RESPONSE TO THE LOST TOMB STORY

The stand to Reason Blog has posted the following responses:


Who's Writing the Ficiton Here?
As I mentioned yesterday, the claims about the remains of Jesus immediately put me in mind of Dr. Paul L. Maier's work of fiction A Skeleton in God's Closet. That was the premise of the mystery. So Dr. Maier has thought about this idea and he's also an expert in ancient archaeology and follows these developments closely. Here is his response to the news so far:

Paul L. Maier, Ph.D., Litt.D
Department of History
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

February 25, 2007

Dear Friends and Readers,

Thanks for the profusion of e-mails I’ve received over the last two days regarding the Talpiot tombs discovery in Jerusalem, a.k.a., “the Jesus Family Tomb” story. Some of you also suggested that “life seemed to be following art” so far as my A Skeleton in God’s Closet was concerned. Believe me, this is not the way I wanted my novel to hit the visual media!

Alas, this whole affair is just the latest in the long-running media attack on the historical Jesus, which – we thought – had culminated in that book of lies, The Da Vinci Code. But no: the caricatures of Christ continue.

Please, lose no sleep over the Talpiot “discoveries” for the following reasons, and here are the facts:.

1) Nothing is new here: scholars have known about the ossuaries ever since March of 1980. The general public learned when the BBC filmed a documentary on them in 1996. James Tabor’s book, The Jesus Dynasty, also made a big fuss over the Talpiot tombs more recently, and now James Cameron (The Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici have climbed aboard the sensationalist bandwagon as well. He

2) All the names – Yeshua, Joseph, Maria, Mariamene, Matia, Judah, and Jose -- are extremely frequent Jewish names for that time and place, and thus most schol-ars consider this merely coincidental, as they did from the start. One-quarter of Jewish women at that time, for example, were named Maria.

3) There is no reason whatever to equate “Mary Magdalene” with “Mariamene,”
as Jacobovici claims.

4) So what if her DNA is different from that of “Yeshua” ? That particular :Mariamme” (as it is usually spelled today) could indeed have been the wife of that particular “Yeshua.”

5) What in the world is the “Jesus Family” doing, having a burial plot in Jerusalem, of all places, the very city that crucified Jesus? Galilee was their home. In Galilee they could have had such a family plot, not Judea. Besides all of which, church tradition – and Eusebius – are unanimous in reporting that Mary died in Ephesus, where the apostle John, faithful to his commission from Jesus on the cross, had accompanied Mary.

6) If this were Jesus’ family burial, what is Matthew doing there – if indeed “Ma-tia” is thus to be translated?

7) How come there is no tradition whatever – Christian, Jewish, or secular -- that any part of the Holy Family was buried at Jerusalem?

8) Please note the extreme bias of the director and narrator, Simcha Jacobovici. The man is an Indiana-Jones-wannabe, who oversensationalizes anything he touches. You may have caught him on his TV special regarding The Exodus, in which the man “explained” just everything that still needed proving or explaining in the Exodus account in the Old Testament! It finally became ludicrous, and now he’s doing it again. – As for James Cameron, how do you follow The Titanic? Well, with an even more “titanic” story. He should have known better.

There are more arguments, to be sure, but I want to get this off pronto.

With warm regards,

Paul L. Maier


Here is another article from the Stand To Reason Blog:

Tale from the Crypt
We don't know yet what the details are of James Cameron's evidence for claiming Jesus' remains have been found. There'll be plenty to respond to, I'm sure. Greg opened the radio show yesterday with some general comments about how to think about these kinds of claims.

One thing to keep in mind that this evidence, after it's examined, has to stack up against the positive evidence we have for Christianity. Too often people forget that there is plenty of evidence to explain away that has withstood 2000 years of criticism. Paul did say that if Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, physically, then our faith is in vain so Cameron's claim goes to the foundation of Christianity. It's our central claim and we can't just respond by "taking it on faith." Jesus offered Himself as evidence for His claims. But anticipating Cameron's evidence is less than conclusive, Christianity has plenty of evidence going for it that will have to be stacked against what he offers. He doesn't offer us this new information in a vacuum.

Sure, there are people happy to jump on anything to debunk Christianity. Look how many people actually believe in the truth of the Da Vinci Code. But we have good reason on our side and that doesn't evaporate with Cameron's evidence.

Apparently Cameron's conclusions depend to some extent on James Tabor's scholarship so it's good to revisit Darrell Bock's assessment of Tabor's methodology and conclusions.

Update: Here's the documentary website at Discovery.

Amos Kloner, the archaeologist who originally oversaw the dig, is skeptical.

Here's an article on Discovery with some of the details.

LOST TOMB BEWS

James White has posted a few more articles on the Lost Tomb of Jesus controversy. You can read the articles at this link: Tomb

Ancient tomb may contain Jesus’ family

MSNBC has posted the following article: Ancient tomb may contain Jesus’ family

The Skeleton in God's Closet?

The Stand to Reason Blog has posted an article on the "Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Here is the link: Lost Tomb of Jesus

A Skeleton In God's Closet

With the recent news about the Lost Tomb of Jesus I thought I would point people to a novel that was written in 1994. The name of the book is "A Skeleton in God's Closet"

You can purchase the book at this link:
A Skeleton In God's Closet

LOST TOMB OF JESUS: DISCOVERY CHANNEL

The Lost Tomb of Jesus will be shown on the Discovery Channel on 4 March at 9:00pm EST

You can see all the information and check out a number of pictures at this link:

TOMB OF JESUS

The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Major Update

Here are the first pictures I have seen of the tomb and the "coffin"




























Here is a link to the latest news about this story:

THE COFFIN


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More News on the Jesus’ Burial Site Story

I have been watching a developing story for the last 24 hours. Let me give you a quick summary and the latest update:

Yesterday I received an e-mail that pointed me to a news article that was claiming to have found the place Jesus is buried. Here is the link to that article:


Jesus` Burial Site

I searched the internet and could not find much information. In fact, most people I chatted with acted as if this was no big deal...a waste of time. Later today, things began to change as a few more web sites began to post articles about this:

Here is a link to an article by James White:

Jesus Burial

About an hour ago, James White posted a link to an article in Time Magazine:

Here is the link:


Tales of The Crypt



The Following Blog has information about the Story:
Blog

BLOGGING HUMOR

If you blog you are probably laughing

Jesus’ Burial Site Found - Update

I just found the following news story that has this important statement in it:

But the senior Israeli archaeologist who thoroughly researched the tombs after their discovery, and at the time deciphered the inscriptions, cast serious doubt on it.

"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 Atiqot 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.

To read the rest of the article follow this link: Documentary makers claim tomb of Jesus found in Jerusalem

William Preston Taulbee

What is this a picture of?






















Would you believe that this is a picture of the blood of a congressman who died in 1890?

Here is the interesting story:

A Historic Killing in the Capitol Building

Jesus’ Burial Site Found - Film Claims

I was sent the following news story yesterday. I am following it and will post updates as I find them:

They are claiming to have found where Jesus is buried:

The cave in which Jesus Christ was buried has been found in Jerusalem, claim the makers of a new documentary film.

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 timeon Monday in New York.

To read the rest of the article follow this link: Jesus Burial Site

THE NUMBER IS 23

There is a new movie coming out that may have some people talking about the number 23. The name of the movie is of course 23 and it is being released on 23 February.














Here is what the movie is about:
The psychological thriller "The Number 23" stars Jim Carrey as a man whose life unravels after he comes into contact with an obscure book titled The Number 23. As he reads the book, he becomes increasingly convinced that it is based on his own life. His obsession with the number 23 starts to consume him, and he begins to realize the book forecasts far graver consequences for his life than he could have ever imagined.

WATCH THE TRAILER:


From what I can tell the movie is dealing with what is called the:

"23 Enigma" refers to the Discordian belief that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, some permutation of the number 23, or a number related to the number 23, given enough ingenuity on the part of the interpreter.

Wikepedia has an article that gives some of the strange connection the number 23 has with past and current events. here is the link: 23

Metal Back in Music Spotlight

Is Heavy Metal making a come back? Some are saying yes and with the Heavy Metal Band Mastodon being just one of five heavy metal bands up for a Grammy Award this year it just may be true.








Just in case some of you have either forgotten what Heavy Metal is or are to young to remember when it was popular let me point you to some articles and resources to help:

History of Heavy Metal

Heavy metal music

Kicking and Screaming, Metal Back in Music Spotlight

Hole in the ice fuels speculation about UFOs

A hole in a frozen pond in northern Latvia has people talking about possible UFOs:

Before I give the link to the story let's make sure everyone knows something about Latvia:














Here is a link to an article about Latvia:
Latvia


Now to the story about the hole in the ice:
Hole in the ice fuels speculation about UFOs


If anyone has pictures of the hole in the ice please send them to me and I will post them.

Cargo cult

The following was found at the BBC website:

Cargo cult lives on in South Pacific
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Tanna, Vanuatu

At the base of a sacred volcano in an isolated corner of the South Pacific young men play the "Star Spangled Banner" on bamboo flutes.

Every February they parade in old US army uniforms with wooden weapons.

Others go bare-chested with the letters "USA" painted in bright red letters on their bodies.

Nearby, a giant Stars and Stripes flutters in the breeze from the main flagpole.

This is the heart of John Frum country on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.

Villagers at Sulphur Bay worship a mystical figure who they believe will one day bring them wealth and happiness.

You can read the rest of the article here:
Cargo Cult

New 2007 UFO-Alien Disclosure Film

A new UFO film has been released. Here is the information about the film:

Watch Featured Interview

Fastwalkers, reveals the truth about UFOs and Extraterrestrials that has been suppressed and hidden for centuries.

"Fastwalker" is a code word created by NORAD (North American Air Defense Command) to classify (UFOs) unidentified flying objects which approach our Earth from space and enter our atmosphere. It has been reported that from its subterranean facility deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA, the Air Force NORAD facility tracks a rough average of 500 of these "Fastwalkers" each year.

For the first time, Fastwalkers in a feature length documentary form discloses information you were never meant to know. Amazing Fastwalker UFO photos and Fastwalker footage gathered from around the world that you were never meant to see. Never before has there been such a wealth of information presented by such unbiased experts who focus on providing a "World View" of what is really happening on planet Earth, rather than what "we are told is happening."

Now you can see and hear the people that the governments of the world never wanted you to meet. Fastwalkers provides astounding revelations by the world's foremost authorities including Dr. Steven M. Greer, Steve Bassett, Jim Marrs, Robert O. Dean, Dr. Michael Salla, Stanton T. Friedman, Alfred L. Webre, John Greenwald Jr., Dr. Len Horowitz, Dr. Richard Boylan, Jaime Maussan, Paola Harris, Jerry Pippin, Dr. Bruce Maccabee, A. J. Gevaerd, Sean David Morton, Graham E. Bethune, Col. Wendelle C. Stevens, Monsignor Corrado Balducci, James W. Deardorff, Phd., Robert M. Wood PhD, Charles Hall, Richard Dolan, Steven Jones, Rob Simone, Don Ware, Richard Giordano, James Courant, Dolores Cannon, Maurice Osborn, David Coote, Stoyan Cheresharov, Daniel Munioz, Lisa Davis, Bruce Jessop, Robert Miles, Alan G.Toleman, Jutta Savill; and is hosted by Erika Jessop.

Fastwalkers heralds in the advent of "Exopolitics" and "Disclosure." Fastwalkers unmasks the web of lies, and disinformation that the Governments of the world do not want you to know!

Fastwalkers allows you to hear first hand contactees, experiencers, and abductees as they share their amazing testimonies!

Fastwalkers, was created in the style of an "INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING," and has worldwide, on the spot coverage of "Fastwalker Hot Spots, and Fastwalker Current Happenings". Our approach of using actual interviews, provided by world reknown and respected individuals in a variety of fields of expertise has allowed us to expose that there is a "hidden agenda" currently being extolled to viewers by the global mainstream media.

For additional information, media kit, digital Fastwalker photos, trailers and interview clips please Enter The Site.

Fastwalkers brings the entire world the truth about extraterrestrial contact.

To see the trailer for the film and to search the film's web site follow this link:

FASTWALKERS

The Origins of the Shia-Sunni Split

If you watch the news at all you no doubt have heard about violence between the Shia's and Sunni's. But most likely you have no idea who these groups are. In fact when I hear people arguing about the situation in Iraq I like to ask them if they know who the Shia and Sunnis are. Most of the time I get a blank stare. So I am going to provide as much information as I can in this article in hopes of educating a few people.

Here is a link that explains who the Shia are:
The Shia:

Here is a link that explains who the Sunnis are:
The Sunnis:

Now what happened to cause these two groups to spilt and such violence to develop?

Follow this link to watch a slideshow that gives the history of the spilt:











Here are links to a great series on the Shia-Sunni Split:

Part 1: The Origins of the Shia-Sunni Split

Part 2: Shia Rise Amid Century of Mideast Turmoil

Part 3: Export of Iran's Revolution Spawns Violence

Part 4: Iraq War Deepens Sunni-Shia Divide

Part 5: Shia-Sunni Conflict Forces U.S. Shift in Iraq

Profiles: Key Individuals in the Shia-Sunni Divide

Chronology: A History of the Shia-Sunni Split

One Thousand Years of Shiite History

Anna Nicole's Death Coming to TV?

The following is from Fox News:

Final Footage of Anna Nicole Smith Sells for Over $500,000


Footage of the final moments of Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith's life sold for more than $500,000 Thursday after a media bidding war, according to Splash News & Picture Agency, the paparazzi outlet that sold the rights to the tape.

The video shows paramedics working on the unresponsive reality star as she was wheeled from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Splash News screened the videotape to potential media buyers at their Los Angeles headquarters just hours after Smith's death Thursday afternoon.

Emergency responders appear to administer CPR on two separate occasions as the TrimSpa spokeswoman was wheeled out of the hotel on a gurney, according to FOX News Channel producer Christopher Spinder, who viewed the tape.

"At one point they kind of started to look like they were going to put the gurney onto the ambulance and they kind of pulled the gurney back out a little bit so they could do a second administering of CPR," Spinder said.

Her companion and lawyer, Howard K. Stern, is not visible in the video.
The two-minute tape, shot from three different angles from a distance of about 50 feet, shows Smith's sheet-covered body, with an oxygen mask over her face, being taken out of the Hard Rock Hotel by a gaggle of emergency responders, including paramedics and police.


You cannot see her face, you cannot see hair flowing out from underneath the mask," Spinder said. "Again if someone didn't tell me this was Anna Nicole Smith, I totally would not have known it. You can't even tell it's a woman."

The video shows footage of the ambulance driving away from the hotel under a police escort, then cuts to the ambulance at Memorial Regional Hospital just after 2 p.m. ET Thursday.
"You do not see the ambulance pull into the hospital, and you do not see the body come out of the back of the ambulance," Spinder said. "You just see the ambulance sitting there.

"One would assume that the cameraman got there after the body had already been unloaded from the ambulance and was already in the hospital at that point," he said.

Smith died at 2:45 p.m. at the age of 39. She is survived by a 4-month-old daughter, Dannielynn Hope Marshall. Her only son, Daniel Smith, died in the Bahamas in September, three days after her daughter was born.
The winning bidder was unknown Thursday night.

THE BEST HALFTIME SHOW EVER?

Did you see the superbowl last night? Did you watch the halftime show? If not, from what everyone is saying you possibly missed the best halftime show of all time! Here are some pictures and links to what everyone is saying:

Prince Rocks the Halftime:

Purple rain turned super

Prince reigns with stellar halftime show

Big Baby

From Fox News:

CANCUN, Mexico — He is called "Super Tonio," and at a whopping birth weight of 14.5 pounds, the "little" fellow is causing a sensation in this Mexican resort city.

Cancun residents have crowded the nursery ward's window to see Antonio Vasconcelos, who was born early Monday by Caesarean section at Jesus Kumate Rodriguez hospital. The baby drinks 5 ounces of milk every three hours, and measures 22 inches in length

We haven't found any abnormality in the child, there are some signs of high blood sugar, and a slight blood infection, but that is being controlled so that the child can get on with his normal life in a few more days," Narciso Perez Bravo, the hospital's director, said on Wednesday.

In Brazil, a baby born in January 2005 in the city of Salvador weighed 16 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby born to a healthy mother was a boy weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, born in Aversa, Italy in September 1955.


Antonio's mother, Teresa Alejandra Cruz, 23, and father, Luis Vasconcelos, 38, said they were proud of the boy, and noted that Cruz had given birth to a baby girl seven years ago who weighed 11.46 pounds.

"It's good, because now with this one, we'll have a pair" of big babies, said Vasconcelos.