Adam

Discovery Channel showed "Resurrection" tonight April 12, 2012, with James Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici robotically exploring the tomb in East Talpiot in Jerusalem largely sealed up in 1981 as demanded by the Ultra-Orthodox Jews. They were trying find evidence that this is the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was supposedly so rich that his estate covered two hills, what "Arimathea" means.

The hour was mostly spent exploring the high technology itself, but did discover lots of suggestive inscriptions. They believe they have found archaeological evidence of First Century crosses, the Whale symbol of Jonah associated with rebirth out of the whale's mouth, the word "Mara" as indicative of Mary Magdalene having a status comparable to Jesus, and that Jesus was already then regarded as God ("Jehovah" spelled out as no regular Jew would do, in the context of Jesus rising up or being called upon to raise them up).

Tabor proceeded to tie this into the Jesus tomb discovered 200 feet away in 2007. He proclaimed himself 95% confident that we have the bones of Jesus, but that this does not overturn Christianity because the earliest Christians understood that Jesus's bones were left behind when He rose to Heaven.

This supports Historicism against both mythicism and traditional Christianity.
First Century archaeological evidence would end mythicism, but bones of Jesus would refute dogmatic Christianity. But I don't think this is what Sotto Voce speaks for, but instead supports an Ebionite belief that vanished 1700 years ago (though there are some on the fringe who claim to revive it).

But James Tabor already had a bad reputation here. Minds do not change here, and his new evidence has already been dismissed here. Regardless, we should be talking about this new telecast. There is archaeological evidence for the gospels, it's just a question of how good the evidence is and what it means.

squiz

Check out this live blog:
http://tomverenna.wordpress.com/2012...rrection-tomb/

Toto

Tabor has academic credentials, but his peers have universally rejected his reconstructions. Many of them have a religious bias against his conclusions, but he himself seems to have a religious motivation. Tom Verenna's blog is a good summary of the ongoing academic criticism.

Nothing that Tabor has "discovered" even remotely supports the gospels in any case. His historical Jesus was rich, married, and of royal Jewish blood.

Simcha Jacobovici is just a huckster.

I don't know what else there is to discuss.

mountainman

Is this a comedy sketch?

Diogenes the Cynic

What part of "Arimathea" means "two hills?" In what language? From Hebrew ramah ("hill")?

Vorkosigan

Awesome alliterative title.

outhouse

this is just proof of a burial sometime during the early second century/ late first century


the only tie to jesus is the geographic location, [the levant]

la70119

We already know about the reputation of Simcha Jacobovici. He is a known huckster, con artist and an idiot who managed to convince the History Channel that he was some "Naked Archaeologist." Although I admit he pretty much exposed the Vatican on the myth of St Peter.

James Tabor, on the other hand, I hadn't formed an opinion about despite his previous association with and rejected hypotheses on the Talipot Tomb.

But this recent joint venture where the two of them photoshopped a vase into a fish really destroys the two of them, for they are both EXPOSED as thoroughly DISHONEST.

outhouse

Tabor is a embarrassment, after his exodus interpretation, let alone watching his imagination fly here