The Lost Tomb of Jesus
The media was buzzing with news of the "discovery" of the Lost Tomb of Jesus at the end of February. The director of the movie Titanic, James Cameron, was present at a news conference along with an archeologist to promote a new Discovery TV special about the "find". According to the men, the accidental uncovering of the tomb in 1980 during a construction project for a new apartment building was proof that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that the stone ossuaries uncovered contained the remains of Christ's extended family including his son, Judah. Naturally, Christians were appalled by this latest Lenten attempt to attack Jesus and Christianity. Some points to ponder:
1) The Israeli archeologist who directed the 1980 excavation, Mr. Kloner, dismissed the claim while asserting that the cave containing the ossuaries was an ordinary middle class burial chamber. Surely someone of Jesus' stature would have a more elaborate ossuary.
2) Mr. Kloner also correctly asserted that Jesus' parents (Joseph is his foster father) were from Nazareth. Any family burial chamber should be located there.
3) Most notably, the names on the ossuaries were extremely common in the first century. The discovery would be similar to a 41st century archeologist discovering the late 21st century tomb of famed baseball star Ichiro Suzuki in Tokyo. A Japanese fan could readily attest to the fact that Ichiro's first and last name are as common as John Smith. However, as Americans, we lack the cultural knowledge to appreciate this fact. Additionally, Ichiro's hometown is in Aichi prefecture, not Tokyo.
4) Mary Magdalene's remains have been traditionally asserted to reside in France. She is said to have travelled there with Lazarus. The Greek Church says that some of her relics were in Constantinople in 886. There is no tradition of her internment in Jerusalem.
5) Any "tomb" theory necessarily involves claiming that the apostles were duplicitous. Since all but John were martyred for the faith one wonders why these men would give their life for a lie.
6) Christians were harassed for abandoning orthodox Judaism prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. It was well known that Jesus provided specific signs that would indicate that his followers should "head to the hills" prior to the Romans surrounding the city. Would the Jews tolerate a burial chamber of a blasphemer that would attract the adulation of heretics and traitors?
It is important for apologists to have these points at their disposal when confronted with this latest challenge to the faith.
1) The Israeli archeologist who directed the 1980 excavation, Mr. Kloner, dismissed the claim while asserting that the cave containing the ossuaries was an ordinary middle class burial chamber. Surely someone of Jesus' stature would have a more elaborate ossuary.
2) Mr. Kloner also correctly asserted that Jesus' parents (Joseph is his foster father) were from Nazareth. Any family burial chamber should be located there.
3) Most notably, the names on the ossuaries were extremely common in the first century. The discovery would be similar to a 41st century archeologist discovering the late 21st century tomb of famed baseball star Ichiro Suzuki in Tokyo. A Japanese fan could readily attest to the fact that Ichiro's first and last name are as common as John Smith. However, as Americans, we lack the cultural knowledge to appreciate this fact. Additionally, Ichiro's hometown is in Aichi prefecture, not Tokyo.
4) Mary Magdalene's remains have been traditionally asserted to reside in France. She is said to have travelled there with Lazarus. The Greek Church says that some of her relics were in Constantinople in 886. There is no tradition of her internment in Jerusalem.
5) Any "tomb" theory necessarily involves claiming that the apostles were duplicitous. Since all but John were martyred for the faith one wonders why these men would give their life for a lie.
6) Christians were harassed for abandoning orthodox Judaism prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. It was well known that Jesus provided specific signs that would indicate that his followers should "head to the hills" prior to the Romans surrounding the city. Would the Jews tolerate a burial chamber of a blasphemer that would attract the adulation of heretics and traitors?
It is important for apologists to have these points at their disposal when confronted with this latest challenge to the faith.
posted by flybynight | 8:46 AM
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