Synopses & Reviews
Addresses a much-contested archaeological discovery In 1980 archaeologists unearthed a tomb near Jerusalem that contained a family's ossuaries inscribed with some familiar New Testament names, including Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. In 2007 the Discovery Channel produced and broadcast a documentary called The Lost Tomb of Jesus, raising interest -- and controversy -- among the public and specialists alike. Could this actually be the tomb of Jesus and his family?
In January of 2008 a group of internationally renowned scholars from a broad range of disciplines met in Jerusalem to discuss that very question. Covering the archaeological facts about the discovery, Jewish burial customs during the late Second Temple period, first-century inscriptions, the Talpiot tomb, the James ossuary, the Holy Sepulcher, and more,this volume presents their expert perspectives on a much-publicized topic.
Contributors:Mordechai Aviam, Wolfgang E. Krumbein,
James H. Charlesworth, André Lemaire,
Claude Cohen-Matlofsky, Lee Martin McDonald,
April D. DeConick, Charles Pellegrino,
Casey D. Elledge, Stephen Pfann,
Mark Elliott, Petr Pokorný,
Howard R. Feldman, Jonathan J. Price,
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Christopher A. Rollston,
Camil Fuchs, Amnon Rosenfeld,
Shimon Gibson, Jane Schaberg,
Rachel Hachlili, Andrew V. Sills,
Eldad Keynan, Mark Spigelman,
Kevin Kilty, James D. Tabor,
Amos Kloner, Konstantinos Th. Zarras,
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Watch an interview with James H. Charlesworth below:,
Review
Journal of Theological Studies "A useful and informative book, providing an excellent example of the way limited evidence can be read in varying ways and lead to divergent results."
Review
The Bible Today "This volume's real contribution is the wealth of information it provides about Jewish burial practices between the advent of Herod the Great and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when the production of tombs and ossuaries in this region was radically disrupted."
Journal of Theological Studies
"A useful and informative book, providing an excellent example of the way limited evidence can be read in varying ways and lead to divergent results."
Synopsis
About twenty-five years ago archaeologists discovered a tomb near Jerusalem that contained a family's ossuaries -- limestone bone boxes commonly used in ancient Near Eastern burial customs -- inscribed with some familiar New Testament names: Mary, Joseph, James, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus. The Discovery Channel produced a film investigating The Lost Tomb of Jesus, raising interest among the public and specialists alike. Could this actually be the tomb of Jesus and his family? In January 2008 an international congress of scholars met in Jersualem to discuss this question. This volume presents their findings. Covering the archaeological facts about this discovery, Jewish burial customs during the late Second Temple period, first-century inscriptions, the Talpiot tomb, the James ossuary, the Holy Sepulcher, Hazon Gabriel, and beliefs about burial and the afterlife within Second Temple Judaism, these essays offer expert perspectives on a much-publicized topic.
About the Author
James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and Director and Editor of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary.