The Jesus Tomb
Tomorrow in New York there will be a press conference for the release of the book The Jesus Tomb by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino. I have known about this book and its claims for some time now (James Tabor’s The Jesus Dynasty provides hints to its contents) but I did not think it appropriate to mention on a blog dedicated to apocryphal literature. And then I read Amazon’s synopsis of the book (emphasis mine):
Were the remains of Jesus's body found over 25 years ago and the truth hidden? Now, The Jesus Tomb tells the shattering story of what may very well be the greatest archaeological find of all time — the discovery of the Jesus family tomb. The Jesus Tomb is the most exciting real-life archaeological detective story ever told. In 1980 a crypt was accidentally discovered in Jerusalem. Inside were ossuaries (bone boxes) with inscriptions bearing the names of Jesus of Nazareth, the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Judah, the son of Jesus. The artefacts were recorded and catalogued and then locked away for over a quarter of a century. But the tomb itself wasn't destroyed — it's under the foundations of a modern apartment. In 2005, documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici gained permission to break the floor and re-enter the tomb. Together with top forensic archaeologist Charles Pellegrino and the team involved in the original discovery, he started an earth-shattering investigation that will shock the Judeo-Christian world. In a rollercoaster narrative combining history, archaeology and cutting-edge science, the book reveals: The startling connection between these tombs, 'Tomb of the 10 Ossuaries', and the famous 'James Ossuary', the apparent remains of Jesus's brother discovered in 2003. The gripping account of the DNA testing on the remains of the bones in a New York crime lab, plus residues from the inscriptions on the tombs. They prove that statistically, there is a 1 in 10 million chance that this is a family other than the Holy family. The latest research on how the 'forgotten' gospels, e.g. the Gnostic gospels and Gospel of Mary, hint at the truth of this discovery.
Please, make it stop…
Ah, yes, the sensationalism!