UPDATE: I will continue to add resources below as they become available (most recent at the bottom).
===
Here is a great quote from James White, one that we should all keep in mind when dealing with these things:
“We are also seeing the danger of investing Hollywood celebrities with nigh unto divine powers. James Cameron brought us Terminator and Titanic, but now he seems to have become an archaeologist and theologian as well. He is quoted as saying, “It doesn’t get bigger than this. We’ve done our homework; we’ve made the case; and now it’s time for the debate to begin.” Well, if a true scholarly debate is what they wanted, they would have presented this material first in a completely different context. They don’t want debate anymore than Dan Brown did. They want money, they want power, and evidently, they know the best way to get it these days is to join the “attack Christianity” bandwagon. They have presented their conclusions before the debate itself, and that is so that they can poison the well. When the debate finally begins, the money will already be in their pockets, the damage done, and for the foreseeable future we will be dealing with people repeating their claims as established facts.”
If Cameron wants debate, there are plenty of evangelicals ready and willing. Cameron has the money to put these things together. but I’m certainly not holding my breath for this to happen.
Here are some responses I’ve noticed around the Web:
Oh Brother, Here We Go Again–or Do We?, James White
The Lost Tomb of Jesus, James White.
More Outlandish Discovery Channel Claims, James White.
What To Say, James White.
James is also live blogging Larry King Live.
Here is a response from Dr. Paul Maier Who’s Writing the Fiction Here.
Resources and Responses to the “Tomb of Jesus and His Family” Story, Internet Monk.
Titanic director aims to sink Christianity, by Brian.
Hollywood Hype: The Oscars and Jesus’ Family Tomb, What Do They Share?, Darell Bock.
The Jesus Tomb? ‘Titanic’ Talpiot Tomb Theory Sunk From the Start, Ben Witherington.
BK over at the CADRE Comments blog has two posts Playing Wack-a-Mole with the Jesus Tomb and More on the Jesus Tomb.
BK also points to Annual Anti-Easter Pageant 2007 Edition, over at Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength.
Here is a post by Marc Goodacre.
Here is the transcript of Larry King Live from 2/26/07.
Here is a paper by Michael Heiser, presented at the 2003 Near East Archaeological Society on the Jesus Ossuary.
Dr. Paul Maier was on Issue Etc. February 26, 2007 discussing this very issue. Here is the audio.
Has the tomb of Jesus been found?, by Matt Slick.
Greg Koukl opened his show Sunday discussing tacktics Christians should take on this issue. Here is the audio link (may need to register).
The Jesus Tomb, Andreas Köstenberger.
James White, on his Dividing Line program, responds to all the craziness. Here is a link to the audio.
James White was also on The Way of the Master (2/27/07) with Todd Friel. Here is the audio link.
Kirby Anderson from Probe Ministry posts Tales From the Crypt: Do we have the bones of Jesus?.
Ben Witherington was on Issue, Etc. (2/28/07) and here is the audio link.
Here is an MP3 with Michael Heiser (stay tuned to Mike’s site.
Problems Multiply For Jesus Tomb Theory, Ben Witherington.
Here is a Washington Post piece quoting various archeologists.
Here are some comments by Richard Bauckham.
Gary DeMar chimes in with Tales from the Crypts.
Ben Witherington and Darrell Bock interviewed on Jerry Johnson Live.
Craig Evan was interviewed by Todd Wilken on 2/28/07 (start 29:34).
James White was interviewed on Calling for Truth (3/1/07).
Did They Really Find Jesus’ Bones?, Craig Blomberg.
On a related note John Warwick Montgomery was on Issues, Etc. (3/1/06) discussing Michael Baigent and his book The Jesus Papers. Part 1 (starts 28:05) and Part 2.
Joseph R. Nally, editor of Reformed Perspectives Magazine writes an article titled Raiders of the Empty Tomb.
Gary Habermas and Colleagues respond here (posted 3/2/07).
Darrell Bock and Bible.org put together a podcast. Here is the audio.
The Lost Tomb of Jesus, Melinda Penner.
The Lost Tomb of Jesus” * Yet Another Attack Upon Jesus And His Resurrection, Kurt Van Gorden (updated 3/4/07).
Andrew Webb preached a sermon on 3/4/07 titled Still Risen – A Response to “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” (text Mat. 27:62-28:15).
On March 4th, James White taught Sunday School on The Family Tomb of Jesus.
Craig Evans response to The Lost Tomb of Jesus Documentary. Part 1 and Part 2.
Wailing at the Tomb? Christians Should Face the Facts of The Discovery Channel, Greg Koukl.
Viewers Guide to Understanding the Talpiot Tomb ‘documentary’ to be aired on the Discovery Channel, Joe Zias.
Jeffrey Kloha discusses The Lost Tomb of Jesus Documentary with Todd Wilken (3/5/07). Kloha wrote an article titled The Lost Tomb of Jesus: A Perfect Storm.
The Tomb of Jesus and Family?
Second Thoughts, Craig Evans. Evans was also on 100 Huntley Street, see video here.
Greg Koukl interviews Gary Habermas on The Jesus Tomb. Here is the audio.
Gary Demar interviews Paul Maier
on the “The Lost Tomb of Jesus?
“Simcha’s Folly A Review of The Jesus Family Tomb and The Lost Tomb of Jesus: The Divil’s in the Details”, by Ronald Huggins
Darrell Bock interviews Amos Kloner.
Gary Habermas was interviewed on The Things That Matter the Most on March 18, 3007. Here is the audio link.
James White posts his Summary of Errors, Problems, Contradictions, and Half Truths in the Tomb Theory.
Gary Habermas’ presentation on Converse With Scholars, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Also a panel discussion with Drs Daniel Wallace, Mike Licona, and Robert Bowman the same night here and here.
Gary Habermas was interviewed on Focus on the Family.
Gary Habermas was interviewed on The Danny Fontana Show.
Jason McNutt said,
February 27, 2007 at 3:18 pm
This is the same old thing just repacked with a little more Hollywood flair. I made a quick comment on this but I think overall we shouldn’t even get spun up.
http://vintagechristianity.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/godless-chatter/trackback/
totaltransformation said,
February 27, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Thanks for the link collection. Very helpful.
J said,
February 27, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Ditto totaltransformation’s comment.
J
[Follow Up] Tomb Raider « ten strings attached said,
February 27, 2007 at 8:22 pm
[...] http://countercult.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/the-lost-tomb-of-jesus/ [...]
Cory Tucholski said,
February 28, 2007 at 12:02 am
Good list! Thank you very much.
Dividing Line and Other Resources « Josiah Concept Ministries said,
February 28, 2007 at 12:03 am
[...] this is a link to a blog with more resources on answering the questions raised by the [...]
Rick said,
February 28, 2007 at 2:11 am
Thanks for the links
Lost Tomb of Jesus: Links Galore « The Temple said,
February 28, 2007 at 7:17 am
[...] Tomb of Jesus: Links Galore Check out Jeff Downs blog Countercult Apologetics for a massive list of links about the tomb of Jesus [...]
James Swan said,
February 28, 2007 at 11:49 am
Thank you!
Blessings-
jimmy c said,
February 28, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Thanks for all the resources. remember: Jesus said,”I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevale against it”.
No Compromise Ministries » More Links on the Jesus Tomb Controversy said,
February 28, 2007 at 1:38 pm
[...] CounterCult Apologetics [...]
markrmorris2 said,
February 28, 2007 at 2:55 pm
You know we have no one to blame but ourselves. It is our reaction to books like the Davinci Code that starts these kinds of ripple effects. We should have ignored it and let it become the second rate, bargain table, reduced price piece of poorly written, less than theatrical tripe that it was. Instead we reacted as if it was going to rip a hole in the universe and suck our tiny little God, since he needs our defense he must be, out the window. Sorry but this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Wish we could learn to bend our knees as well as we can jerk them.
Jeff said,
February 28, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Hi Mr. Morris. That is interesting because I’ve heard the very opposite, regarding the Da Vinci Code. It is my understanding and what I believe, that this was handle well by those who have responded (either on the net or in books), in comparison to the reactions to the The Last Temptation of Christ.
I think this one will be handled just as well as The Da Vinci Code.
Fred Butler said,
February 28, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I am convinced this will become the Alien Autopsy video for atheists.
Fred
totaltransformation said,
February 28, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Fred, you are dead on. It is exactly what they want to hear.
See most of you guys at my blog later…lol. Hope everyone is having a blessed conclusion to this month.
fool4jesus said,
February 28, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Mr. Morris – I cannot agree with you. I don’t know how things are where you are, but the reaction to the Da Vinci code within the Christian community has seemed to me to be rather sober and annoyingly (to the secularist) reasonable. It’s the secular community that is really going crazy for these things. I don’t know how old you are, but every year right before either Christmas or Easter, somebody releases one of these blockbuster “finds” that threatens to blow a hole in Christianity. If the Christian community ignored them, we would simply find more and more people wanting to find excuses for ignoring Christianity with one more excuse.
Pulpit Magazine » Blog Archive » The Lost Tomb of Jesus? said,
February 28, 2007 at 6:10 pm
[...] Jeff Down’s comprehensive list [...]
SLIMJIM said,
February 28, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Keep up the good work Jeff…
rindy said,
February 28, 2007 at 9:48 pm
I stumbled onto your site and am finding it very interesting reading through your posts. As a Christian, I believe it is important to be knowledgeable in all religions. I have family members and friends who are following different New Age type religions and have tried to convince me that their beliefs are true. Thank you for your links and insights throughout your site.
Chris Rosebrough said,
March 1, 2007 at 6:00 am
I’ve written a comprehensive rebuttal to claims and evidence of this film. Please read it and decide for yourself.
You will find it at extremetheology.com
Jesus’ Family Tomb??? « Changing Direction, Moving Forward said,
March 1, 2007 at 3:01 pm
[...] check out this entry on Jeff Downs’ web site for an even longer listing of resources you can find on the [...]
David B. said,
March 1, 2007 at 3:03 pm
This movie must be a hoax, because James Cameron died in 1837.
Blogos - God’s Word | our words | meaning, communication, & technology | following Jesus, the Word made flesh » The “Jesus Tomb” and Statistical Analysis said,
March 4, 2007 at 12:55 am
[...] of the issues, and my colleague Mike Heiser has been following it closely: there’s also a collection of links at the Countercult Apologetics [...]
Seriously Sandeep » Politics of Resurrection said,
March 6, 2007 at 3:22 pm
[...] Believers’ response is entirely along expected [...]
The Lost Tomb of Jesus - How Should We Respond? « journeys said,
March 12, 2007 at 3:17 pm
[...] Links: Jeff Downs’ blog “Jesus Tomb” Resource Page @ [...]
Jesus’ Tomb Found? at PastorResources Blog said,
March 27, 2007 at 5:58 pm
[...] Jeff Downs’s collection of links: The Lost Tomb of Jesus (Updated) [...]
HelloWorld said,
April 28, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Peace people
We love you
John Martin said,
May 19, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Don’t forget the site http://www.TheLostTombofJesus.com which has the counterevidence info on there.
Vivek said,
August 6, 2007 at 2:42 pm
“Anti Christ spirit”, Bible is true.
‘TheLostTombofJesus’ is the evidence; John 2:18-22
Vivek . said,
August 6, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Sheep watch out, Race is almost finished, Never give up.
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August 18, 2007 at 7:16 am
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Idetrorce said,
December 16, 2007 at 3:46 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Jesus Tomb Hoax (New Video) « Countercult Apologetics said,
March 20, 2008 at 2:08 pm
[...] this on to others. For more resources click here (some links are dead). See [...]
Itamar Bernstein said,
February 4, 2009 at 1:31 am
I’ve studied the Talpiot Tomb find for years, long before it became public knowledge following that TV documentary in 2007. I believe the find is serious, and warrants further study. I’m afraid critics of the magnitude of this discovery prevail for the time being because of the vehemence of their assertions, rather than the logic of their substance.
The critics basically argue:
1. That the Jesus family would be buried in Nazareth, not Talpiot;
2. That the ‘Jesus’ ossuary would have been inscribed ‘of Nazareth’;
3. That the Jesus family couldn’t have afforded a tomb like the Talpiot tomb;
4. That the “Jesus son of Joseph” ossuary is not inscribed “Yeshua” (Jesus) at all;
5. That the names inscribed on these ossuaries were supposedly common;
6. That the “Mariamne” ossuary didn’t contain the remains of Mary Magdalene, but of two other women;
I believe the first five of these allegations against the book’s premise don’t carry much water. The sixth argument actually supports the conclusion that this is the real thing. My comments:
1. Talpiot is the right place for Jesus’ family tomb- Per Luke, 2:3-4, the family’s LEGAL residence was Bethlehem, not Nazareth. The fact that Joseph and the pregnant Mary could not take the census in Nazareth but had to take it in Bethlehem indicates that Bethlehem was their DOMICILIUM under Roman Law. That basically means that they had no intention to reside in Nazareth permanently. Therefore it would have made little sense for them to have a family tomb in Nazareth, that they wouldn’t be able to frequently visit at a later stage in their lives. They would have wanted a family tomb close to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, easily accessible also to future generations of the family. The fact is indeed that Mary and her children moved to Jerusalem around 30 AD.
2. The traditional name of Jesus in Hebrew, as reflected also in the Talmud, is “Yeshu Hanotzri.” This appellation stems from “Netzer” (Shoot or Branch). It alludes clearly to Isaiah 11:1, indicating the Royal birth of Jesus, to substantiate his claim for Jewish messiahship. Not to indicate the place he comes from.
There’s actually no evidence in Jewish sources, such as the Old Testament or the Mishna and Talmud, that a place called “Nazareth” even existed in or before the first century. I’m not disputing the evidence per the NT, that there was indeed a place called Nazareth. But to the best of my knowledge, there’s no mention of Nazareth at all in any ancient writings outside the New Testament. So the place existed, but nobody knew about it. And those in close proximity in Galilee who did know about it, obviously thought derogatorily of it , cf. “can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46.) Therefore there was no reason to call Jesus “of Nazareth.” Either in life or on an ossuary. He was called “Jesus the Branch” (of David) in Hebrew/Aramaic.
The line of argumentation detracting this discovery around the supposed Nazareth origin of Jesus’ family may therefore be based on a very shaky foundation.
3. Talpiot is located about 2.5 miles North of Bethlehem. Jesus’ family, of Davidic descent according to the New Testament, could have held the burial cave there even before it moved to Nazareth. Davidic birth was absolutely the most exalted in Judaism, always. The suggestion that any person of Davidic descent could be of the lowest social echelon, that couldn’t fund or get funding for a burial cave, doesn’t make much sense, if any. There’s substantial evidence to the contrary, e.g. 1. Jesus had some very wealthy active supporters like Joseph of Arimatea and Nicodemus (known as Nakdimon ben Gorion in post biblical Jewish sources-one of the richest Jews in Judea;) 2. Josephus, A.J. XX, 9:1. Note the prominence of James, brother of Jesus.
4. The inscription on the Jesus ossuary does say “Yeshua bar Yehosef” (”Jesus son of Joseph”)to my eye. All letters but one are quite clearly there. The only letter which is somewhat more difficult to discern at first blush is the second letter- “Shin”. That’s because it’s written in a somewhat irregular form (in a regular Shin there are three teeth in the fork, pointing upwards. Here there are two teeth, pointing sideways to the right.) But that particular irregularity appears also on other ossuaries- notably numbers 9 (this one has two “Shin”- one with three teeth pointing to the right, and one with TWO teeth pointing to the right. Exactly like the subject inscription) and 121 in the Rahmani catalogue, which both feature also a “Yeshua.”
Still, the name “Yeshua” on this ossuary is among the most, if not the most, difficult to read names of all ossuaries listed in Rahmani’s catalogue of Jewish ossuaries. It is almost written as a person’s complex signature on a check. Contrast that with the patronymic following the first name. This is written in a simple straightforward fashion, which is very easy to read. There’s no other example in Rahmani’s catalogue of a first name that has to be deciphered, and a patronymic that’s so plain and clear. Is this merely a coincidence?
5. Mr. Huston on 3/13/07 made the following comment to my post:
“The inscription, Pfann said, is made up of two names inscribed by two different hands: the first, “Mariame,” was inscribed in a formal Greek script, and later, when the bones of another woman were added to the box, another scribe using a different cursive script added the words “kai Mara,” meaning “and Mara.” Mara is a different form of the name Martha.
According to Pfann’s reading, the ossuary did not house the bones of “Mary the teacher,” but rather of two women, “Mary and Martha.’”
Here’s my thought about that:
If the Mariamne ossuary indeed housed the bones of Mary and Martha, these are two sisters of NT fame. One of them could have been married to “Jesus son of Joseph.” -Whether or not she was Mary Magdalene (Maybe the Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet and then dried them with her hair- very intimate scene.) The other sister would than also automatically belong in the family. It still fits. Actually it increases the statistical odds that this is the real thing quite substantially.
This is a very intriguing possibility indeed, fitting perfectly with John 12:3. Intimate contact with a man, as described in this NT passage, was allowed only to a woman who was an immediate blood relative of that man, his wife (…or a working woman.) That’s all. Therefore Mary of Bethany was quite possibly by elimination Jesus’ wife or in the process of becoming his wife. In that context, Margaret Starbird already theorized that similar anointing with spikenard oil was part of pre marriage ritual of a Davidic king, per certain passages in the Song of Songs. Note also that intercourse by itself was sufficient under Jewish Law in certain circumstances to constitute valid marriage. That practice, termed Bi’ah marriage, was abolished in the 6th century, but it was lawful in Jesus’ time.
Mary of Bethany could have become pregnant by Jesus while he stayed at her house, shortly before his crucifixion. In that case it’s quite possible that she bore Jesus’ son posthumously and named him “Judah.” And in that case both she and her sister Martha would have become part of Jesus’ family, which earned them a place in the Talpiot family tomb..
Reminds me of the reaction to this find of a BBC reporter in 1996- It seems like all balls in the national lottery coming one by one.
I have no knowledge of Greek, so I can only discuss the two propositions. Assuming that the ossuary does say “Mary and Martha”, here’s what I think the names are:
* 1.”Jesus son of Joseph”(”Yeshua bar Yehosef” in Hebrew/Aramaic script;)
* 2. “Mary” (”Marya” in Hebrew/Aramaic script);
* 3. “Joseph” (”Yose” in Hebrew/Aramaic script. Precise nickname of Jesus’ second brother- cf. Mark 6:3);
* 4. “Mary and Martha” (”Mariame kai Mara” in Greek)-they must have been sisters because Jewish law didn’t allow burial together of two unrelated women;
* 5. “Matthew” (”Matya” in Hebrew/Aramaic script)- Name of Jesus’ first cousin, son of his father’s brother Alphaeus/Clophas. As James Tabor suggests in a different context, Matya could also well have been Jesus’ half brother, considering a certain specific rule of the Torah (Deuteronomy 25:5-10.) This rule was applied in Jesus time- see Matthew 22:24-28;
* 6. “Judah son of Jesus”(”Yehuda bar Yeshua” in Hebrew/Aramaic script.)
* Therefore out of eight names actually inscribed on these ossuaries (including the “Joseph” father of Jesus on the first ossuary) four names undoubtedly relate to Jesus’ immediate family, and three other names relate to the same with a somewhat lower probability. In any event, they all relate to Jesus’ extended family. Note that first century Jewish family tombs were usually a clan thing.
* The eighth name is “Yehuda bar Yeshua”- must have been the son of Jesus and one of the sisters Mary or Martha. More likely Mary, as explained above.
6. While the full versions of all these names were indeed common in Jesus’ time, the derivatives, nicknames and contractions were not. Thus “Yeshua” for Jesus was less common than “YeHOshua;” ditto “YeHOsef” instead of “Yosef” for Joseph; “Marya” for Mary was extremely rare in Hebrew/Aramaic script; “Yose” for Joseph is unique. Therefore out of these eight names, two are irregularities, one is a particularity, and one a singularity. Statistical studies should factor these facts, and all 7 names.
BOTTOM LINE- Ask yourself inversely a hypothetical question- If the Talpiot tomb hadn’t yet been found, how would Jesus’ family tomb have looked , which ossuaries would it have contained, to when would it have been dated and where would it have been located.
I would have thought of a tomb just like the tomb we’re discussing. It fits perfectly with what I’d have expected Jesus’ family tomb to be. Right place, right period, right names. I therefore believe that this matter, delicate as it obviously is, warrants further investigation. This could include opening and examination of the adjacent tomb, and forensic examination of the skeletal remains found in the Talpiot ossuaries, and apparently reburied back in 1980. These could hopefully be relocated by comparison to the mithochondrial DNA samples already taken from two of these ossuaries.
dedi agus kristian said,
July 5, 2009 at 3:14 am
no indonesian language???
oh please… i wish read that opinion. Share to indonesian leanguage please…… ^_^.