The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History

by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino

Book Overview

The Jesus Family Tomb tells the story of what may very well be the greatest archaeological find of all time--the discovery of the family tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Following the accidental bulldozing of a tomb during the building of a housing complex in suburban Jerusalem in 1980, archaeologists from the Israeli Antiquities Authority were immediately called to the scene. Inside, the archaeologists found ten ossuaries--limestone boxes that served as...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061192023
• ISBN13: 9780061192029
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A very delicate matter that warrants further investigation.

This book basically describes the making of a TV documentary, during which the Talpiot tomb, discovered in 1980, was relocated and reopened briefly. That documentary deserves credit for exposing this discovery on a grand scale to the general public. However, the grand exposure also drew criticism of the magnitude of the find. The critics basically argue: 1. That the Jesus family would be buried in Nazareth, not Talpiot; 2. That the 'Jesus' ossuary would have been inscribed 'of Nazareth'; 3. That the Jesus family couldn't have afforded a tomb like the Talpiot tomb; 4. That the "Jesus son of Joseph" ossuary is not inscribed "Yeshua" (Jesus) at all; 5. That the names inscribed on these ossuaries were supposedly common; 6. That the "Mariamne" ossuary didn't contain the remains of Mary Magdalene, but of two other women; I believe the first five of these allegations against the book's premise don't carry much water. The sixth argument actually supports the conclusion that this is the real thing. My comments: 1. Talpiot is the right place for Jesus' family tomb- Per Luke, 2:3-4, the family's LEGAL residence was Bethlehem, not Nazareth. The fact that Joseph and the pregnant Mary could not take the census in Nazareth but had to take it in Bethlehem indicates that Bethlehem was their DOMICILIUM under Roman Law. That basically means that they had no intention to reside in Nazareth permanently. Therefore it would have made little sense for them to have a family tomb in Nazareth, that they wouldn't be able to frequently visit at a later stage in their lives. They would have wanted a family tomb close to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, easily accessible also to future generations of the family. The fact is indeed that Mary and her children moved to Jerusalem around 30 AD. 2. The traditional name of Jesus in Hebrew, as reflected also in the Talmud, is "Yeshu Hanotzri." This appellation stems from "Netzer" (Shoot or Branch). It alludes clearly to Isaiah 11:1, indicating the Royal birth of Jesus, to substantiate his claim for Jewish messiahship. Not to indicate the place he comes from. There's actually no evidence in Jewish sources, such as the Old Testament or the Mishna and Talmud, that a place called "Nazareth" even existed in or before the first century. I'm not disputing the evidence per the NT, that there was indeed a place called Nazareth. But to the best of my knowledge, there's no mention of Nazareth at all in any ancient writings outside the New Testament. So the place existed, but nobody knew about it. Therefore there was no reason to call Jesus "of Nazareth." Either in life or on an ossuary. He was called "Jesus the Branch" (of David) in Hebrew/Aramaic. The line of argumentation detracting this discovery around the supposed Nazareth origin of Jesus' family may therefore be based on a very shaky foundation. 3. Talpiot is located about 2.5 miles North of Bethlehem. Jesus' family, of Davidic descent according to the New Testament, could have held the

Either a Fantastic find or a total ruse

This book is a story of how one man believes he may have located the actual burial place of Jesus, plus his relatives. The information is quite convincing, but whether or not it is true is a mystery we may never know in this lifetime. The author is a geologist, and spent years uncovering crimps and burial boxes that have long ago been abandoned in and around the Holy City. Locals take these boxes, and mark the labels, try to determine the family name, then either re-bury them or destroy the remains. Jesus was a common name in the Roman era: however, one box had "King of the Jews" written on it, and sparked his curiosity. The team began to look for the tomb where this was found, and eventually found it near an apartment complex, untouched. After they found what they believed was the tomb, the local government quickly moved in and made them leave, pouring cement on top of the tomb, leaving it forever unavailable for anyone to examine. Several boxes were in the tomb, and seems to connect the tomb to Jesus' family. The book was interestering, but whether it is true or not is a mystery. I do recommend the book as it tells how tombs were structured, how the boxes were put into them, and what the markings mean. That part was interesting in and of itself. The boxes were so small I have wondered how the bodies were placed in them unless they were cremated first. I would recommend this book if for nothing else to learn about the archeology that is going on that area, and how these tombs were maintained and are being uncovered today.

A Scientist Reads "Tomb"

If you are a person of faith, you are fortunate; you know what you Know. We scientists know nothing. It's how we are wired. In the absence of Truth, what we seek is self-consistency. The theory of DNA-based evolution is a breathtakingly elegant model that explains an enormous amount of data. But if an alternative model emerges that better fits the data, or that explains new observations, then the old theory is history. A scientist may wrestle with a problem for years, collecting data, hypothesizing. There is an incredible rush when finally the pieces fit. It is almost an orgasmic experience when suddenly the stars line up and it all makes sense. Perhaps there is a bit of scientist in you, or you are just curious about "how the other half lives". If so, this book may provide a window on how the process works and feels. For the scientific mind, listening to Scripture raises so many questions. For example, who was the Beloved Disciple? Why won't the gospel-writers divulge his identity? How can it be at the Last Supper that the Beloved Disciple stands with his head on the chest of the seated Christ? And then there is the scene at the Crucifixion where the two Mary's and the Beloved Disciple stand at the foot of the cross. Jesus says to one of the Mary's "Attend to thy son" and to the Beloved Disciple he says "Attend to thy mother". What is that about? Reading church history is similarly perplexing. What did the Knights Templar learn in Jerusalem during the first Crusade that was such a threat to the Vatican that the Church eventually rounded up and executed thousands of them? And the accusations against the Knights - that they spat on the Crucifix and worshipped a skull - why on earth would they do that? And the mysterious Templar symbols, the "skull and crossbones" and the "all-seeing eye" - where did these come from? As one reads the pages of this book, all of this and so much more starts to fall into place, connection by connection. Parts of the story are offered as theory and others are correctly labeled as speculation (hypothesis). And oh boy is it self-consistent. I find myself drawn to the image of Jesus that emerges from this story. Christ had a son who adored him. He practiced what he preached. His mortal remains were laid to rest in a simple robe woven from straw in an unadorned stone box. He died for his beliefs. It is a moving story. Perhaps it will make you uncomfortable. To quote Galileo: "But still it moves".

Great archeology research augmentable with more!!!. . . .

Along with James Tabor's latest book, this 2007 book is great documentation and presentation of the named ossuaries in recent archeological finds, details of the tomb under the new hillside home in "Talpiot", Jerusalem, in connection with the "gnostic gospels" history and "biblical" gospel stories about Jesus and his family. Together the authors provide a compelling story and we are learning a ton more than we've previously been told by the "official" story of christianity or judaism recently. But even more pieces of this puzzle will fall into place with greater insights into the history of the "place of the skulls" and other evidence from authors like William Henry, Laurence Gardner, Zecharia Sitchin and Neil Freer as to the complete history of some of our ancient ancestors, the special bloodline thru Jesus' family from the King David ancestry, the significance of the priestly and kingly lines (why the Romans hated the "Kingly bloodline" story), etc. right back into ancient Sumerian history involving UFO's, or those "who from heaven to earth came" and later "departed like migrating birds". No wonder ideas like "resurrection" and "ascension", as with "Ezekial's chariot", came out among the common and empire-hungry people of those days. Hurrah for the real "nuts and bolts" disclosures here; then may the picture go on to include the valuable insights and connections with the stories preserved within Freemasonry (Gardner records) and the others with research further back into this family line and goings on with Egypt, etc. Even Dr. Steven Greer will start to make more sense to the skeptical. . . . and we all need to understand the wide scope of this info, as our reaction to it will impact us dearly in the times ahead. . .

Forensic Archaeology at Its Most Exciting

I found this book to be absolutely gripping! I couldn't put it down. Most of it describes physical events, i.e., the tomb's discovery, its excavation, the cataloguing and storing of its contents, the analysis of samples of DNA (found within ossuaries), the scientific determination of the mineral signatures of ossuary and tomb surfaces, the necessary probabilistic considerations, etc. All of this is described in prose that is as exiting as that of any best-selling who-done-it. Some of the middle chapters contain historical information stemming from various gospels and other ancient and medieval sources. Included with this historical information are rounds of healthy speculation by the authors and their associates as they try to interpret the contents of the tomb in light of biblical and historical texts. The writing style is very engaging, friendly and clear such that both biblical as well as scientific terms and concepts are explained for everyone to understand. This book would likely be relished the most by those fascinated by history, archaeology (biblical in this case) and forensic science. But the key element here for enjoying this book to the maximum is, I believe, to keep an open mind - as all objective investigators, researchers and interested individuals should do.