Newly-found artifacts may lead to a "Complete Reassessment of both Judaism and Christianity," scholars claim

Startling Discoveries In Tomb Linked To Family Of Christ
Newly-found artifacts may lead to a "Complete Reassessment of both Judaism and Christianity," scholars claim

Archaeologists working in the tomb in Jerusalem linked by some to the family of Jesus Christ have made what they term "startling discoveries." As the archaeological team went through the tomb, documenting it's current condition and contents before resealing the entrance, noticed a small bulge in a rear wall. When examining it, stones, believe to have remained in place for almost 2000 years, came loose, revealing a small antechamber originally accessible, the archaeologists believe, by a narrow corridor several meters forward that is now choked with debris. The archaeologists mistook that corridor for an imperfection, similar to the imperfection in the tomb's south wall that was discovered and excavated ten years ago.

When the archaeologists entered the antechamber, a small cube-like room measuring four meters by four and one half meters by four meters, the were startled to find mummified remains of artifacts from the late Second Temple era. Amos Kilstein, the archaeologist leading the dig, said his hands trembled and "tears welled up in my eyes and flowed like streams down my face," when he realized what he had found.

Contents of the antechamber, include several mummified fur felt Fedora-style hats, the remnants of two yellow flags, almost completely crumbled with age, containing messianic inscriptions in ancient Hebrew script, and a scroll containing Gnostic teachings that begins "It has been taught …"

Kilstein believes this small chamber served as "a type of prayer or meditation room" for pilgrims who came to visit the graves of their leader and his family. "It is like the ultra-Orthodox do with the grave of Rabbi Bar Yohai in Meron, but on a much smaller scale," Kilstein said.

"The scroll, and the flags, which appear to tout the tomb's most important occupant as the messiah, will necessarily lead to a complete reassessment of Christianity and Judaism, its parent religion," said Hillary Bathcome, a professor of Ancient and Near Eastern History and an expert on religion formation at Tufts-Weslyann-United Theological Seminary in Maine who was present as the antechamber was excavated. "Perhaps he was a Pharisee, after all."

Comments

[Neshama]

Could somebody explain: "several mummified fur felt Fedora-style hats" as belonging to the Second Temple period?

[Neshama]

Ok, I guess I fell for this joke! Black hats, yellow flags, messiah....

Don't bother to answer.

[Eini Tzofiya]

24Hours a daily distributed free here,
reports quoting CP and AP:
Tomb claims dismissed By CP AND AP
Archeologists and clergymen in the Holy Land derided claims in a new documentary produced by Oscar-winning director James Cameron that contradict major Christian tenets.

Toronto filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici is seen in a cave during filming in Jerusalem.
"The Lost Tomb of Christ" argues that 10 ancient ossuaries -- small caskets used to store bones -- discovered in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1980 may have contained the bones of Jesus and his family. (AP)

Archeologists and clergymen worldwide have derided claims in a new documentary produced by the Oscar-winning director James Cameron that contradict major Christian tenets.
"The Lost Tomb of Jesus" argues that 10 ancient ossuaries -- small caskets used to store bones -- discovered in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1980 may have contained the bones of Jesus and his family, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Discovery Channel.
The documentary airs on Discovery on March 4 and on Canada's Vision TV on March 6.
One of the caskets even bears the title, "Judah, son of Jesus," hinting that Jesus may have had a son. And the very fact that Jesus had an ossuary could be seen to contradict the Christian belief that he was resurrected and ascended to heaven.
Most Christians believe Jesus' body spent three days at the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City. The burial site identified in the Canadian documentary is in a southern Jerusalem neighbourhood nowhere near the church.
Rev. Canon William Cliff, rector and chaplain at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., said he's "doubtful" about the claims in the documentary.
"The Christian faith has always believed that Jesus was resurrected, so there would be no bones," said Cliff.
"I think this is more fanciful and absurd theorizing," said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Church in New York.

[Joshua ben Pandera]

Are the names on the boxes in "King James Version" english?

I thought he died in France.

it may completely reassess the Christian claim, not so much the jewish claim:

http://www.angelfire.com/mt/talmud/jesusnarr.html

I heard that they also found the tomb of the lubavitcher rebbe... but that's doing much to convince some people... ;)

[MaxKohanzad]

this is just a little joke - don't you get it?

[Yos]

I briefly fell for this too. Well done. I was thinking, don't tell me there's some psychotic sect that's been praying at the Yoshka tomb. Nowadays nothing would surprise me.