Even Australians don't believe in the dubious archeology proposed by Simcha Jacbobovici

The avalanche of rejection and repudiation on behalf of the academic community is weighing down on the proposed finding by Tabor and Jacobovici. 

Now in Australia, we are seeing this issue come to our shores, and there are no supporters of both Tabor and Jacobovici here either. The news piece in Christian Today Australia, shows how these two individuals are using the Bible and Archeology to further their cause, in getting more money that is.

I post the whole news item so you can see how dubious these people's claim is. They are trying to make money out of the Bible and faulty archeology.

The new tomb – about 200 feet from the "Jesus Family Tomb" – is marked with the first Christian symbol, the cross. It also has markings allegedly saying "Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up" and a drawing of a fish with a stick. 

"In my assessment, there's zero percent chance that their theory is correct," Andrew Vaughn, executive director of the American Schools of Oriental Research, told MSNBC of the findings. For him, the second tomb does not strengthen the case that the first one is authentic. 

The original "Jesus Discovery," book is based on a 1980 finding of 10 small caskets – known as ossuaries – that allegedly contained the bones of Jesus Christ and his family. One of the casket's inscriptions reads "Judah, son of Jesus," which the book writers radically say indicate that Jesus started a family. 

The radical assertions of both findings contradict many things modern Christians believe: Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, leaving no trace of a tomb or bones behind, according to the Bible. In addition, no scripture ever mentioned Jesus marrying or having children in over 30 years on earth. 

Many experts agree with the Christian viewpoint that the controversial findings are false, not only for faith's sake, but to prevent archaeological and scientific misuse as well. 

"Nothing in the book 'revolutionizes our understanding of Jesus or early Christianity,' as the authors and publisher claim," Duke University biblical scholar Eric Meyers told MSNBC. "We may regard this book as yet another in a long list of presentations that misuse not only the Bible but also archaeology." 

"It pains me to see archaeology hijacked in the service of non-scientific interests," agreed Jodi Magness, a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Some experts accuse Tabor and Jacobovici of fabricating the meanings of an otherwise unimportant historical find for publicity, fame, and book sales. Their book was released Tuesday. 

"It's an ordinary middle-class Jerusalem burial cave," Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site over 30 years ago, told MSNBC. "The names on the caskets are the most common names found among Jews at that time." 

A 1996 documentary by the BBC on the same subject led Kloner to a similar conclusion: "They just want to get money for it." 

More doubt has been cast on the research, especially when the artifacts, markings, and inscriptions being discussed have never been viewed by the naked eye; Jacobovici used a robotic arm equipped with a camera to gain access to the tomb without disturbing it completely. 

"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," wrote Magness. 

Christopher Rollston, an expert in Semitic epigraphy at Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Tennessee, said he and others will remain unconvinced because of a lack of evidence.
"Dramatic claims require dramatic evidence," he wrote on the ASOR blog. "The claims of Tabor and Jacobovici for this tomb are no more convincing now than they were then."

The right words about Simcha Jacobovici

'Simcha Jacobovici, the documentary director and producer of the "Naked Archaeologist" can no doubt simultaneously be considered both the world's "best" amateur archaeologist (because he seems to find everything he looks for) and the world's "worst" amateur archaeologist (because he seems to find everything he looks for).' -  Fathers of the Holy Cross Monastery (California).

(Via Esteban Vazquez)

More scholars add their dissent from the latest "archeological finding" about Jesus and his disciples.

I just blogged about this, and now, I offer another voice of dissent from a real archeologist.
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COMMENTS FROM PROF. STEVEN FINE ON THE “JESUS DISCOVERY”

§ March 1st, 2012 § Filed under Archaeology, Archaeology and Bible, Archaeology in the News, ASOR, Epigraphy § Tagged Jerusalem,Jesus Tomb response, New Jesus Discovery response § 1 Comment

I was a member of a team assembled last summer by a major media outlet to evaluate this project. Sitting in a stately conference room, Mr. Jacobovici, Professor Tabor and Professor Charlesworth presented their discoveries for the consideration of an internationally renowned group of scholars. The members of the evaluating team then offered our professional evaluations of this project.

After a short introduction, my colleagues and I were shown the so-called “fish.” At that point, I opened my Ipad and pulled off the web an article of mine that deals with similar looking artifacts (http://cojs.org/stevenfine/articles_files/Feinberg-Fine.pdf). The article is itself a chapter of my book (Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World [Cambridge University Press, 2005, rev. 2011]). I proceeded to show team of scholars a whole group of Nefesh tombs from Jerusalem, and I pointed out parallels in modern Syria, Lebanon and Pompeii. I noted that this was a very common type of burial monument in the first century.

Most importantly, images of such funerary monuments were often inscribed on the sides of ossuaries—secondary burial boxes used in the environs of Jerusalem. They have been widely published and are very well known (see my article for bibliography and illustrations). This so-called Jonah “icon” (as it has been described in media materials), is nothing more than the image of an ancient Jewish tomb incised on the side of an ossuary. In fact, it is a very nice image of one.

The interpretation presented by Professor Tabor is not grounded in the evidence, nor in even the most basic rules of art-historical analysis. The image has nothing to do with Jonah, Jesus, or Judea in the first century. Elsewhere I have referred to this genre of media-driven discoveries as the “DaVinci Codification” of our culture—the presentation of odd and associative thinking previously reserved for novels as “truth” to the general public (http://sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?articleId=655). The “Jonah Fish” is just the next installment in the Jesus-archaeology franchise—timed, as always, to proceed a major Christian feast.

I, for one, am wearied by the almost yearly “teaching moment” presented by these types of “discoveries.” I am hopeful, however, that—this time—a forceful and quick display of unanimous dissent by the leading members of the academic community will be taken seriously by the media and the public at large.

Steven Fine, 
Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva University
Director, YU Center for Israel Studies, www.yu.edu/cis
Co-editor, Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture
Website: http://yeshiva.academia.edu/StevenFine/About

Not only the West has conspiracy theories against Christianity. Islam has its own. It's Easter!!!

I've heard that many Muslims believe that Jesus predicted the coming of Jesus, and that our gospels have been corrupted in order not to show that Jesus made such a prediction.

Now, and again, we are faced with a "new discovery", regarding the claims that Jesus predicted the coming of Mohammed. Check this out:

The discovery of the gospel that predicts the coming of Prophet Mohammed has been stirring much controversy especially in light of the contradictions it has with the Quran and the question marks surrounding its authenticity. 
Despite speculations about the discovered text being the famous Barnabas Gospel, which foresees the advent of Islam, nothing so far confirms this hypothesis, including the Turkish newspaper Zaman. 
The paper added that the Vatican did not ask for a copy of the text, but the Vatican ambassador in Ankara asked the Turkish authorities to inspect it and provide feedback on its authenticity.Skepticism over the authenticity of the text arises from the contradictions it has with the Quran even though it recognizes Islam and Prophet Mohammed in addition to the fact that most studies say the book goes back to only 500 years ago. 

Pure conspiracy, fantasy and illusion.  The text is a fraud, as the claim that Jesus said that Mohammed was a coming prophet. Actually, this is what Jesus said:

John 10:7-9New International Version (NIV) ⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

And when talking about the time after his departure, this is what he said:

Matthew 24:23-25New International Version (NIV)²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

So Jesus did predict about some that would come after him, but they weren't going to be good prophets, rather, evil ones. 


It is ridiculous how this "so called gospel" that predicts the coming of Mohammed, contradicts the Quran, Mohammed's book:

Akkad added that the gospel’s account of how Jesus told a crowd of thousands about the advent of Prophet Mohammed is hard to believe.
This gospel, he explained, contains several mistakes that can be obvious to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.
Reading the 325-page, 231-chapter Arabic translation of the book, which can be downloaded from the internet, makes it easy to detect the contradictions to Quran it contains. 
For example, the book says that there are nine heavens and that the tenth is paradise while in Quran they are seven only and claims that Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus without any pain while the Quran story says she got labor pains.

Read the whole entry, and find out how ludicrous  these claims are. 

As I have said, Easter is around the corner, so expect many of these type of stories.

Easter must be around the corner. Faulty and dubious archeology shown for the falsehood that it is

Gay Bullies

If you thought that gays are the only one being bullied, you are totally wrong. But I wonder if I will see Lady Gaga defending this girl for speaking her mind. Hypocrisy as its best.

This whole entry comes via ZwingliusRedivivus

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The news reports every incidence of gays being bullied (because bullying is absolutely wrong and intolerable).  But you don't often hear about gays doing the bullying.  Not because it doesn't happen- but because it's inconvenient to report it.

Still every now and again word leaks out about the intolerable bullying waged by gays against non-gays.

A 14-year-old girl in America received death threats and abuse after taking a stand for the traditional definition of marriage.  Sarah appeared before the state of Maryland’s legislature last month where she urged lawmakers not to redefine marriage.  She urged a committee to give her “the best birthday present ever,” by “vot[ing] no on gay marriage.”  But after the youngster’s testimony appeared online she was subjected to vulgar attacks, threats of violence and even death wishes.  One of the comments against her said, “I hate people like this. Most (not all) Americans are [expletive] retards. If I ever see this girl, I will kill her. That’s a promise.”

Bullying is wrong no matter who does it.  And it's just as despicable if the target is straight or gay.  Sarah is just as entitled to her views as the gay activists are.  This is still America, in spite of efforts to muzzle every voice which protests against moral decline and political correctness.

Other documented responses included: “I’m gonna kill ‘er!”  “Her parents should be exterminated.”  “The [sic] is why abortion must stay legal—to prevent little bigots like this from being Born…”  “Kill this child and his [sic] parent, for my 11 birthday would be a wonderful gift, thanks.”  “Parents like hers should be sterilized…”

Ellen Degeneres didn't protest this hate speech did she...  No one has offered to pay Sarah's college tuition have they?  Our society is curved in on itself, curved in on depravity and to such a degree that only depravity is feted.

When gays are bullied all decent people cry out in opposition- because that's what decent people do.  When people like Sarah are attacked the gay community sits on the sidelines- doubtless hoping the curses come true and certainly not speaking out in her defense.  So who really cares about others?  Those who speak out against cruelty or those who only speak out when it suits them?

Waiting here for You.(Live) (Passion:Here For You Video)

I am all for Hymns, but if we add songs like this, the Church will be greatly enriched. 

Greek and Hebrew. The good old days when every minister was supposed to know them.

During the Reformation, it was expected that the Christian minister to know the biblical languages. How low we have come.

Today, I've met "Drs' in theology, who don't know either language, let alone know how to spell in English. In a world with spell checkers, doing such mistakes is almost unforgivable.

So, if your pastor can't master either of the language, encourage him to learn them. It will be of great benefit to him, and his congregation.

When Protestants thought it was ok to kill another Protestant because they didn't agree

Look at this picture. This is not some Roman Catholic killing a Protestant. This is a Protestant drowning another Protestant, specifically, an Anabaptist, because he believed that baptism was only reserved to adults, and therefore, opposed infant baptism.

If they, the Magisterial Protestants (mainly Lutherans, Reformed) thought that by killing the Anabaptists they were doing away with "error", they were so wrong. 

In their martyrdom, the Anabaptists showed the Magisterial Reformers that they DID have the valour to follow their convictions to the end, even when those who were supposed to be on their side, set themselves against them.

How Protestants have seen the preaching of the Word

Oh, how far we have fallen off from our roots, as it seems.