The Tomb of Jesus?

Part 1: The Archaeological Facts

James Cameron who produced the movie, The Titanic, is trying to float a theory that a recent (1980) discovery of a tomb in Jerusalem is the tomb of Jesus’ family and one of the ossuaries (coffins) in the tomb contains his bones. But the iceberg of facts sinks this theory faster than the Titanic.

First, where would we expect to find the crypt of Jesus of Nazareth? Not in Jerusalem but in Jesus’ ancestral home of Nazareth.

Secondly, this tomb is the tomb of a wealthy family. It has a large central room surrounded by alcoves which contained the ossuaries of the different family members. Jesus was a poor man from a poor family. It is very unlikely that they could have afforded the tomb that was discovered.

Cameron’s documentary also claimed that the names on the coffins was a major piece of evidence. But even though some of the names were the same, others didn’t fit. And the names in Jesus’ family were very common. One source contends that Mary was a name that was given to nearly one-fourth of all girls born at this time!

Furthermore, the documentary claims that one of the coffins contained the remains of Mary Magdalene. What is the evidence for this? Simply that one of the coffins contained the bones of a “Mariamene” (which is the Greek name for Mary). Then the documentary suggests (much like the Da Vinci Code did last year) that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married. And the evidence for this wild claim? DNA samples of the supposed bones of Jesus and the bones of “Mariamene” show they didn’t share any family blood. But even if “Mariamene” and “Jesua” were married, there isn’t more than a speck of evidence that they were the Jesus and Mary Magdalene of the Bible.

If all of this seems like a giant leap, it is. Israeli archaeologist, Amos Kloner, who has researched the tomb thoroughly and has written about those findings, claims that there isn’t “any proof whatsoever” for the documentary’s claims. Another researcher believes it is all “about money and headlines.”