The Lost Tomb

The Discovery Channel now has a website up and running about the documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus, which will premiere in the US and the UK, i think, at the beginning of March.

In the feature documentary a case is made that the 2,000-year-old “Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries” belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth. Since the 1970s, hundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area. These ossuaries served as coffins in first-century Jerusalem. One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels.

All leading epigraphers agree about the inscriptions. All archaeologists confirm the nature of the find. 'It comes down to a matter of statistics'. A statistical study commissioned by the broadcasters (Discovery Channel/Vision Canada/C4 UK) concludes that the probability factor is 600 to 1 in favour of this tomb being the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family. The film also documents DNA extraction from human residue found in two of the ossuaries and reveals new evidence that throws light on Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene. (How would they be able to do that?!). All sounds incredible to me but fascinating nonetheless.