained any traction because it is built, not in part, but in whole (1 Cor 15:14-17) on the contention that Jesus did not decay in the grave. Even the enemies of the church admitted that there was no occupied tomb – they claimed instead that the early church stole the body. If there was a 1st century family tomb filled with Jesus bones and those of his wife and mother and child, this would have been known generally and used readily by Jewish and Roman authorities in their battles with early Christians – which history says they never did.
For further info:
http://www.y-zine.com/yJesus.htm?gclid=CMPA2N6a0ooCFRagYAodnTbPeg
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/457272336.html
