The Well

Pastor Laura's Blog

 

Special Blog - The Lost Tomb of Jesus

A Pastor's Response

 

March 5, 2007

I watched the Discovery Channel special last night, as well as the Ted Koppel show afterwards. My initial thoughts, shared below, haven't changed, but I am adding some new thoughts after watching the program. I admit that I was very agitated while watching the "documentary." It wasn't that I felt my faith was attacked, it was that people with almost no evidence received a worldwide audience for their very shaky claims. I am not a scientist, yet it was obvious to me that the producers of this movie were drawing conclusions based on the lack of evidence rather than the existence of it, something good scientists don't do. The logic became more and more tortured as the two-hour movie reached its final conclusion.

My disappointment with the filmmakers, and for Discovery Channel for airing it, are based on the assumptions made throughout the program that these new hypotheses could somehow carry more weight than 2,000 years of Christian history. There were even hints of a conspiracy to cover up Mary Magdalene's role in the early church. Yes, the Bible was written and gathered by men, and the view of women in leadership did change over time. But the very fact that information was left in the Bible of the amazing role women had in Jesus' ministry and in the early church point away from any conspiracy to cover up their participation.

I don't know how much conversation this new movie will elicit. Scientific experts who have no stake in defending the claims of Christianity have enough reason to dismiss this movie as "archeo-porn" - so labeled by one of the expert on Ted Koppel's show last night. It's titillating and exciting, but it bears no resemblance to the real relationship between archeology and history.

We had a great conversation about this in Act(s) II yesterday. Some said it would not shake their faith to find that Jesus' bones were discovered. Others argued that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the foundational claim of Christianity, and if it is not true, then we can't believe much else about it. One person wondered if maybe it was the physical ascension of Jesus into heaven that is called into question here, not the resurrection. Perhaps when Jesus ascended, the hypothesis went, he left his body behind. Interesting idea, but we have no biblical evidence for it. It would seem logical to assume that if any part of Jesus were left behind, including a family, that we would have some mention of it somewhere.

A final thought - I am reading through the book of Acts as part of my homework for the Disciples Bible Study. Over and over again the early leaders of the church witness to the historic fact of Jesus' bodily resurrection. They were willing to stake their lives on it. Other popular and charismatic leaders gathered followers for a season (Acts 5:35-39), but their movements soon died out. I have to believe that there was something different about this man Jesus and the people who followed him. My faith tells me that resurrection is the difference.

February 26, 2007

Oh dear, here we go again. It seems as if the furor has just died down from the Da Vinci Code and the Gospel of Judas, and now we have news reports that the Discovery Channel has filmed a documentary claiming that the burial place of Jesus and his family has been found. But unlike the Da Vinci Code, this film and accompanying book don't just claim that Jesus was married and possibly had children, they claim that if Jesus' bones were indeed found in this ossuary (burial box for bones) that he could not have risen from the dead. This is the claim that truly strikes at the heart of the Christian faith.

The news about this documentary and book were just released, and already there is a blur of accusations and name-calling from both supporters of this new work and those who are disgusted by it. Christians are finding themselves doubting their faith and skeptics are gleefully proclaiming that they knew it was made up all along. I trust that time will give us all a bigger perspective on this, but here are some preliminary thoughts.

1) The basic story is this: In 1980, a construction crew unearthed an ancient tomb while digging in Talpiot, an area in Jerusalem. There they found 10 ossuaries, six of them with inscriptions. The inscriptions were not noteworthy at the time, and the ossuaries were catalogued and the bones were given a reburial by Jewish leaders. One inscription read, "Jesus, son of Joseph." At the time it was discovered, people were not particularly intrigued by this because both of those names were very common. The other names on the boxes were Maria; Mariamene; Matthew; Judas, son of Jesus; and Jose, a diminutive of Joseph. Simcha Jacobovici, a reporter, and James Cameron, a filmmaker (director of Titanic), thought that there might be something more to this discovery. They have spent two years researching whether or not it could be the tomb of Jesus and his family. Their documentary and book say "yes, it is likely the burial tomb of Jesus and his family." Click here for more information.

2) Both Cameron and Jacobovici admit they are not archeologists. They are simply people in search of a good story. This is a whopper.

3) The evidence I have heard is thin. It is similar to the claims made by the people who produced The Gospel of Judas. Their crucial piece of evidence seems to be the box inscribed "Mariamene." They are saying that they have found evidence that Mary Magdalene was really called Mariamene and that this is further "proof" that she was Jesus' wife. Their source for this is an extra-canonical book called the Acts of Philip. This book was written in the fourth century and refers to a woman named Mariamne, but she is never identified as Mary Magdalene. This book was never considered for inclusion in the Bible, and it contains tall tales of acts of the saints, including Mariamne assisting in the slaying a dragon. Here is a good website to learn more about this book http://www.magdalene.org/em_actsphilip.php

4) Although Christians are tempted to feel attacked by the claim that this discovery proves that Jesus did not rise from the dead, we must remember that the Apostle Paul was dealing with that exact issue 2,000 years ago. Read 1 Corinthians 15. People have always doubted the resurrection of Jesus because it is such a fantastic (hence unbelievable) claim. But Paul is very clear in verses 3-8.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

The resurrection was witnessed by over 500 people. The empty tomb was guarded by Roman guards. The disciples could not have moved the body as some claim. There is strong evidence that the Biblical account of the resurrection is historically accurate. You can check out Josh McDowell's Evidence that Demands a Verdict if you are interested in pursuing this.

The bottom line is that there will continue to be discoveries that will point toward the claims of the Bible and away from them. None of this needs to shake our faith. If we are followers of Christ, it is because we have had a personal encounter with the risen Christ. I know he is alive because he is at work in my life. I have felt his resurrection power in my life.

One final note; my husband Clif was thoroughly disgusted by a TV news teaser that said, "a new discovery shakes a 2,000-year-old faith!" He wants to know why no one reports, "A 2,000-year-old book shakes an archeological find!" The Bible is much more reliable, even historically, than some of the documents used in the research of this documentary. The Bible itself is truly the one document that shakes the world!

Laura Guy

Pastor, Living Water Christian Church

 

 

October-December 2006 archive

July-September 2006 archive

April-June 2006 archive

January-March 2006 archive

October-December 2005 archive

August-September 2005 archive

June-July 2005 archive

Who is Pastor Laura? Pastor Laura Guy, Living Water Christian Church

Get the 411 on Pastor Laura and the rest of Living Water's staff here. Read her answers to frequently asked questions here.