Warner Todd Huston
Time Mag revives 'discovery' of Christ's 'tomb' story
Warner Todd Huston
In 2006, movie mogul James Cameron lent his name to a "documentary" detailing the "discovery" of the tomb of Jesus Christ and his family. The film was widely panned by archeologists, Christians, Jews and non-believers alike and the evidence of the find has been shown to be highly suspect. But, this doesn't seem to bother Time Magazine as the monthly is reviving the story once again in Jesus 'Tomb' Controversy Reopened, a story by Tim McGirk. Naturally, the entire article is written from the perspective of those who take the anti-Christian position on the story and Christians are presented as rejecting the "find" merely out of blind belief while those supporting the interpretation of the find as that of Jesus' final resting place are presented as serious scientists and academicians.
Catch this first paragraph:
In truth, there are so many problems with this story that few really believe the case for this find being the tomb of Christ and his family. (For a nicely detailed article presenting the problematic evidence connected with this find, see "Jesus' tomb found" claim as empty as Jesus' [real] tomb) Strangely, this Time article only revives the mythical claims of the tomb find without really going into any of the problems with the evidence. Out of the whole article, we only get this one bit of the proof against the claim:
McGirk then gives us the opinion of the organizer of the small conference (50 attendees) that revived this issue that he is "vindicated" as if his position that this is Christ's tomb has been put on more solid grounds.
In any case, the argument in favor of this find being that of Christ's tomb is presented as a serious contention and the flavor of the story really makes the position seem respectable. In truth there are not many academics, scientists or archeologists who favor this theory.
Sadly, this Time article does a disservice to the argument against this being a discovery of Jesus Christ's tomb and that of his family and unduly keeps this debunked story alive.
© Warner Todd Huston
By
In 2006, movie mogul James Cameron lent his name to a "documentary" detailing the "discovery" of the tomb of Jesus Christ and his family. The film was widely panned by archeologists, Christians, Jews and non-believers alike and the evidence of the find has been shown to be highly suspect. But, this doesn't seem to bother Time Magazine as the monthly is reviving the story once again in Jesus 'Tomb' Controversy Reopened, a story by Tim McGirk. Naturally, the entire article is written from the perspective of those who take the anti-Christian position on the story and Christians are presented as rejecting the "find" merely out of blind belief while those supporting the interpretation of the find as that of Jesus' final resting place are presented as serious scientists and academicians.
Catch this first paragraph:
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When the Discovery Channel aired a TV documentary last year raising the possibility that archeologists had found the family tomb of Jesus Christ in the hills behind Jerusalem, it caused a huge backlash among Christians. The claim, after all, challenged one of the cornerstones of Christian faith — that Jesus, after his crucifixion, rose bodily to heaven in his physical form.
In truth, there are so many problems with this story that few really believe the case for this find being the tomb of Christ and his family. (For a nicely detailed article presenting the problematic evidence connected with this find, see "Jesus' tomb found" claim as empty as Jesus' [real] tomb) Strangely, this Time article only revives the mythical claims of the tomb find without really going into any of the problems with the evidence. Out of the whole article, we only get this one bit of the proof against the claim:
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But the professor has a few doubts. "The name on Jesus's ossuary was scrawled on, like graffiti. There was no ornamentation. And there should have been. After all, his followers believed he was the Son of God."
McGirk then gives us the opinion of the organizer of the small conference (50 attendees) that revived this issue that he is "vindicated" as if his position that this is Christ's tomb has been put on more solid grounds.
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"I feel vindicated," Jacobovici told TIME. "It's moved from 'it can't be the Jesus' family tomb' to 'it could be.' "
In any case, the argument in favor of this find being that of Christ's tomb is presented as a serious contention and the flavor of the story really makes the position seem respectable. In truth there are not many academics, scientists or archeologists who favor this theory.
Sadly, this Time article does a disservice to the argument against this being a discovery of Jesus Christ's tomb and that of his family and unduly keeps this debunked story alive.
© Warner Todd Huston
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