The Lost Tomb of Jesus

What follows is copy from a web site maintained by the Discovery Channel, plus Rev. Scott's response. Rev. Scott recorded the two hour documentary and a one hour critical response moderated by Ted Koppel on DVDs. Church members may borrow the recordings.

Premiere: Sun, March 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Has the tomb of Jesus Christ been found?

Since the 1970s, hundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area. These ossuaries served as coffins in first-century Jerusalem.  One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels.

In the feature documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus a case is made that the 2,000-year-old "Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries" belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.  All leading epigraphers agree about the inscriptions. All archaeologists confirm the nature of the find. It comes down to a matter of statistics. A statistical study commissioned by the broadcasters (Discovery Channel/Vision Canada/C4 UK) concludes that the probability factor is 600 to 1 in favor of this tomb being the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.  The film also documents DNA extraction from human residue found in two of the ossuaries and reveals new evidence that throws light on Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene.

The documentary includes dramatic recreations, based on the latest historical evidence, illustrating accurate images of Jesus of Nazareth, his family, his followers, his ministry, his crucifixion and his entombment.  Part archaeological adventure, part Biblical history, part forensic science, part theological controversy: this is a story that will be carried around the world.  The executive producer of The Lost Tomb of Jesus is Academy award winning filmmaker, James Cameron. The producers are award winning filmmakers Felix Golubev and Ric Esther Bienstock. The director is Emmy award winning documentarian, Simcha Jacobovici.

From Rev. Scott Wylie

Like the DaVinci Codes hypothesis that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child whose heirs settled in southern France and that Mary herself should be considered the Holy Graille this docudrama advances its hypothesis and then challenges academic experts to weigh in and disprove it. The hypothesis says that the tomb of the family of Jesus of Nazareth has been discovered and that it included the bones of both Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Documentarian Simcha Jacobovici says the archaeological evidence uncovered in the tomb is consistent with his hypothesis that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and produced a son named Judah. Connected with this hypothesis is the claim that an ossuary offered in evidence in a Jerusalem court trial contains the bones or bears an inscription naming the ossuary as that of James, the brother of Jesus, named in Galatians 1.19 and presumably, Acts 15.13.

For me, the most challenging assertion is that an ossuary has been found that Jacobovici claims could contain the bones of Jesus of Nazareth. My personal belief is that the resurrection means - as a commentator called in by Ted Koppel asserts - would mean resurrection of the whole person, body and spirit, so that no bones should be found. This is the point I care about most as a matter on which to rest my faith.

I am surprised to find that the door has always been open to believing that Jesus resurrection - and thus the one to which we can look forward - is non physical. I personally believe it was physical, but read the paragraphs on theology. Koppel's panel mentioned St. Paul's assertion that the body we will inhabit in the resurrection is a spiritual body [1 Corinthians 15.35-53, especially v. 44] The epistle writer answered the question conceptually, rather than specifically: 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

But 'as he is' is problematic in scripture. In John 20.19+, Jesus appears inside a locked room, so he would seem incorporeal. Yet he invites Thomas to put hands into the wounds in his hands and side, so he sounds physical. In Luke 24.13+ Jesus walks and talks with two disciples, yet is not recognized by them until a moment of Jesus' own choosing. Yet later in that same chapter, Jesus sounds quite corporeal: Luke 24.39 "Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. In Matthew, 28. 9, Jesus sounds corporeal. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.  But in Mark 16.1-8, which most scholars consider the original ending of the Gospel, no post resurrection appearances of Christ are described at all. In Mark 16.9+, few, if any, corporeal appearances are written.  Jesus is merely seen and heard.

Theological Considerations - Discovery Channel

Resurrection: It is a matter of Christian faith that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion circa 30 C.E. This is a central tenet of Christian theology, repeated in all four Gospels. The Lost Tomb of Jesus does not challenge this belief. In the Gospel of Matthew (28:12) it states that a rumor was circulating in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' crucifixion.

This story holds that Jesus' body was moved by his disciples from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where he was temporarily buried. Ostensibly, his remains were taken to a permanent family tomb. Though Matthew calls this rumor a lie circulated by the high priests, it appears in his Gospel as one of the stories surrounding Jesus' disappearance from the initial tomb where he was buried.  Even if Jesus' body was moved from one tomb to another, however, that does not mean that he could not have been resurrected from the second tomb. Belief in the resurrection is based not on which tomb he was buried in, but on alleged sightings of Jesus that occurred after his burial and documented in the Gospels.

Ascension: It is also a matter of Christian faith that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Some Christians believe that this was a spiritual ascension, i.e., his mortal remains were left behind. Other Christians believe that he ascended with his body to heaven. If Jesus' mortal remains have been found, this would contradict the idea of a physical ascension but not the idea of a spiritual ascension. The latter is consistent with Christian theology.

From Rev. Scott Wylie

Q: Is the above theological article consistent with U.M. Articles of Religion?

In editions of the United Methodist Book of Discipline, two sets of Articles of Religion are listed, sequentially: Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church; the Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Both are held valid by the terms of our 1968 Union. The following articles seem pertinent to the so called Tomb of Jesus discussion:

ARTICLES OF RELIGION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH

Article III: Of the Resurrection of Christ:

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he returns to judge all men at the last day.

This pastor's interpretation:

Article III seems to finesse the question of physical or spiritual resurrection.

On the one hand, it says "took again his body" which I suppose most would interpret as physical body in every sense that Jesus had a body between his Incarnation and Resurrection. On the other hand, in the Wesleyan emphasis on leading folk to salvation and not placing obstacles on one"s path to salvation, "all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven" is a lot of wordsmithing which is not needed if the plain sense of "body" were sufficient. The underlined language seems to give United Methodists freedom to either accept or reject the flesh and blood resurrection/ascension of Jesus. There is no explicit Article covering the Ascension.

I hear in the underlined words an echo of the theology of Article XVIII: Of the Lord's Supper. In the 1700's when Wesley formulated and the Methodists adopted these Articles, Roman Catholics believed [and later renounced] the doctrine of transubstantiation, meaning that during a service of Holy Communion, the bread and wine or juice physically became the body and blood of Christ [see John 6.48-60]. The Wesleyan response was Article XVIII, asserting that "Transubstantiation ... cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture ... The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith."

THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF

THE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH

Article II: Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, in whom the divine and human natures are perfectly and inseparably united. [Article continues]

Article XII: The Judgment and the Future State We believe all men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.

This pastor's interpretation:

Wesley taught his followers the following approach to doctrine and matters of faith. In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberality; in all things, charity. In the above doctrinal articles, I take it that Methodist Christians would tend toward a plain [i.e., physical] interpretation of resurrection, both of Jesus Christ and the believer - as I do. But I hear that the theologians of the movement struggled to keep the focus on salvation and the perfection of man's nature. So, however God chose to accomplish this, whether by the physical or nonphysical resurrection and ascension of Christ, God did so in a way which proved effective for our salvation. Thus, a United Methodist is not held responsible to believe in a physical resurrection/ascension in order to become a professing church member, with assurance of salvation.

Other scriptural cautions:

Mark 13.22: False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be alert; I have already told you everything.

2 Peter 2: 1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions.

They will even deny the Master who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

I do not know the motives of the film makers. I take them as sincere and well intentioned. My responsibility as a person of faith is to decide how I will engage with the docudrama.

Methodists believe that when deciding matters of faith, we appeal to Scripture through the tradition, reason, and personal experience of the faith. I do not feel the least bit defensive about the discovery of this tomb and the assertion that bones of Jesus are inside. I urge you to keep an open mind and simply keep following this controversy. I believe that our faith is based on truth and that as scholars weigh in on this issue [over the next 20 years, if experience is any guide] that confidence in the hypothesis that we have bones of Jesus and proof that Jesus and Magdalene produced a son will erode and come to nothing.

Such "archaeological" findings have happened over and over again during our history. Remember the Shroud of Turin?

Scholars have posed many questions which the film team has yet to answer. As in the case of the DaVinci Code, Christians are called to be savvy thinkers.

As you watch the visuals in this docudrama, ask yourself why the film maker carefully portrayed Jesus and Magdalene as a married couple with an infant, rather than spend the same effort depicting several other possible scenarios.

Check yourself against making intuitive leaps in the direction the film maker seems to want you to go, such as the assertion that with all the right names represented on the tomb's ossuaries, this must represent the family of Jesus of Nazareth. Notice in Koppel's piece that the archaeologist/historian who says he is NOT a believer in Christ is quite critical of the archaeological processes and overdrawn conclusions presented in the film.

What is faith? What answer would you give to this question?

For me, faith is not holding to a belief in something or someone contrary to all available evidence. That's the definition of psychological denial. 

Reason and the things reason can teach us are important to me and in Methodist history. Wesley was a professor at Oxford University and Methodists have always valued education. But humans are not merely beings with senses and intellects who can follow a scientific method and develop empirical evidence. We are emotional and intuitive beings who can know things other than what the physical senses portray to us. We know in a multitude of ways and all of them are human.

I trust Christ as Son of God and personal Savior because faith says, "Believe in him and you will receive assurance that your faith is not in vain." God has set up the world so that no amount of evidence can lead irresistibly to Christian faith. But when I made the "leap of faith" and committed to live my life AS IF the promises of God relayed in scripture are true, I began to get proof after proof that God is real and faithful and loving and remains the

Lord of History. For me the proofs have been the same as those described in scripture: teaching and preaching that persuades; prayers for healing answered vividly in my own physical body and in the bodies of some for whom I have prayed; exorcisms which provide the demonized person new freedoms from physical, mental, and emotional bondage; the sense during prayer that a mysterious Someone consistent with the God of the Bible is present with me in the experience and transforms me bit by bit every time I pray. All such proofs have come AFTER my confession of faith was made.

I believe in a physical resurrection because at times in my life when worldly evidence crushed my hopes, the biblical prophecies and promises so filled my chest with warmth and new energy that I could feel changes in my own body.

Try reading the following passage as God's personal promise to you, individually and tell me how you respond:

Isaiah 40.1 Comfort, O comfort my [beloved], says [our] God.

2 [I, the Lord] Speak tenderly to [you], and cry to [you] that [you] has served [your] term, that [your] penalty is paid, that [you have] received from [my] hand double for all [your] sins.

3 [My heart] cries out: "In the [soul], prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in [my depths] a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and [you] shall see it [personally], for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

So, let's be open to what scientists tell us about the supposed tomb of the family of Jesus. Let's hold to faith and watch. Perhaps it will help you deal with the tension to remember what Jesus told Martha [John 11.40] "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" The proof of our faith is that the world and its forms of wisdom try to tear down faith, but ultimately faith remains. Every challenge faced deepens and strengthens faith and builds endurance. I hope this for you.

Rev. Scott Wylie Monday, March 5, 2007