The Vain Search for The Lost Tomb of Jesus

James Cameron’s documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” aired on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, March 4, 2007. It was based upon the book entitled “The Jesus Family Tomb: the Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History”. The book was authored by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino. Throughout the documentary, historians, DNA experts, archaeologists, and even a crime scene investigation expert were called upon to testify. The focus of the investigation was the ossuaries with the names “Joseph”, “Mary”, and “Jesus, son of Joseph” engraved upon them. This is put forth as proof they had found the bones of Jesus. The effect of these claims is that Jesus did not resurrect from the tomb. Jesus is “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

The tomb in question called the “Talpiyot Tomb” was excavated In March of 1980 by Yosef Gath. Found within were ten ossuaries containing the bones of individuals from the Herodian period. The names on the ossuaries were inscripted as follows: Mariamenou-Mara (the first name is a unique form of the name Mariam), Mary, Yehuda bar Yeshua (Judah son of Jesus); Matia (Matthew); Yeshua bar Yehosef (Jesus son of Joseph); Yose (a common abbreviated form of Yehosef); and Maria (a form of Mariam, Mary). Keep in mind that ossuaries ceased to be in use in Jerusalem after AD 70 (J&P 2007: 26; Rahmani 1994a: 21-25).

In the Forward to the book, James Cameron describes the research as being done with “systematic rigor” (J&P 2007: viii) and called it “brilliant scholarly research” with conclusions that were “virtually irrefutable,” “compelling,” and “extremely convincing” (2007: xi, xii, xiv). Archeologist Professor Amos Kloner argued “I refute all their claims and efforts to waken a renewed interest in the findings. With all due respect, they are not archeologists” (Joel Rosenberg, “New Film Claims Jesus Didn’t Rise from the Dead, Body Has Been Found,” February 25, 2007). Furthermore, the book was filled with historical errors, such as John the baptist was beheaded by Herod the Great and Beth Shemesh was the home of Samson and not the town of Zorah (Judg. 13:2;16:31).

Many of the claims of the book and documentary have been debunked by experts. Professor Amos Kloner, who oversaw the original archaeological dig of this tomb in 1980 said “But it’s completely impossible. It’s nonsense.” (What Bones of Jesus? By Brent Bozell III). The former curator of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, Joe Zias, told the Washington Post it was a “hyped up film which is intellectually and scientifically dishonest.” R. Joseph Hoffmann, Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, said “amazing how evidence falls into place when you begin with the conclusion—and a hammer.”

In addition to historical inaccuracies, the proof of this being Jesus’ tomb is based on a grouping of six very common names for that period. The name “Jesus” has been found in over one hundred tombs from that time period and area. Josephus, the Jewish historian from that time period spoke of twenty-one different men named “Jesus”. According to Newsweek magazine, “Charlesworth of Princeton Theological Seminary says he has “a first-century letter written by someone named Jesus, addressed to someone else named Jesus and witnessed by a third party named Jesus.” Furthermore, the name “Jesus, son of Joseph” is never found in the Bible.

The names Joseph and Mary were as common as John Smith is today. There are at least six “Mary”s mentioned in the New Testament. They are: Mary the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:18), Mary the sister of Martha (John 11:1), Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), Mary the mother of James (Matthew 27:55) who is probably also “the other Mary” in Matthew 27:61; as well as Mary the wife of Clopas (John 19:25), Mary the mother of Mark (Acts 12:12), and a Mary greeted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 16:6. They make two assumptions concerning Mary Magdelene. First, that she was named “Mariamne.” Secondly, she was the wife of Jesus (see Matthew 27:56, 61; 28:1; Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1, 9; Luke 8:2; 24:10; John 19:25; 20:1, 18).

All the DNA evidence proves only one thing: these people in tomb were related. That was already a logical conclusion. It cannot prove these bones belong to the six historical figures in the Gospels. The DNA tests are irrelevant and prove nothing. If this was their smoking gun, well it just fired a blank.

Jesus and his family were Galilean, not Judean. They were not from Jerusalem but Nazareth. Therefore, the family tomb would not have been found in Jerusalem. Amos Kloner stated to the Jerusalem Post: “It makes a great story for a TV film. But it’s completely impossible. It’s nonsense. There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb. They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the 1st century.” Jesus’ family was too poor to have such a vast, costly and well-marked tomb like the Talpiyot Tomb (Luke 9:58).

The Romans knew where the tomb was. They guarded it. They had the best opportunity to show people the tomb and the body or bone box of Jesus. They could have shown the tomb and thus ended the teaching of the resurrection of Christ once and for all. They did not because they could not. The tomb was empty.

The book and documentary do not give a logical answer to the fact of the empty tomb. If the disciples stole the body, did they put it in a family tomb in Jerusalem? Furthermore, why did many disciples die for preaching a lie? Never once did the authorities, both Roman and Jewish, beat the truth out of any of the disciples involved in this so-call resurrection hoax?

Furthermore, this documentary and book failed to account for Jesus’ resurrection appearances (Lk. 24:36, 37; 24:38, 39; 24:41-43; 1 Cor. 15:14). Prophecy was that Jesus’ flesh did not see corruption (Ps. 16:8-11; Acts 2:25-32). No archaeologist will ever find an ossuary with the bones of Jesus from Nazareth, because Jesus’ body did not remain in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Which means that His bones could not have been collected in an ossuary. Over thirty prophecies were fulfilled during the last day of the earthly life of Jesus. These, too, cannot so easily be explained away.

Then there is the continued existence of the impact the empty tomb has left upon history. The fact of the church and its existence; Christian day of worship, Sunday; the Christian book, the New Testament; all the recorded appearances of Christ; the fact of the changed lives of disciples and the fact of personal experience and interaction of Christians with Christ today.

A few years ago, when accepting the Oscar for best director, James Cameron shouted, “I am king of the world!” With this documentary, he has attacked the King of kings: Jesus. Jesus’ bones were not discovered in an ossuary in Jerusalem Talpiyot Tomb. He resurrected from His tomb and has ascended to His throne on the right-hand side of God. One day He will come again. This time in Judgment. “When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed” (2 Thess. 1:7b-10).

The documentary (and the book upon which it is based) is not a threat to Christianity or those who have faith in the resurrected Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. These attacks are nothing more than hyped up claims and sensationalized drama. It is based upon inconsistent historical data, manipulated archaeological claims, unsubstantiated archaeological arguments, using circular reasoning, and drawing conclusions based on nothing more than assumptions all while boasting of having its support from the scientific community. This documentary is a vain attempt at undermining the fact of the Resurrection.

– Daniel R. Vess