Articles

The Lost Tomb of Jesus

By D. Jones

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming documentary entitled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" airing on the Discovery channel March 4th. I have been hearing and reading many different opinions about the subject so I decided to create a viewing Guide for people who don't like to automatically jump to conclusions. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last few days, here is a quick summary of what's going on. A tomb was found in Jerusalem containing a series of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) that were believed to hold the bones of Jesus, his mother Mary, his brother Joseph, his son Judah and his wife Mary Magdalene. Obviously, this idea is a contradiction to the Christian belief that Jesus did not leave behind any bones because of the resurrection, nor that he had a child. Much of the criticism comes from Christians who believe this to be a fake. I personally don't like assuming anything so the following is a guide that I hope will help people who want to approach this from a unbiased point of view.

GUIDE:

1. Get a notebook to take notes.

2. Set your VCR or DVR Recorder to record the Documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" airing March 4th on the Discovery Channel at 9:00 pm ET.

3. Watch the Documentary, taking notes on names, dates, locations, theories.

- When the show discusses the point of view of a certain person, take down his/her name and write some notes about their opinion.

4. Do your own personal fact checking and background check. Ask questions.

- Go back through your notes and do your own independent study on what the show discussed. Review the information provided. - Do a background check on the creators of the show, the archaeologists, etc.

Some good questions to ask are:

* What do the creators of the show have to gain?

* What are or were their beliefs about the subject before the discovery?

* Have they done other shows about similar topics?

* How credible is the information provided?

5. Establish your own opinion and continue questioning.