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An earlier discovery in which Simcha Jacobovici was involved, the supposed ossuary of "James, brother of Jesus," was later deemed to be a fake.
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 23, 2007 |
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The cave in which Jesus was buried has been found in Jerusalem, claim the makers of a new documentary film -- including a coffin containing his bones.
If it proves true, the discovery, which will be revealed at a press conference in New York Monday, could shake up the Christian world as one of the most significant archeological finds in history.
The coffins which, according to the filmmakers held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene will be displayed for the first time on Monday in New York.
The documentary, titled "The Burial Cave of Jesus," is a joint production by Israeli-born Canadian documentary maker Simcha Jacobovici and three-time-Oscar-winning Canadian film director James Cameron (Titanic, The Terminator).
The film tells the exciting and tortuous story of the archeological discovery. The 2000-year-old cave had already been found in 1980 in Jerusalem's Talpiyot neighbourhood. In it were 10 coffins, six of which bore inscriptions, which -- translated into English -- included the names "Jesus son of Joseph," twice "Maria," and "Judah son of Jesus."
The second Maria is hypothesized to be Maria Magdalene, while the tomb bearing the name Judah could indicate Jesus had a son. That's what the filmmakers claim.
If true, the find could be one of the most significant in the history of archeology and shake the Christian world.
But the senior Israeli archaeologist who researched the tombs after their discovery, and at the time deciphered the inscriptions, cast doubt on the claim.
"It's a beautiful story but without any proof whatsoever," Professor Amos Kloner, who had published the findings of his research in the Israeli periodical Atigot in 1996, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Friday.
"The names that are found on the tombs are names that are similar to the names of the family of Jesus," he conceded.
"But those were the most common names found among Jews in the first centuries BCE and CE," he added.
Kloner dismissed the combination of names found in the cave as a "coincidence."
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which is keeping the caskets in its archive in the town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, declined to comment on the documentary, saying it had not researched the caskets and that its duty was only to safeguard them.
The IAA nevertheless sent two of the caskets to the news conference in New York.
Decades of research
The findings in the cave, including the decipherment of the inscriptions, were first revealed about ten years ago by internationally renowned Israeli archeologist Professor Amos Kloner.
Since their discovery, the caskets were kept in the Israeli Antiquities Authority archive in Beit Shemesh, but now two have been sent to New York for their first public exhibition.
Although the cave was discovered nearly 30 years ago and the casket inscriptions decoded ten years ago, the filmmakers are the first to establish that the cave was in fact the burial site of Jesus and his family.
The film, which documents the stages of the discovery, is the result of three years labor and research. It will be broadcast on the international Discovery Channel, Britain's Channel 4, Canada's Vision and Israel's Channel 8, which also took part in the film's production.
According to the filmmakers, the film's claim is based on close work with world-famous scientists, archeologists, statisticians, DNA specialists and antiquities experts.
ynetnews contributed to this report. |
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