| The Lost Tomb of JESUS | Added: Mar-2-07 |
As with all recent pre-Easter efforts to disprove the resurrection of Christ, this is just another attempt. It is clearly an effort to sell books and boost TV ratings. Christians have no cause to become upset or soon shaken in mind as far the content is concerned (II Thessalonians 2:2). It's already a myth full of holes. However, we need to pray for those who are promoting this fallacy and pray for those who may be spiritually weak, young in the Lord and others who may falter due to the fallacies of the unrepentant, unregenerate, modern-day Sadducees. As a rule, filmmakers are not the best archaeologists or historians. Most are just looking for ratings and hype.
Film director, James Cameron and filmmaker Simcha Jacobvici claim that it is a 600-to-1 chance that the Talpiot cave is the tomb of Jesus and His family. However, this has been exaggerated based upon a faulty system of statistics according to Dr. Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land. In fact, the name "Jesus" was a popular name in the first century, appearing in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries (or stone tombs).
Cameron's job as a director is to make the unbelievable, believable. Cameron, director of the movie "Titanic," should know that his claims have holes and will sink. These claims may take others down with them, but they will sink. Somehow, I don't think he cares. Remember how it was said that even God couldn't sink the Titanic? Now, the Titanic (in a manner of speaking) is attempting to sink God.
Story Not a New One: The story is not a new one, but one that is just now receiving international attention through newspaper headlines, TV reports, books, and film documentaries. It all began in 1980 in Jerusalem's Talpiot neighborhood as construction workers were digging a foundation for a new building in the Jerusalem area. A 2,000-year-old cave was found containing ten ossuaries (stone bone-boxes). Six of the ten boxes have inscriptions on them. The filmmakers translate the inscriptions as follows: Jesua son of Joseph, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Matthew, Jofa (Joseph, identified as Jesus' brother), Judah son of Jesua (Jesus' son - the filmmakers claim). As seen above, such a find is not uncommon in that part of the world, as is attested by Dr. Stephen Phann (read below). As today, back then many families wanted to outwardly identify with the Lord and those connected to Him. This is why the name "Jesus" appears in some 98 other tombs and on 21 different ossuaries.
According to their way of thinking, it's a wonder to me that Jesus' body hasn't been found among at least one of the many automobile accidents across our nation. Many of these vehicles have Jesus emblems, stickers and plates on them! Ok, that was sarcasm. But I believe you get the picture, the many caves containing stone boxes with the same inscriptions "can't all be Jesus!" It is said that the bone-box of James was among these ossuaries. James' bone-box has been deemed a forgery by Israeli authorities as well.
Overseer is outraged, the idea "impossible" and "nonsense"
One of the greatest sources to debunk the many up-coming documentaries and books devoted to this fallacy should (at least) include the man overseeing the project, Dr. Amos Kloner. Taken from an article from the "Culture and Media Institute," by Kristen Fyfe, we read:
"Additionally, several leading biblical and archeological scholars, including Dr. Amos Kloner, the Israeli archaeologist who, 27 years ago, became the first scholar to study the Talpiot tomb featured in Cameron's film, are so outraged by the documentary's leaps of logic they released a list of ten reasons why the film's claims are "bogus."
1)There is no DNA evidence that this is the historical Jesus of Nazareth.
2) The statistical analysis is untrustworthy.
3)The name "Jesus" was a popular name in the first century, appearing in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries (or stone tombs).
4)There is no historical evidence that Jesus was ever married or had a child.
5)The earliest followers of Jesus never called him "Jesus, son of Joseph."
6)It is highly unlikely that Joseph, who died earlier in Galilee, was buried in Jerusalem, since the historical record connects him only to Nazareth or Bethlehem.
7)The Talpiot tomb and ossuaries are such that they would have belonged to a rich family, which does not match the historical record for Jesus.
8)Fourth-century church historian Eusebius makes quite clear that the body of James, the brother of Jesus, was buried alone near the temple mount and that his tomb was visited in the early centuries, making very unlikely that the Talpiot tomb was Jesus' "family tomb."
9)The two Mary ossuaries do not mention anyone from Migdal, but simply has the name Mary, one of the most common of all ancient Jewish female names.
10)By all ancient accounts, the tomb of Jesus was empty, making it highly unlikely that it was moved to another tomb, decayed for one year's time, and then the bones put in an ossuary."
According to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, February 27, 2007, we find:
"However, Prof. Amos Kloner, the Jerusalem District archeologist who oversaw work at the cave when it was uncovered, told The Jerusalem Post that the documentary's claims were "impossible" and "nonsense," and that there was "no likelihood" that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb.
Dr. Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land agrees, told ICEJ News today that numerous first century burial caves found in and around Jerusalem have contained stone boxes inscribed with the same Hebrew names, which were very common in that day. Pfann added that he has yet to see any expert translate any of the inscriptions on the Talpiyot ossuaries as "Yeshua," Hebrew for Jesus."
Claims Full of Holes says Professor
As recorded in the Herald-Leader, Tuesday, February 27th, 2007, by Art Jester, we see that several others of clout who disagree with the Cameron, Jacobvici documentary:
"Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament interpretation at the evangelical theology school in Wilmore, said Cameron's contentions were false and amounted to a publicity stunt "full of holes, conjectures and problems."
Again, from the Herald-Leader concerning 600-to-1 odds:
"The Discovery Channel hired a statistician who said the odds were 600-to-1 that the discovery was the tomb of Jesus and his family. Numerous scholars challenged this. The Israel Museum's Mevorah called the statistics "a good trick," and Witherington called them "highly improbable."
If They Could Deny, Surely The Opportunity Is Now
As a whole, Israel does not believe in Jesus as the resurrected Messiah, however, they cannot -and do not- deny archaeological evidence. Again, as recorded in the Herald-Leader:
"A few months after The Brother of Jesus was published, Israel's Antiquities Authority decided that the ossuary was a fake. It charged the ossuary's owner, Oded Golan, with fraud and illegally selling archaeological artifacts outside of Israel. His trial continues, 2 1/2 years after it began."
To Deny the Resurrection is to deny the Bible.
There are some 333 prophecies in the Old Testament alone which directly relate to Jesus, therefore, both Old and New Testaments would be false if Jesus did not die on the cross and resurrect from the Dead. However, by comparing the statistics of Cameron and Jacobvici (600-to-1) to these 333 prophecies adds up to less than a drop of water. From the book, "Evangelism Explosion" by Dr. D. James Kennedy, page 151, we find:
"Imagine that you had the ability to predict the future and you predicted to an expectant mother eight things about her unborn baby: its sex, date of birth, name, weight at birth, college, occupation, manner of death, and age at death. The chances of all eight of your predictions being fulfilled is 1 in 10 to the 17th power -10 with 17 zeros! ... there aren't just eight prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament, but at least 333. The chances of all of those being fulfilled in the person of Christ is mind-boggling!"
Deception
It's one thing to convince yourself of a lie as Cameron and Jacobvici evidently have done, but quite another to convince others of a lie. I fear that many will be deceived and eventually cast into hell with the greatest deceiver, the devil, because of the false claims about the Resurrection.
Cameron's Pagan Connection
It has been reported by The Cutting Edge Ministry that James Cameron is a 33rd degree Mason. If this indeed be the case, it would explain the sentiment behind his disregard for Christian sentiment and foundational beliefs. The Masonic stance is universalism, that is, Jesus is no more than a Buddha, a Moses, or a Confucius. From Morals and Dogma by Masonic Authority, Albert Pike, 33rd degree, we find:
"[Masonry] reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, in Confucius and Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian Iconoclast [Mohammed], great teachers of morality and eminent reformers, if no more: and allows every brother of the Order to assign to each such higher and even divine character as his creed and truth require" (pg. 525).
This would say to the Christian: "Jesus was a great teacher of morality and an eminent reformer, if no more. You may assign to Him divine character, if you desire, but we (Freemasonry) do not."
Moreover, if indeed Mr. Cameron is a 33rd degree Mason, it would further explain his disregard for the Biblical truth. From the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Albert Mackey and Charles McClenachan, we find:
"The Bible is used among Masons as a symbol of the will of God, however it may be expressed. And, therefore, whatever to any people expressed that will may be used as a substitute for the Bible in a Masonic Lodge."
Again, it's one thing to convince yourself of a lie as Cameron and Jacobvici evidently have done, but quite another to convince others of a lie.
Resurrection witnesses:
Taken from Willmington's Guide to the Bible, page 353:
1) To Mary Magdalene in the garden (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18). 2) To the women returning from the tomb (Matthew 28:9,10). 3) To two disciples on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-32; Mark 16:12, 13). 4) To Peter in Jerusalem (Luke 24:34; I Corinthians 15:5). 5) To ten of his apostles in the upper room (Luke 24:36-42; John 20:19-23). 6) To eleven of his apostles in the upper room (John 20:24-29). 7) To seven of his apostles by the Galilean Sea (John 21:1-24). 8) To his apostles and 500 believers on Mt. Tabor (Matthew 28: 16-20; I Corinthians 15:6). 9) To eleven of his apostles and James, his half-brother, in Jerusalem (Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:44-49; I Corinthians 15:7). 10) To the eleven on the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:3).
And from page 628 1. The proofs of the resurrection a) The empty tomb. b) The tremendous change in the lives of the disciples. c) The silence from both the Romans and Pharisees. Not once did either of these enemy groups ever attempt to deny Christ's resurrection. They hated it and tried to suppress it, but could not refute it. d) The change from Saturday to Sunday as the main day of worship. As ingrained as the Sabbath was in the hearts and history of the apostles, it would have taken some fantastic event to change their thinking here. e) The existence of the church. In the less than fifty years after Christ's death, the Christian church had become a mighty power, causing the Roman government to view with growing concern its influence upon men and women. Legends and religions simply do not develop this quickly.
2. The appearances after the resurrection Our Lord appeared no less than seventeen times after his resurrection. Five of these occurred during the first Easter Sunday, and six more took place between that time and his ascension. The remaining six happened between Pentecost and the completion of the Bible. Dr. John Walvoord in his book Jesus Christ Our Lord (pp. 193-195) describes these appearances:
a) The first appearance of Christ was to Mary Magdalene as she remained at the site of the tomb after Peter and John had left. Here she saw Christ and first mistook him for the gardener, but immediately recognized him when he spoke to her (John 20:11-17; Mark 16:9-11). After she had seen the risen Lord, Mary Magdalene returned to report the appearance of Christ to her friends (Mark 16:10-11; John 20:18). b) The second appearance of Christ was to the other women who were also returning to the tomb and saw Christ on the way (Matthew 28:9-10). The best texts seem to indicate that the phrase "as they went to tell his disciples" is an interpolation, and they were actually returning after telling the disciples.
The record of the guards concerning the angel's rolling away the stone is another testimony to the resurrection of Christ from unwilling witnesses (Matthew 28:11-15). c) The third appearance was to Peter in the afternoon of the resurrection day. Concerning this there are no details, but it is most significant that Christ first sought Peter, the denier, of all the twelve (Luke 24:34; I Corinthians 15:5). d) The fourth appearance of Christ was to the disciples as they walked on the road to Emmaus. By supernatural delay of recognition, Christ was able to expound to them the Old Testament Scriptures concerning his death and resurrection. His identity was not known to them until he broke bread (Mark 16:12, 13; Luke 24:13-35. e) The fifth appearance of the resurrected Christ was to the ten disciples (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23). Mark's account refers to them as the eleven, but it is obvious from the context that only ten were there, as Thomas was absent. After the departure of Judas, the remaining disciples were often referred to as the "eleven," even if all were not actually present. In a similar way, Paul refers to the "twelve" as witnesses of the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:5), but actually, Judas Iscariot was already dead. f) The sixth appearance was to the eleven disciples a week after his resurrection. At this time Thomas was present (John 20:26-29). g) The seventh appearance was to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23). On this occasion he talked significantly to Simon Peter following the miraculous catch of fish. h) The eighth appearance was to five hundred and is recited by Paul as an outstanding proof of his resurrection (I Corinthians 15:6). i) The ninth appearance was to James, the Lord's brother (I Corinthians 15:7). There is some evidence that James was not a believer prior to the resurrection (John 7:3-5), but immediately after the resurrection he is numbered among the believers (Acts 1:14; Galatians 1:19). He later became one of the outstanding leaders in the apostolic church. j) The tenth appearance was to eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee. On that occasion he gave them the Great Commission to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:16-20). A similar commission is given in Mark 16:15-18, which may have been the same instance or an earlier appearance. k) The eleventh appearance occurred at the time of his ascension from the Mount of Olives Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:3-9). This is the last appearance of Christ to his disciples prior to his glorification in heaven. l) The twelfth appearance of the resurrected Christ was to Stephen just prior to his martyrdom (Acts 7:55, 56). Subsequent appearances, while different in character, confirm the fact of his resurrection. m) The thirteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul on the road to Damascus as he was about to continue his work of persecuting Christians (Acts 9:3-6; cf. 22:6-11; 26:13-18). On this occasion Paul was converted. n) The fourteenth appearance seems to have been to Paul in Arabia (Acts 26:17; Galatians 1:12, 17). The appearance is not clearly stated but may be inferred from Galatians 1:12. Some believe that the instructions to Paul, which he mentions in Acts 26:17, were given to him in Arabia, not at the original appearance on the road to Damascus. There is no record of the precise revelation given to Paul in Acts 9 or Acts 22. In Acts 22:10 he is promised a later revelation which would give him the necessary instruction. o) The fifteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul in the Temple when Paul was warned concerning the persecution which was to come (Acts 22:17-21; cf. 9:26-30; Galatians 1:18). p) The sixteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul while he was in prison in Caesarea, when it is recorded that "the Lord stood by him" and told him that he would bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11). q) The seventeenth appearance of Christ was to the Apostle John at the beginning of the revelation given to him (Revelation 1:12-20).
Taken as a whole, the appearances are of such various character and to so many people under so many different circumstances that the proof of the resurrection of Christ is as solid as any historical fact that could be cited in the first century.
"There is simply nothing new in the baseless claims made in the new movie The Lost Tomb of Christ," said David W. Balsiger, Senior Producer at Grizzly Adams® Productions, who with a team of 28 veteran scientists, archeologists, and scholars recently produced a pair of scientifically and biblically based documentaries on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.