This thread topic has GD all over it but we already had similar Great Debates. I just want a poll and what you thought if you saw the show.
For those of you not aware, in 1980, a work crew in Jerusalem uncovered a first century tomb. The contents, including the little ossuaries were cataloged and put into storage.
Eventually it was revealed that the ossuaries taken from that tomb were casually inscribed with the language and period appropriate names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, his brothers, and Mary Magdeline.
People just considered it a coincidence because all of the names were common at the time. Statistical analysis showed that while names were common, families with all those names would be extremely rare. They also explored the fact that the tombs were very close to an early Christian graveyard that held the earliest question. DNA analysis showed that some of the bodies were a blood relation lot those of Jesus and MaryMagdeline were not blood relatives even though it was a family tomb. There was one ossuary that was missing when they reopened the tomb. Analysis shows that it was probably the “James, bother of Jesus” ossuary that caused a sensation a few years ago when it was revealed to the public. Chemical analysis of the patina showed that it spent two thousand years in the same tomb.
I was shocked at how powerful and well-done the show was. I found myself being convinced despite my initially skeptical attitudes.
How about you? Did you see it? Did you find it convincing
Is there anything more to this than a family with names similar to the biblical ones? Anything at all? Like, evidence that this Jesus was crucified or was a preacher?
Because otherwise, while a heck of a coincidence, it isn’t enough to debunk a major world religion.
I am Christian and I never saw it as a debunking. Most of their sources were biblical ones albeit many things that are routinely ignored today. There are also missing books of the bible that got rejected from the compilation that talk about Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ brother having an important ministry later. That was based on the decision of a few but the other books of the bible or interesting as a reference work themselves and their number and quality seem to be growing over time as archeological discoveries are made.
Having bodies around isn’t much of a problem if ascension into heaven is spiritual rather physical. The Bible is a poor reference work in general but lots of information is in there if you look. Bible fundamentalists ignore obvious and comparatively clear references that Jesus had a whole family including brothers and sisters when the eveidence is obvious to anyone that reads the gospels.
The things presented match up much better with what biblical scholars have built up as a body of knowledge over the years. Very near the supposed Jesus tomb is a cemetery of the supposed very earliest Christians. That leads to his role as a preacher by itself. The Mary Magdalene coffin had inscriptions in both Hebrew and Greek which would make perfect sense for her and the first part of her name is supposedly written as “Master” which indicates an influential rabbi and does in exact wording in places to this day.
I didn’t check the tape before I set up the VCR & so it ran out long before it got to what I wanted most to see- the discussion afterwards. How did that go?
I think the Israelis took most of the bones but the ossuaries have enough residues to DNA testing based on what is left. They could get a few teaspoons or bone dusts. The bones themselves tend to fragment of time and fall into a pull that is hard to identify as what bone it is individually. In any case, Crucifixion was through the wrist and probably didn’t any bone going through although it could have made a mark of some sort because of it.
So the bones themselves are being held in an Israeli government version of the Indiana Jonesish Storage Facility? Guess we’ll see if the documentary will get them released.