The tomb of Jesus and his family?

What the Bible, Qur'an and Naked
Archeologist say about Jesus' location

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What the Bible says, and what Christians believe:

Essentially all Christians believe that Yeshua of Nazareth (a.k.a. Jesus Christ) was crucified by the occupying Roman army in Palestine circa 29 to 33 CE on a Friday afternoon. He died and was resurrected one or two days later -- sometime on Saturday or on Sunday morning before sunrise. The book of Acts, which was written by the author of the Gospel of Luke, contains a description of Jesus' ascension to Heaven.

Acts 1:9-11: "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (King James Version)

Interpretations of this passage differ:

Some liberal Christians and secularists interpret Jesus ascension as a myth. They believe that the passage in Acts does not describe an actual event. They interpret it as being based on the Jewish belief at the time that the Earth is flat, is floating on a sea of water, and is covered with a firmament -- a metal dome. The firmament separates Heaven above the dome from the earth below. In order to get to Heaven, Jesus would have had to rise upwards through the clouds. Humanity's exploration of space has shown that ancient Jewish beliefs were incorrect. Heaven is not "up there." Thus, it is apparent that author of Acts invented an imaginary event involving Jesus ascendance to Heaven, and presented it as an actual happening.

What the Qur'an says:

Muslims revere Isa, son of Marium (Jesus, son of Mary) as one of the most important of the prophets of God. They reject the belief that Jesus is God or that he was crucified by the Roman army. They believe that some other person -- perhaps Judas Iscariot or Simon of Cyrene -- was transformed by God so that he looked exactly like Jesus and was crucified in place of Jesus. Jesus escaped and lived on after the crucifixion. Most Muslims believe that God raised Jesus to Heaven while he was still alive. However, some believe that Jesus ascended after his death. ₁

Qur'an, 4:157-158: "And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the messenger of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. Nay! Allah took him up to Himself; and Allah is Mighty, Wise."

What the Naked Archeologist suggests:

Simcha Jacoboviciis is a Canadian director of documentary movies. He is known as "The Naked Archeologist" because of his series of half-hour programs of the same name. They are broadcast over Vision TV, a Canadian cable channel. He has directed a documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." It was first aired on Sunday 2007-MAR-04 over the Discovery Channel in the U.S., Channel 4 in the U.K., and on Vision TV in Canada. It will be repeated on Vision on MAR-06 at 9 PM ED/PT.

The movie makes the startling claim that the burial place of Jesus has been found in Talpiot, Jerusalem. Further, his DNA has been detected. There is some evidence that he had a son, as Dan Brown speculated in his novel: The Da Vinci Code. Jacoboviciis told the Toronto Star: "It's mind-boggling. It's an altered reality." At a press conference at the New York Public Library in New York City, NY on 2007-FEB-26, he displayed what he believes to be the ossuary (burial box) of Jesus and one said to belong to Mary Magdalene. ₂

Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino have written a book titled: "The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History," It will go on sale on FEB-27. ₃

References used:

1. "Islamic view of Jesus," Wikipedia, downloaded 2007-FEB-26, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
2. Stuart Laidlaw, "Jesus tomb claim sparks furor," The Toronto Start, 2007-FEB-26, at: http://www.thestar.com/
3. Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino, "The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History," HarperSanFrancisco, (2007). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store.

Copyright © 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2007-FEB-26
Latest update: 2007-MAR-05
Author: B.A. Robinson