Archeologists have proof that Jesus might not have arisen - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#1428693
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/ ... ml?cnn=yes

When the Discovery Channel aired a TV documentary last year raising the possibility that archeologists had found the family tomb of Jesus Christ in the hills behind Jerusalem, it caused a huge backlash among Christians. The claim, after all, challenged one of the cornerstones of Christian faith — that Jesus, after his crucifixion, rose bodily to heaven in his physical form.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus, made by Hollywood director James Cameron and Canadian investigative journalist Simcha Jacobovici, was shown only once on Discovery. Britain's Channel 4 canceled its own plans to air the documentary, which reexamines an archeological find from 1980 in which a crypt was found containing what were said to be the ossuaries of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, the son of Joseph, Mariamne (possibly Mary Magdalene, say the filmmakers) and Judah, son of Jesus. Given the highly explosive nature of its conclusion and its slapdash sleuthing, it was no surprise that the film was panned by some academics and many Christian clerics.

Still, even after the furor over the film faded, the questions it raised about the tomb unearthed in 1980 continued to make waves among archeologists and Biblical scholars. A leading New Testament expert from Princeton Theological Seminary, Prof. James Charlesworth, was intrigued enough to organize a conference in Jerusalem this week, bringing together over 50 archeologists, statisticians and experts in DNA, ceramics and ancient languages, to give evidence as to whether or not the crypt of Christ had been found. Their task was complicated by the fact that since the tomb was opened in 1980, the bones of the various ossuaries had gone missing through a mishap of Israeli bureaucracy. Also gone were diagrams made by excavators that showed where each stone sarcophagus lay inside the tomb, and what the family relationships might have been, say, between Jesus and Mary Magdelene, who some speculate may have been his wife.

After three days of fierce debate, the experts remained deeply divided. Opinion among a panel of five experts ranged from "no way" to "very possible". Charlesworth told TIME: "I have reservations, but I can't dismiss the possibility that this tomb was related to the Jesus clan." Weighing the evidence, says Charlesworth, "we can tell that this was the tomb of a Jewish family from the time of Jesus. And we know that the names on the ossuaries are expressed the correct way as 'Jesus, son of Joseph.'" But the professor has a few doubts. "The name on Jesus's ossuary was scrawled on, like graffiti. There was no ornamentation. And there should have been. After all, his followers believed he was the Son of God."

There was a revelation of sorts. The widow of Joseph Gat, the chief archeologist of the 1980 excavation electrified the conference by saying: "My husband believed that this was Jesus's tomb, but because of his experiences as a Holocaust survivor, he was worried about a backlash of anti-Semitism and he didn't think he could say this."

The tomb was found by construction workers digging the foundations for an apartment building in the Talpiot hills, a modern suburb of Jerusalem. Gat and two other archeologists excavated the tomb, which had been vandalized centuries earlier. The ossuaries, including one with the scrawl "Jesus, son of Joseph" were moved into an antiquities warehouse where they languished, forgotten, until a BBC film crew in 1996 dusted them off. Jacobovici took the story further, using statistics — later disputed by experts — which seemed to indicate that, although Jesus and the others were all common Jewish names during the days of the Second Temple, the chances of them all being found in the same crypt, belonging to the same family, were rare indeed.

The debate over Jesus' supposed tomb will probably rage for years to come. But the conference attendees voted unanimously that the tomb, now sealed over with concrete in the garden of a suburban apartment building, should be reopened and examined more carefully. "I feel vindicated," Jacobovici told TIME. "It's moved from 'it can't be the Jesus' family tomb' to 'it could be.' "

Charlesworth, who is also a Methodist minister, says that the possible discovery of Christ's tomb will illicit mixed reactions among Christians. Most, he believes, will view it positively. The faith of some believers, he says, will be buoyed by historical proof that Christ, the son of Joseph and Mary, did exist. "I don't think it will undermine belief in the resurrection, only that Jesus rose as a spiritual body, not in the flesh." He adds: "Christianity is a strong religion, based on faith and experience, and I don't think that any discovery by archeologists will change that."
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By Sweeps
#1428760
Occam's razor tells us that Jesus didn't rise from the dead, since the probability of that happening is rather a bit close to, um, zilch. The probability of this being proven beyond any doubt is about the same as Occam's razor being proven to be a definitive proof. I'm interested by this, though:
The name on Jesus's ossuary was scrawled on, like graffiti. There was no ornamentation. And there should have been. After all, his followers believed he was the Son of God.

This might be a completely silly quibble, but, shouldn't the final resting place for Jesus' bones, if he didn't rejuvenate (more ties between god and Doctor Who, note), be not particularly ornamental? I mean, he was an observant Jew. Surely, unless the rules have changed since then (which would explain why I could be off the mark, since my knowledge of biblical burial is a bit scant), ornamentation of his tomb would be a rather large no-no for the diciples, especially if they thought Jesus was a very holy man. Why would they go against burial laws for a holy man just because they thought him especially holy? And, if Jesus had risen from the dead, then decorating his crypts would be a bit silly and superfluous, no?

I find it hard to believe that Jesus' final resting place could have been found when there's still debate about whether Jesus even existed. I mean, I think he did, but, like, how did this story not make enormous waves if it has such credence? People want to uncover it to do more research. So that they can actually establish whether it was the final resting place of Jesus' remains, or just a hoax or coincidence. Not because they want to create a Tutankhamun-esque profile of his habits.
By smashthestate
#1429044
What about all of the zombies that rose out of their graves on and wondered the Holy Land coinciding with Jesus' death (soon to be undone, of course...he didn't really die for our sins after all). Do the archaeologists have any disproof of this?!

Matthew 27:
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.


Honestly, how do people believe this nonsense? If you think this is unbelievable, just read the apocryphal gospels. You're in for some fun.
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By Apollos
#1429111
Given the name Jesus and the hometown of Nazareth (even including the other names in the tomb), some scholars argue that there may have been about 5 or so men in the world at the time of Christ with that name and family in Nazareth. It's kind of like finding a tomb in Mexico with the names Juan, Maria, and Filipe from Mexico City. This wouldn't exactly narrow things down.
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By Nets
#1429224
There isn't a whole lot of evidence for even the city of Nazareth having existed then. Most other Jewish towns are all over the literature, Nazareth is nowhere.
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By Galoredk
#1429293
Funny thing is there were many prophets at Jesus time, some were even popular many centuries after and was considered the messiah by many people.

I would argue that Jesus was just a skilled orator nothing more..
By Kevin Lockard
#1436710
I don't believe in The Bible, but I was always under the impression that Jesus WAS supposed to have rose in spirit, not in his physical body anyways? He really kind of defeats the purpose of rising in your physical body...
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