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Jesus' Tomb? Not!
by L Cruz III2006
By now you have likely heard of the troubling "documentary" that seems to have tried to shake up Christianity. (I have no wish to promote the film, therefore show titles and air dates will play no part in this article.)
The documentary claims that in 1980 Israeli construction workers accidentally uncovered an ancient TOMB that contained the 2,000 year-old bones of an Israeli family. However, it was NOT the existence of such a tomb that intrigued the filmmakers, but rather the names on the tomb...Yeshua bar Yoseph ("Jesus son of Joseph"), Maria ("Mary"), Yose ("Joseph"), Matia ("Matthew"), Miriamene e Mara ("Maria the Master". a.k.a. Mary Magdelene) and Yehuda bar Yeshua ("Judah son of Jesus" and "Maria the Master" - supposedly)!
Although archaeological heavy-hitters, at the time of the first discovery, investigated and then discounted any possible connection between the remains found in the tomb and actual people of the Bible, the filmmakers saw it quite another way...
more viewers = higher ratings
higher ratings = more money
Now, archaeological scholars are speaking out.
William G. Dever, who has been excavating ancient sites in Israel for many years and is widely considered THE dean of biblical archeology, told the Washington Post, "it's a publicity stunt, and it will make these guys very rich, and it will upset millions of innocent people because they don't know enough to separate fact from fiction."
Israeli scholar Amos Kloner, who originally excavated the tomb, told the Jerusalem Post that the filmmakers' claims are "nonsense." Kloner also said that of the 900 burial caves found within four kilometers (2 1/2 miles) of Jerusalem's Old City and from the same era, the name Jesus or Yeshua was found 71 times, and that "Jesus son of Joseph" had also been found.
Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem who was actually interviewed and included in the film, said the film's hypothesis holds little weight. "I don't think that Christians are going to buy into this," he says.
Joe Zias, the former curator of archeology at the Israeli Antiques Authority told the Washington post that the supposed documentary is a "hyped up film which is intellectually and scientifically dishonest."
Although I am grateful to these scholars and others who stepped forward to express concerns that are rooted in years of education and experience, our Christian faith should have told us the exact same thing.
The Bible is jam packed with spiritual teachings that highlight the differences between the world of the "flesh" and the Kingdom of God. In fact, a major theme of Jesus' teachings was the Kingdom of God. It was people whose intellects had become dulled by their blind attachment to unenlightened patterns of the flesh who eventually crucified Christ.
So, how should we respond to this latest "attack" against the faith? In kind! We need to understand that evil is an internal battle. Let us demonstrate to the rest of the world the power of this Truth by setting good examples. Do not allow the ways of the flesh to sway the faith that links you to God and His Kingdom. Doing so would be like condemning Christ to the cross all over again!
Stand strong. Do not not waiver. Do not doubt. Do not forget that the Bible is a unique book that, when guided by the Holy Spirit, actually proves itself to be True experientially...something that no mere history book or empty claim of the flesh could ever hope to accomplish. Do not forget to love. Do not forget Jesus' teachings. Do not forget the greatest commandment.
(Matthew 22:37-40)
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
May God be with you!
L Cruz III