The Jesus Family Tomb?

Is this Talpiot Tomb the final resting place of Jesus Christ?

This story is really so ridiculous that I hate to have to give any credence to it whatsoever by devoting time and energy to responding to it, but I know some of you will have some questions. The Discovery Channel is set to release on March 4 a documentary produced by James Cameron (Titanic) and directed by journalist Simcha Jacobovichi entitled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." Jacobovichi claims that the tomb is the final resting place of Jesus, his mother Mary, his wife Mary Magdalene, and his son Judah. Let me just go ahead and give you my final evaluation. This is Hollywood sensationalism meets horrible archaeology, pseudo-science and a lot of smoke and mirrors. This is what we like to call in Arkansas "horse manure."

The conclusions are based on findings from a tomb discovered in Jerusalem in 1980. The tomb contained ten ossuaries, boxes used to house bones after the bodies of the deceased had decomposed for a year. Now, among those ten ossuaries were five containing the following inscriptions: "Jesus (or Joshua), son of Joseph," "Maria," "Mariamne e Mara," "Judah, son of Jesus," and "Matia." Now, according to the documentary, Maria is to be identified as Jesus' mother Mary. Mariamne is actually Mary Magdalene, who, according to the documentary was Jesus' wife. Judah is the son of Jesus and is to be identified with the "lad" sitting in Jesus lap in John's account of the Last Supper. And "Matia" is supposedly another name for "Matthew," the disciple of Jesus. The film also gives the idea that there is DNA evidence supporting the claim that this is the tomb of Jesus.

Okay. So where to start with this piece of fantasy? The case that the film makes is so shaky that it is like taking down a straw man. First, let's take the names. Many of the names included in the inscriptions were the most common among Jews of the first century, Jesus (or Joshua), Joseph, Mary, and Judah. The modern equivalent would be finding a family burial plot that included the names John, Jim, Mary, and Bob. The occurence of each of these names together in the same tomb is simply a function of the preponderance of these names in Israel at the time.

The documentary states that statisticians have concluded that the likelihood of these names appearing together in a single family tomb from this time period are 1 in 600. Sounds like the statistics are in their favor, right? Wrong. Think about it. The statistics state that one out of every 600 occurrences would result in a tomb with this combination of names. Jerusalem at the time was a city of approximately 50,000, whose population could swell to as much as 200,000 during festival times such as Passover. Take the lower figure and divide it by the five names found on the ossuaries then divide that figure by 600 (the statistical probability). The result is the likelihood that there would have been at least 17 tombs in the city bearing these names. It is about as likely as you would be to find in a city of 50,000 today family burial plots with the graves of at least ten people, four of who having the names John, Jim, Bob, and Mary.

However, that is not the end of the statistical problems for the film. The statistical probabilities derived for the film include the names "Mariamne e Mara" and "Matia" which the filmmakers identify as Mary Magdalene and Matthew. The problem is, there is really no evidence to conclude that either of these names were ever applied to the biblical characters mentioned. As a result, these two names can be taken out of the statistical considerations. In which case, the statistical probability of finding the remaining four names together in a tomb from this period becomes even greater. So, statistics don't win the argument.

What about the conclusion that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married? There is no evidence from the tomb to conclude that the Mariamne from the tomb and the Jesus from the tomb are to be connected with each other. It is just as likely that Mariamne could have been the spouse of "Judah, son of Jesus," "Matia," or one of the unmarked ossuaries in the tomb. The DNA sample taken for the film merely indicate that Mariamne and Jesus were not related to one another. This alone makes it possible that they were married, but it does not establish that they were. Besides, remember, there is no basis on which to believe that Mariamne is to be identified with Mary Magdalene. Furthermore, as has been adequately argued as a result of The Da Vinci Code, there is no evidence whatsoever linking the Biblical Jesus and Mary Magdalene in marriage.

What about the location of the tomb? The tomb is in Jerusalem. Jesus died in Jerusalem, so it seems reasonable that he would be buried in Jerusalem. That is indeed what the New Testament tells us. Jesus borrowed a tomb for three days beloning to a man named Joseph of Arimathea, then he rose from the dead. But would there be reason for a family tomb in Jerusalem? No. Jesus' ancestral home was Bethlehem, a few miles to the east of Jerusalem. He and his entire family lived in Nazareth, a village far to the north. Jesus was merely a sojourner in Jerusalem, there to attend the Passover feast.

Finally, what of the historical evidence? The universal testimony of both biblical and secular history from the first century is that Jesus' followers believed he had risen from the dead. That firm conviction transformed a group of timid, fearful disciples into bold witnesses for the message of Jesus Christ. They were willing to suffer and give their lives for Jesus for the very reason that they knew he had overcome death and would grant them the gift of eternal life. If it had been widely known that the Jesus had not risen from the dead, their message would have been meaningless. And if the disciples themselves knew that Jesus had not been raised from the dead, they certainly would not have given their lives for what they knew to be a hoax.

The Jesus Family Tomb is a ridiculous piece of sensationalism and poor archaeology. The Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus has withstood 2,000 years of attack, and there has never been one credible piece of evidence put forward to call into question the fact that "He is risen, just as he said."

For more information on The Jesus Family Tomb, see Darrell Bock 's and Ben Witherington's blogs on the subject.