Film director James Cameron made a pretty good movie when he filmed Titanic. He even recreated the interior of that great and tragic ship down to the last authentic detail, giving the movie an eerie authenticity. But even the best of Hollywood craftsmanship and the magic of digital imagery could not fool us into believing that we were watching actual events taking place on the real Titanic. Even the guy falling onto the ship's propeller was a fake. It was all an illusion of reality — nothing more than an expensive and incredibly profitable piece of historical fiction.
Now, James Cameron is trying once again to recreate another time and place for us on film. This time, however, Cameron is not only trying to resurrect that same eerie authenticity but he is trying to really fool us into believing that the fictional and illusory magic of cinematic imagination is more real than the reality it attempts to recreate!
Cameron's latest project, titled The Lost Tomb of Jesus, is an attempt to demonstrate and prove that some ossuaries (bone boxes) found over 25 years ago in a tomb outside of Jerusalem contained the remains of Jesus, his mother, Mary, his wife, Mary Magdalene, their son, Judah, and the disciple Matthew.
The film's producers have concocted a statistical theory of "coincidence" that they say effectively validates their claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
Unfortunately for Cameron (and the Discovery Channel that is planning to air the film) their hyped-up claims have been torpedoed by the top archaeologists in Israel, including the man who did the original excavation back in 1980.
William Dever, who the Washington Post describes as one "who has been excavating ancient sites in Israel for 50 years and is widely considered the dean of biblical archaeology among U.S. scholars" has responded to Cameron by saying,
"I'm not a Christian. I'm not a believer. I don't have a dog in this fight ... I've known about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists, and none of us thought it was much of a story, because these are rather common Jewish names from that period," he said. "It's a publicity stunt, and it will make these guys very rich, and it will upset millions of innocent people because they don't know enough to separate fact from fiction.
The Washington Post added that
Similar assessments came yesterday from two Israeli scholars, Amos Kloner, who originally excavated the tomb, and Joe Zias, former curator of archaeology at the Israeli Antiquities Authority. Kloner told the Jerusalem Post that the documentary is "nonsense." Zias described it in an e-mail to The Washington Post as a "hyped up film which is intellectually and scientifically dishonest."
The Lost Tomb of Jesus comes in the wake of such pseudo-historical projects as The Da Vinci Code, The Gospel of Judas, and The Secret Lives of Jesus. I can only conclude that Cameron (in the tradition of P.T. Barnum) seems to be betting that people are gullible enough to believe anything — especially something that, in this case, appears to undermine the legitimacy of the world's largest and most historically researched and validated religious faith.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Chris Rosebrough
For a comprehensive and scholarly rebuttal of the film’s evidence please visit ExtremeTheology.com.
Read and hear the evidence fore yourself.
2 - jaz
trying to refute any theory by using literalist interpretations of scriptural stories as Fact is logically flawed form the beginning due to unproven or blatantly false Postulates being utilized as axioms of theory
try waiting until the broadcast shows, and take it from there...goes for each view of the discussion
3 - Howard Dratch
You were doing ok at criticizing an as yet unseen documentary. Your citations of Israeli archaeologists were not linked or cited which might have been fine in this opinion piece but your personal comments are linked to a bible site which has nothing to do with the subject.
The theory as I have read about it is interesting but unproven and, for the foreseeable future, unprovable. However the indication of hysterical-reactions-to-come is undeniable. Already someone of intelligence feels that a film might "insult" their "... faith, integrity, character, and intelligence."
Cameron is already on my list for the tedious and boring Titanic . After that turkey all his films will be taken with a grain of salt.
However, the study of archeology continues. All its findings may not make fundamentalists happy, may or may not prove the ancient stories as they have been written and translated over the centuries.
4 - dustin
im skeptical. im going to watch the documentary out of interest, but it sounds like a lot of crappidee crappidee.
5 - Greg
Heaven is patient. That's why blasphemers are given enough time and rope to hang themselves
6 - Bird of Paradise
Howard, All quotations are cited through the link to the article in the Washington Post. Also, since this is an "opinion" piece rather than a "review" (how can I review what I have not seen?) my personal opinions ought to considered relevent! I simply tied in a link to the Bible verse that I made passing reference to in my comments. I cannot assume that everyone is Biblically literate enough to catch my somewhat obscure reference. ( I could have done the same for my "30 pieces of silver" reference but chose not to). Lastly, while the "biblegateway" site is not part of the critique it does represent one of the most useable and accessible "Bible-text" sites on the internet. Since the entire issue of veracity is grounded in the context of James Cameron's assertions against the backdrop of archaeological concensus, historical context and the New Testament texts I should think that a website that contains the text of the Bible to be more than relevent to the issue being discussed.
Who knows, someone reading this post might actually dare to read more than the one verse in the Bible to which I had a link! Would this be a bad thing? or irrelevent?
7 - alessandro nicolo
Hollywood and Christianity. Not a good Holy Alliance.
8 - Anton
You want facts? Here are some:
1. The joy and happiness resulting from my religion are real;
2. The peace and hope emanating from my faith are real;
3. My appreciation of religious artistic works is real;
4. My inclination to the name Jesus is real;
Now you are asking us to despise our religion because of some funny claims? We chosed light, and we're enjoying it. Now if you are rotting in your hellish world, don't ask us to join you. Enjoy your hell on earth!
9 - Melanie
Even in modern times,many people are risking persecution just to hear one Mass. They were not forced into it, its their free choice. So Cameron has to come up with something more believable to challenge these kind of people.
10 - zingzing
good for you anton.
but why are the rest of us in hell just because we aren't happy for the same reasons you are?
it's not hot today. it smells nice in here.
you want some other facts? this is a documentary that won't change minds. those who believe in the bible won't suddenly not believe in it because some documentary told them to, unless they are weak-willed souls who believe whatever they are told. most won't even bother with it.
it's not religion that gives you happiness, it's faith. religion is political. faith is faith. peace and hope don't come from faith, faith comes from peace and hope. i would hope you could appreciate art, religious or not, because if you can't, how are you appreciating anything but the reaffirmation of your faith whenever you view art?
how are you inclined to a name? i don't get that.
no one is asking you to despise anything. no one is asking you to do anything. i guess someone might be asking you to watch a documentary on cable t.v., but i'm not really sure.
11 - Mezzo P.
James, beware, the real owners of the bones might just haunt you tonight for misrepresenting their true identity.
12 - JC Mosquito
Faith and religion are both more interesting if one looks past the literal meanings of the text and reads them as literary meanings within the texts. But I guess everyone can't read on a high level, so they see the Bible as a story book with fanciful Mother Goose tales, to be taken literally or else not to be taken seriously. I just wish both sides would acknowledge the limitations of their own points of view.
13 - Eastern
From the bored of judges: 'James Cameron is not the one'. Next candidate please! Hurry, easter is fast approaching!
14 - Stephen Kunze
Well I am from Australia and I have not done any research into this and I will not.
As it stands their are no bones of Jesus christ left, he was resurrected from this earth, and I will stand by this truth and fight it until the end.
The Jesus I serve and love is more real then ever, he may have died, but thank god he rose again 3 days later proven by the most historically correct book in history.
So people that are agreeing with Camerons claims are really suggesting that the bible in incorrect? If you guys would rather believe something like the Da vinci code which is based on mainly fiction then go ahead, its your eternity you are dealing with.
Staright to the point is the way I am, and the way I like it.
15 - Eric
James Bone at Discovery channel?
16 - Filipino
From the Philippines: It didn't even made the news. We only learned about it in the internet.
17 - Thos Graham
Why would or could you not think that this could be the tomb of jesus and his family.?. First thing he rose from the dead and at no point in time does the bible say he was not a spirit. Second if you are a spirit you have no bones... Next, to even think that this is not possible is just insane.. I think there is enough evidence to do more research into this theory. It may be true is may be false but just because it involves jesus doenst mean it cant be real.. Stop being so one sided and stop bashing someone for showing you a theory..
18 - Rey
That's right, give the bonehead a chance. He's the smartest guy that came out in 2000 years. Archaeologists were amazed by his speed and skills. He must have studied archaeology at the university of hollywood.
19 - Donkey Oatie
Delusion: A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence.
Religion is one of the most powerful of delusions.
The deluded are highly unlikely to consider any evidence which might challenge their faith and are incapable of objectivity in that process.
My guess is that this will free many to think for themselves and to pursue these questions further.
They will find truth a demanding master.
20 - Arphaxad
Beware of the christian delusion. It will propagate love and brotherhood in the world. Worse, it will insist on justice and fidelity. This mentality is polluting our world. Look, if we will not stop the onslaught of christian delusion, we can no longer enjoy our crimes.
21 - Rey
Lets stop being pretentious. The conflict is not about evidence or scientific proof, but whether you like what Jesus was saying or not. He predicted long time ago that his church will be hated by the world because his teaching is a scandal to them. Jesus' enemies will continue to disprove him, and his followers will continue to prove Him.
22 - donna roy
no one ever said the devil was a bad lier
23 - Glen Boyd
I watched this tonight, along with the Ted Koppel roundrable discussion which followed with considerable interest, and as a Christian I didn't really see anything presented that would shake or otherwise challenge my faith. The premise they presented was a somewhat intiguing one, but at the end of the day offered way too little in the way of actual hard evidence to support it, relying instead on both speculation and a series of interesting, but hardly conclusive coincidences. Too many unconnected dots there to support this theory as being, umm, you know "gospel."
As for all this stuff about Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene and having kids, didn't Hollywood already try to sell that bill of goods with the DaVinci Code last year?
As filmaking goes, I did enjoy the whole archeaological backstory though.
-Glen
24 - J.J. Hunsecker
"James Cameron and the Discovery Channel Cause the Collapse of Christianity."
Wow, if a TV show could do that, then how strong is your faith to begin with?
25 - Pamela
Well, you can mixed it up, or twist a little bit to suit your taste: "Christianity caused the collapse of James Cameron and Discovery channel".