Mike Curtiss (5
March 2012)
"Christ's disciples'
remains 'discovered'"
Dear Doves,
We are told that during the end times increased evidence will
come forward that authenticates the veracity of the New
Testament and the Gospels. This is a fascinating article to
behold; enjoy!
Christ's disciples' remains 'discovered'
An amateur archaeologist and film maker claims to have
identified what could be the remains of some of Christ's 12
disciples in a first century burial chamber buried beneath a
block of flats in Jerusalem.
Christ's disciples' remains 'discovered'
Image 1 of 2
The caskets were inscribed with what some independent experts
said could plausibly be the earliest Christian iconography ever
documented
Adrian Blomfield
By Adrian Blomfield, Jeruslaem
8:08PM GMT 28 Feb 2012
A team led by Simcha Jacobovic, a Canadian documentary director,
used a robot to photograph a number of limestone burial caskets,
found below a block of flats, which may provide an unprecedented
glimpse into Christianity's earliest days.
But the potential significance of the discovery is almost
certain to be overshadowed by controversy, with Mr Jacobovic
using it as new evidence to bolster his widely disputed claims
to have identified the bones of Christ and his family at a
nearby burial site.
The caskets, known as ossuaries, were inscribed with what some
independent experts said could plausibly be the earliest
Christian iconography ever documented.
One of the ossuaries carries an etching of a fish with what
appears to be a human head in its mouth, perhaps an image of
Jonah, the reluctant Old Testament prophet. The story was of
major significance to early Christians and is referred to in the
Gospels because Jonah spent three days in the belly of the giant
fish that swallowed him, just as Christ spent three days in the
tomb.
The fish was also seen as a sacred symbol by early Christians;
not only did fish feature in a number of Christ's miracles, but
many of the disciples were fishermen, while the Greek for fish –
ichthys – is held to be an acronym for "Jesus Christ, God's Son,
Saviour".
Independent archaeologists say no Jewish tomb from antiquity is
known to have carried a picture of a fish, giving further
credibility to the theory that the etching is indeed Christian.
A second, adjacent ossuary is engraved with a Greek inscription
that appears to refer to resurrection. It could be translated as
"Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up." Some Israeli
archaeologists, however, said that some contemporary Jewish
communities, including the Pharisees and the Essenes, also
believed in resurrection.
The tomb, like others uncovered in Jerusalem, would almost
certainly date to before AD 70, the year the city was destroyed
by a Roman army. As a result, if the bones are shown to belong
to early Christians they may well have been contemporaries of
Christ and perhaps even his disciples as the community in
Jerusalem was considered to be small at the time.
Further investigation is likely to be tricky, however. Although
the chamber was discovered in 1981, excavation has been
impossible because of an edict by Jewish religious authorities
who hold that it is sacrilegious to interfere with Jewish tombs.
After years of negotiation, Mr Jacobovic, himself an
Israeli-born Jew, managed to win approval to lower a robotic arm
beneath the tower block to photograph the ossuaries.
According to Mr Jacobovic and his colleague James Tabor, a
biblical scholar at the University of North Carolina, the
discovery gives greater credence to their controversial claim
that a chamber they called "the Garden tomb" nearby housed the
remains of Christ.
They have concluded that both tombs, which lie in the Jerusalem
district of East Talpiot, are probably located on the rural
estate of Joseph of Arimathea, who the Gospels say took charge
of Christ's burial.
"These two tombs, both dating to around the time of Jesus, are
less than 200 feet apart," they wrote in a report published
yesterday. "Any interpretation of one tomb has to be made in the
light of the other. As a result, we believe a compelling
argument can be made that the Garden tomb is that of Jesus of
Nazareth and his family."
Their widely challenged assertions rest on the discovery in 1981
of ossuaries in the Garden tomb that appear to carry names
similar to those of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Two others carried
the names of "Judah, son of Jesus" and a woman they claimed
could have been Mary Madgalene, whom they suggested could have
been Christ's wife in a theory given popular appeal in Dan
Brown's novel the "Da Vinci Code".
But the Israeli archaeologists who discovered the ossuaries
dismissed Mr Jacobovic's conclusions as nonsense, saying such
names were common at the time.
Biblical scholars have also pointed out that, as a Galilean,
Christ would not have been buried in Jerusalem, particularly not
in a tomb that suggested considerable wealth given His humble
origins.
Israeli archaeologists, who jokingly refer to Mr Jacobovic as
"Indiana Jones", point out that he is a film maker with no
academic qualifications beyond a bachelor's degree and say he
has "cherry-picked" findings from experts on his team to create
the flimsiest of cases.
"His Jesus theory is conjecture built upon deception built upon
wilful misinterpretation in order to spin a moneymaking yarn and
garner publicity," said one archaeologist who asked not to be
identified in order not to link his name to the claims