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Documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, co-author of the new book "The Jesus Discovery," discusses how a robotic arm was used to make archaeological discoveries during a New York news conference today.
Now that the word about "the Jesus Discovery" is out in the open, outside experts are weighing in — and many of them look upon the robotic exploration of a 1st-century Jerusalem tomb as a technological tour de force resulting in an archaeological faux pas.
On one level, the "Jesus Discovery" investigators saw this project as a follow-up on the sensational claim they made five years earlier in "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," that Jesus and members of his family were buried in what is now a southeast residential neighborhood of Jerusalem. On another level, they set forth what they said were the earliest known evidence of Christian references in the Holy City — in the form of an inscription referring to resurrection on one casket, and a fishlike design on another casket.
Today, several experts specializing in 1st-century Christianity said the investigators failed to make their case on either level.
"In my assessment, there's zero percent chance that their theory is correct," said Andrew Vaughn, executive director of the American Schools of Oriental Research, or ASOR.
Christopher Rollston, an expert in Semitic epigraphy at Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Tennessee, said that although the underground chamber is "a nice tomb ... it's hard to press it into service as an impressive find."
Some archaeologists were familiar with the project months before it came into the spotlight, but non-disclosure agreements kept them from commenting until today's press announcement at Discovery Times Square in New York. The project has already spawned a book by scriptural scholar James Tabor and filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, titled "The Jesus Discovery," and a documentary about the find is due to air on the Discovery Channel this spring.
When today's embargo lifted, the criticism from outside experts hit with full force on the ASOR Blog.
"Nothing in the book 'revolutionizes our understanding of Jesus or early Christianity,' as the authors and publisher claim, and we may regard this book as yet another in a long list of presentations that misuse not only the Bible but also archaeology," Duke University biblical scholar Eric Meyers declared.
Jodi Magness, a religious-studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said "it pains me to see archaeology hijacked in the service of non-scientific interests, whether they are religious, financial, or other." In her view, Tabor, Jacobovici and their colleagues set out to dig up evidence to support their earlier claims about a different tomb nearby, the so-called "Jesus Family Tomb" — and then rustle up a fresh round of media attention.
"Professional archaeologists do not search for objects or treasures such as Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy Grail," she wrote. "Usually these sorts of expeditions are led by amateurs (nonspecialists) or academics who are not archaeologists. Archaeology is a scientific process."
Old and new claims
The main objection to the claims for the Jesus Family Tomb, like the claims themselves, retraces ground that's been well trod since 2007: Just because bone boxes are marked with the name "Jesus" and the names of his brothers and sisters, as mentioned in the Bible, doesn't necessarily mean these are the actual biblical figures.
Tabor and Jacobovici produced a statistical analysis looking at the frequency of names in ancient Jerusalem, and claimed that the close fit to the names on Jesus' family tree couldn't be just a coincidence. Last month, Tabor said further research has strengthened the case he and Jacobovici laid out in 2007.
The critics insisted once again that a statistical argument could never win the day. "Dramatic claims require dramatic evidence. ... The claims of Tabor and Jacobovici for this tomb are no more convincing now than they were then," Rollston wrote.
But what about the inscription in the more recently explored tomb, known as the Patio Tomb? And what about the fish? Rollston said the fish was more probably a type of ornamental design typically seen on Jewish bone boxes, known as a nephesh tower. Where Tabor and Jacobovici saw the "fins" of the fish, Rollston saw the eaves of the tower's roof.
Even if it was intended to be a fish, "it would most naturally be understood as simply a reflection of a nautical motif in a tomb," or perhaps representative of the deceased's occupation — for example, a fishmonger. Unlike Tabor, Rollston did not rule out the possibility that a Jew would have such a design engraved on the bone box.
James Tabor / UNCC
James Tabor, a religious-studies researcher at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, outlined these designs found in various contexts, including "nephesh" images that have been found carved on 1st-century Jewish caskets, a fish drawing found in a Christian catacomb, and the "Patio Tomb fish" design seen in the tomb that Tabor and his colleagues explored using a camera-equipped robotic arm. Tabor's critics say the fishlike design is actually a variant of the nephesh tower design.
As for the inscription, Rollston said the resurrection connection was questionable. Tabor, Jacobovici and their colleagues suggested that it could be interpreted as reading, "Divine Jehovah (Yahweh), lift up, lift up," or "The Divine Jehovah raises up from [the dead]." But Rollston said the first letter in the word that was said to refer to Jehovah — IAEO — looked like a T rather than an I.
"This can't be an iota," he told me, "and that's the one letter that has to be there."
He also questioned the interpretation of the inscription's key word, "UPsOO," or "hupso," which would be a form of the verb "to lift up." Even if one assumes that's what was intended, the word wouldn't necessarily refer to raising up in the resurrection sense, he said. And even if one assumes it was indeed meant as a reference to resurrection, there were some Jewish sects back then — such as the Pharisees — that believed in a general resurrection.
"For someone to state that this is an early Christian tomb, there really has to be some clear and decisive evidence to back up that statement," Rollston told me. "And it just really isn't here."
In a follow-up email, Tabor told me that the "tower will not float" as an alternate explanation for the fishlike image. He also pointed to the comments he posted on the ASOR Blog, taking further issue with the nephesh tower interpretation. In a comment addressed to Rollston, he said, "We have much to discuss, but I look forward to doing it face to face."
On the positive side...
Not every outside expert was totally critical: The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Yuval Baruch, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, as saying that Tabor and Jacobovici may well be right about the fish. Baruch noted that the fishlike image was not photographed "in the best light," but added: "If it is indeed a fish, it is fantastic. It has no parallel."
Baruch cautioned against reading too much into a single decoration, however. "Different decorations are being discovered all the time," he told Haaretz.
Rollston and ASOR's Vaughn both said the robotic-arm exploration technique that Tabor and his colleagues used to explore the 1st-century tomb held promise for future digs. Israel's religious and civil authorities are reluctant to have ancient sites disturbed, and even if the excavations are approved, they can create huge disruptions for residential areas like the one where the tomb currently in question is located. Tabor and his colleagues circumvented many of those typical problems by using a camera-equipped robotic arm that they snaked down through a pipe going into the tomb.
"The robotic-arm technology used by James Tabor is truly amazing," Vaughn said. "To be able to explore in a relatively non-invasive way, and to respect the artifacts and bones that may be present there, is certainly of much value."
Magness, however, stressed in her blog posting that robotic-arm video couldn't take the place of a full-fledged dig.
"The archaeological endeavor involves piecing together all available information, not just one artifact taken out of context," she wrote. "Context is the reason that archaeologists go to so much trouble to document the provenance of every feature and artifact dug up on an excavation. The current claim is based on finds that have no context, as they have not been excavated. All we have are photos taken by a robotic arm of objects (or parts of objects), the dates and identification of which are unknown or unclear."
Rollston said further analysis could well shed more light on the central question raised by the current controversy: How did the first Christian communities emerge and manifest themselves? But the process of getting definitive answers doesn't necessarily match the typical time frame for a television production or book project.
"The wheels of scholarship, like the wheels of justice, grind slowly but surely," he told me.
More about biblical brouhahas:
- New find revives 'Jesus Tomb' flap
- Claims about tomb stir tempest
- Messianic message stirs debate
- Return to King Solomon's mines
- Help scientists decipher 'lost' gospel
- Gallery: The archaeology of Christianity
- Experts stumped by markings in Jerusalem
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Disparage him all you want, I'm glad he is trying to find where Jesus might have been buried.
Why? What purpose would finding the burial spot be?
LOL, they are so desperate to give their cults legitimacy that they'll see a scratch on a rock and claim it has some significance, LOL. They are so desperate to find some kind of ancient relic that would say "Jesus was here" yet cannot. NO religion on Earth has any legitimacy and are nothing more than cults that have been fostered by weak minded and ignorance of the worlds workings. Have you ever seen this guys show on Discovery? "The Naked Archaeologist" every time someone farts he's attributing it to Jesus, he is quite the moron and how he continues to have a show on what should be a "scientific" channel of discovery is simply another channel for the weak minded to be entertained.
This is all I can say about that.
Religion is always good for starting an arguement. In my humble opinion, because I wasn't there 2000 years ago, I believe they are chasing their collective tails. The "fish" is a wine cask called an Amphora. The design is very, very common for that period and that type of wine holder used to store and transport it. The deceased was probably a wine merchant or a vinter.
As for a "Jesus" tomb, its always a matter of faith. Personally, I believe the local religious authorites that disliked the movement would have loved to have had a tomb to show off. It would have been too easy to dispute any claims of resurrection. But either way, we weren't there so it comes back to what you believe.
And it doesn't hurt "The Naked Archeologist", Simon, that it will get his show ratings. It's a publicity stunt.
Oh my, the Christian-hating monitor just wiped out my comment...OK, try again.
You accuse the Bible of magic and myths. The Bible is the product of the Master Scientist, God.
As for your "SCIENCE", you preach the Big Bang blind-faith religion like it had some reality to it. ANSWER this: Explain where all that material came from "NATURALISTICALLY". If you cannot explain that, you have nothing further to say, because all you say is made up and false propaganda.
So, your version of God did it then? Lol....
You people amaze me with your lack of fear of God; how you spout-off prideful, arrogant statements directed at the creator of all things and by whom by all things are held together. I think that we can all agree on one thing and that is, some day you unfaithful are going to take your last breath and if you do so still rejecting God's provision for salvation, which is through the shed blood of his Son Jesus Christ, then you will be held accountable by the very one you are speaking against. And all of these things that you have said here in these posts and even every idle word that you have spoken, you will be accountable for. Meally-mouthed creations speaking against their creator, the eternal and almighty God. I pray that God would lead you to Christ before you take that last breath, because if you never come to him, then you won't like the consequences, believe me.
As a Christian, you have no fear of Allah nor warnings found in the Koran, correct? I'll bet you've never lost any sleep over the fact that the Koran states that if you do not follow Muhammad as God's prophet you're doomed to an eternal hell. Therefore, a Muslim could make the same exact statement you've made above....but about you w/respect to their version of god.
Now Thor, he worries me.
He's got both lightning and that big d@mned hammer.
He's the one I wouldn't want to be going around getting angry with me.
I just LOVE how every news story re: Christianity or Jesus brings "superior and intelligent" atheists our of the woodwork, who delight in bashing and mocking the same. I actually know a couple of great people who are atheists. They are secure in their views and values and are assets to society. They stand FOR something. Many who post here though are every bit as nasty and vile as are fanatics on the other side of the matter. They lump all religious people together and attack the notion of "God" from the standpoint of there being only ONE notion of "God". They are wrong.
Christians can be unthinking, Bible toting folks who go through life with blinders on. They can be liberal thinking folks who have no problem embracing science and religion at the same time. They can also be deists, or akin to deists, believing that evidence of God can be seen in the natural world, made all the clearer via science, but that God has no direct interaction in our lives - that it is up to each of us to be the best person that he or she can be.
The unkind and superior rantings from some atheists AND some Christians in venues such as this, serve no purpose other than to bolster THEIR belief systems, to interact with those of like mind (that's thoughtful, isn't it) and to give each other nice little pats on the back and high fives. "Aren't we special? yes, we are! I agree with you!". A pox on both their houses.
Good comment, Nikolaus. Part of a good debate is having one's beliefs and opinions challenged, but name calling doesn't serve any purpose.
its funny how those on thier way to hell think of christians as haters, and bigots. how untrue. NO ONE WITH A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS HATES ANY BODY. if we say you need to come to know the Lord to save your soul, you call it hate, but that is true love. we arent judging you. we are loving you. there is absolutly zero evidence of evolution, but the evidence of the bible is overwhelming. if christians hate so much, why then do we do so much more for people than any one else. by the way, hitler didnt murder over religion, he murdered because he was an athiest. get your facts right. Jesus loves you, even though you hate him.
Lol....yet you believe anyone who doesn't have a 'relationship' with your imaginary friend is doomed to an eternal hell. That's, in part, the definition of bigotry.
How is it even possible that anyone can say "there is zero evidence of evolution"? Do you not read anything except that which supports your existing beliefs? I mean really, zero? If you want to dispute the evidence, fine, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
cutter,
Maybe many people consider Christians "haters" because they lie to us all the time.
These are all lies. There is plenty of evidence for evolution. Tons, even. There is little for the Bible being anything more that a book written by superstitious men.
Christians do not do more for people than others. They just mention it and brag about it more often.
And Hitler likely did not murder over religion, but he definitely did not murder because he was an atheist. He murdered for power and control.
Telling outright lies is a very hateful, and bigoted, act.
"Telling outright lies is a very hateful, and bigoted, act."
Not to mention that it doesn't lend a lot of credibility to the rest of their arguments either.
I've read all of your comments, and there are some valid points as well as more questions. I believe... I'll have more coffee. Out!
The notion of "God" is probably a good one in its pure form. Pure form? God loves everyone exactly the same, unconditionally, and without exception! That's it. If everyone believed that, it would be a good thing for the world as it would cause us to try to understand and love one another. RELIGION, which outlines the specific rules for each group, who they think God likes, dislikes, hates, and condemns to hell, IS THE PROBLEM!! And it's all dominated by MEN, in various garbs and wardrobes and hats and icons, telling us all different versions/interpretations of how God got here, who God hates and condemns to hell, so that's who we should hate and condemn. Folks, the solution is easy..get rid of 1) Cristianity, 2) Islam, 3) Jew faith, 4)Bhudism, etc., and talk to God directly ourselves and follow the simple rules of love everyone the same. It's not hard or complicated but the PIOUS men, ayatolahs, Popes, presits, pastors, rabbis, who all have a vested interest in the continuation of the status quo, ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PREVENT US FROM DOING IT.
That is why you yourself should read the bible to find God's will for your life and pray and have your own relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.
jesus and god are angry, hateful, and murderous people/entities, based on the bull@!$%# I read from dopes like you, so I really don't want an association with them or you.
You just preached a Sunday sermon!!!!! The reason the rapist goes to heaven is because he realized he was a sinner and took what God offered which was Jesus death on the cross that paid for the rapist' sins. The atheist woman died in her sins. The bible says "God is no respector of man". None are born perfect, we have all sinned and that sin separates us from a Holy God. Sin is not a popular word today. Two thieves were crucified along with Jesus. One was sorry for his sins and realized he deserved his punishment but asked Jesus to remember him when he went to heaven. Jesus said that sinner would be with him in paradise.
Don't you find it interesting that the Old Testament, full of history, tells about all sorts of sins committed by
God's people, sex, rape, murder? If some madman wanted people to believe in an imaginary God and religion, wouldn't that man or his followers have just told good things about those involved in that religion, i.e. Noah saving the animals from the flood, not his drunkenness after the ark landed or Lot fleeing an evil
city, not his daughters having sex with him afterwards or David slaying the giant, not his committing adultery and murder....hmmm, now that alone would make you suspect about this religion and in its own book also, which is one of the reasons atheists state they cannot believe in Christianity because its followers are so
imperfect....(would they believe in God if they found some perfect followers?)
but what if God, being waaaay smarter than any of us here, decided, here is the truth about his people, the good, bad and ugly, and how He set it straight, all the way to the death of Jesus on the cross and all deserted him, except for a few---. Besides, if the information about the sins of God's people were found out from sources outside the Bible, well, there is another reason (excuse) not to believe.
How many atheists quit "not-believing" because of the atrocities committed by atheist communist leaders (Stalin, Pol-pot, etc) who have killed/tortured/imprisoned millions upon millions of their citizens in the 20th century? Then why do athiests look at the faults of the followers of Christianity as proof or excuse not to believe in a God? Oh, yes, because if God were real, He would not allow the suffering of innocent people. Then which vice/sin/unfairness do you want Him to stop, and how far do you want Him to take it? Probably just as
far as your front door, and not stop your freedom of choices/fun/sins in life! And why blame something you believe does not exist for the problems of the world?
What struck me immediately in re" the symbolic depiction of the fish ( if it is a fish ) was that it is vertically represented in the carving and not horizontal as seen in real life. To me it looks more like an amphora,not a fish. Secondly, why is it that when we see the inscription " Jesus, brother of James" we have never seen a companion ossuary with " James, brother of Jesus" additionally how common is it to see the sibling reference and not the parental one i.e. "Jesus, son of Joseph" ?
The story of JESUS is factual and very very true. His apostles(followers) were some of the smartest people of their time not like some of the doubters who have posted on here.
These apostles (followers) died very cruel and inhumane deaths believing in JESUS.
QUESTION? Why would anybody(including His followers) be willing to die for a lie? Heck, most people would not cross the street to pick up a $100 bill if a stranger told them where it is. But yet, these people were willing to die cruel deaths.
ANSWER: Because the Apostles (followers) knew He was the True GOD of True GOD.
GLORY BE TO GOD!
This is your opinion. Not fact. Most of his followers had roughly the equivalent of a third grade education by today's standards. The vast majority of his supposed followers would have been illiterate as well.
This is also not based on facts. But hey, one can find all sorts of misinformation on the internet and within religious circles.
Ask this same question to people who fly planes into buildings or blow themselves up believing they have 72 virgins waiting for them in paradise.
Which one? Your version?
I saw Chad's first comment and thought he was quite right to bring up presuppositions, but one must be aware that EVERYBODY brings a preconceived worldview into the mix. For instance, he decries the "magic and superstition" of the Bible and then proceeds to list several seemingly fantastical biblical beliefs. However, as a young-earther who presupposes the authority of the Bible, I could just as easily list some of the scientific community's more "fantastical" beliefs with similar disdain: the never-observed creation of matter from nonmatter, the magical coalescence of all this magically created matter into a magical singularity the size of a paperweight which then magically exploded, the magical process by which life apparently spawned from nonlife, violating the Law of Biogenesis, or the multiverse theory that espouses an essentially infinite number of unobservable and unverifiable universes, merely because the chances of everything happening by accident without them are so utterly miniscule. Therefore, one must always consider an individual's starting point and recognize that preconceptions are inevitable.
I don't think there's any scientist who claims the Big Bang Theory is the end-all an be-all explanation for the beginning of the universe. It's an explanation for something they are still investigating and asking questions about. If scientists thought they had all the answers, they could just hang up their lab coats and declare their job done, like the theists. The point is, atheists know they don't have all the answers, and keep looking for them. And, as long as science keeps providing new, logical, provable answers (which sometimes provoke new questions), it will continue to be the preferred method used.
blah blah blah
sorry, misread who you were responding to and can't just erase apparently
look for the MEN...in the colorful robes, and funny hats..perfroming one kind of ritual or another...probably not othewise working for a living.......THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!!!! Let's tell every vodoo, seance, ritual, blabbering costumed idiot, to get out of Dodge!!!
The sooner that grown up adults stop believing in imaginary beings the better off we will all be.
EVERY EASTER!!! We are just starting the Easter season with Ash Wednesday just last week and we are already have the Jesus-phobes bringing out the trash. Every year this happens and it usually involves the so-called Discovery Channel... Really? It was proved bogus in 2007! Now we are just recycling the garbage, very Hippie/Liberal!
Personally I've never cared about "The Jesus Tomb."
HE is not there.
So I would have no reason to go there..anymore than the early Christians would have bothered to "venerate" it. It is with the medieval hang-up on "relics" and "pilgrimages" that all that became important to some. Roman Catholics, mostly.
TRUE Christians know that one can encounter Him wherever one is. You don't need to go to a hole in the ground or climb a set of steps on your knees to find Him.
Esbee, Listen to me now, dear. This will come hard at first, like bad tasting medicine, but it will help you in the long run. Now, THE REASON why we can't find evidence that Jesus rose from the dead, is because, HE DIDN'T. He didn't, because he couldn't, because he wasn't God. Mary went away to her "cousin's house" for a couple of weeks, and a few weeks after that she told Joseph she was pregnant. Since he hadn't been with her during the particular timeframe in question, he asked her "What gives?". Mary, being quick on her feet, said an angel had impregnated her. Joseph, being dumb as the preverbial stone, believed her, because he wanted to, and "Christianity" was born. So they both told that to the boy "jesus" (I mean if you're parents tell you you are God, who's to quarrel, right?), and he literally took that to his grave.
can jesus heal?
The sooner that grown up adults stop believing in imaginary beings the better off the world will be.
Hey Cutter,we don't need Santorium's kind of love,or Franklin's. We wouldn't have such a dim view of Chritianity if you people would stop interfering with our beliefs. The very people you curse, are the people you depend on to find proof.It won't happen,science is based on facts.Archeology depends on theory. I believe you are wrong about Hitler, he did search for the holy grail. He also said the Jews were reponsible for Jesus's death.Hitler used fear with religion to cause pandemonium in his country. We can believe in Jesus without all the dogma,it's people like you who give Jesus a bad name. J-MAL
Of course it's all nonsense when the Discovery Channel is involved.
Anytime I see anything like this I can just turn on the cartoon network and get what I need. These inferiors that call themselves christians today are nothing more than closet gays,racists and simple minded heehaws.
YAWN