The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity

The new findings presented in The Jesus Discovery combined with those of the Jesus Family Tomb offer an extremely valuable new perspective on the origins of Christianity. It appears to me that the only people who will want to dismiss these findings are those who are set on maintaining the divinity of Jesus, no matter what evidence is presented. The authors' suggestion that the resurrection of Jesus was added in the later gospels of Luke and John to convince pagans and Jews of Jesus' divinity makes perfect sense. There is no resurrection mentioned in the gospel of Mark (the earliest gospel), nor is there any mention of bodily resurrection in the letters of Paul (written before the gospels), in fact, just the opposite. In Paul's letters, Jesus rises spiritually from the dead, not in the flesh. The idea that we could find Jesus' tomb 2,000 years later with his bones and those of his family members still interred is entirely logical unless one is committed to mythological thinking. Science does not accept the possibility of reanimated corpses rising from the dead. If one is going to think scientifically about this, then it is entirely possible to find Jesus' bones in his tomb. The archeological and historical evidence is building that Jesus and his followers were members of a heretical Jewish sect (Nasoreans?) that did not accept animal sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple as their form of worship, but were instead heavily influenced by pagan gnostic practices and beliefs that included secret teachings, initiations (baptisms), and mystical experiences involving psychological death and rebirth (being "born again"). According to this view, Jesus appears more like an eastern guru or spiritual master than a divine being. The divinity of Jesus appears to be something that was added later for purposes of converting new members to an increasingly dogmatic church that was more interested in politics and social control than spirituality. The divinity of Jesus was officially and dogmatically established by the Roman authorities during the Council of Nicaea in the 4th century CE. I think that those readers who are not dogmatically committed to the divinity of Jesus will find this book very interesting, well researched, and eye opening.

This was one of those books that was very difficult to put down. I found myself highlighting it on almost every page. I've read most of the books that deal with this subject, including the massive Eisenman works. Tabor is a treasure; he writes well, and he is rigorous. One can understand why he generates so much rancor--he has hit the jackpot when it comes to archaeology, and he is not a professional archaeologist. That has to hurt. Tabor is also a patient and thorough author, and he brings a certain higher objectivity to this subject that perhaps some archaeologists find repulsive if not elusive. I think that the normal healthy skepticism of archaeologists can be a handicap for them when they don't have a nuanced understanding of other things, such as discursive theory, history, and mathematics. From what I have read, they may have an unwarranted reputation for attention to details. It's hard not to coome away from this whole controversy without a sense that prefabricated assumptions back in 1980-1981 led to much sloppiness. One of the best parts of this book is that it anticipates and responds to its criticism effectively. Before I read the book I thought I had a pretty good idea of what the critics were saying. The book did a good job of shutting down that criticism, to my mind. The Patio tomb pretty much seals the deal, which is why there is so much controversy over the Jonah figure. Readers can learn much from this book, maybe another reason for all the resentment. Pound for pound, ounce for ounce, it's more densely packed than other scholarly books about Jesus I have read. The book is clear, economical to the points it makes, and explosive. One plug: readers may be interested in checking out Joseph Raymond's book called Herodian Messiah. Raymond is or was a trial lawyer, and he brings a critical eye to all the evidence concerning Jesus. He presciently pegged the term "Magdalene" in how it relates to a title, similar to the interpretation of "mara" in this book. Now with Tabor's take, I am beginning to think that Robert Graves really was on to something in his book, King Jesus.

I like all the evidence and logic in James Tabors writing. I really enjoyed the subject matter

1980年、イエスとその一族のもの、とおぼしき墓地が発見された。（「キリストの棺」シンハ・ヤコボビッチ）そこから６０mほどの至近距離にも別の地下墓地が存在することが知られていたが、種々の制約により発掘には至らなかった。が、著者たちの粘り強い交渉が実を結び、2010年最新のロボットカメラが地下に下ろされた・・・ 最古の福音書マルコに、謎めいた一節がある。ユダヤ教の指導者たちが、イエスに迫り（メシアである）しるしを見せるよう求めたのに対し、彼は「どうして今の時代はしるしを求めるのか。言っておくが今の時代には、いかなるしるしも与えられないだろう」と答えて立ち去ったというのである。 本書によれば、イエス没後４０年も経って聖地を遠く離れたところで（ローマか？この頃エルサレムは陥落、ユダヤ人は各地に四散する）執筆に携わったマルコには、イエスの言葉を伝える資料も十分でなく、この「しるし」とは何を意味するかをこれ以上展開することはできなかった。しかしマタイ・ルカの時代にはQ-資料（イエスの言葉を聞き伝えた民間伝承）を参照することが可能で、この部分の記述はより詳しく、イエスは「この時代には、ヨナのしるしの他は何のしるしも与えられないだろう」と言った、という風に補足・改善されている。 ヨナとは旧約の小編「ヨナ書」に出てくる人物で、「大いなる都ニネベ」に行き、悪行を悔い改めるよう説け、という神の言葉に従わず船に乗って西方に逃亡するが、大嵐にあい海中に投げ出され大魚に飲み込まれる。死を覚悟しながら彼は、魚の腹のなかで三日三晩神に祈りを捧げた結果、神に命じられた魚はヨナを陸地に吐き出す。ヨナは直ちにニネベに向かい、神の言葉を伝え、これに従ったニネベは救われる。ヨナの辿った運命は、神の意向により、止む無く？ユダヤ民族救済のために地上に降り立ったイエスの運命（迫害を受け、十字架刑に処せられるが三日後に復活する）に酷似する。 イエスの死後、残された信徒たちは、あれ程慈愛に満ち卓越した指導者が死とともにすべて消滅するとは考えなかった。イエスの霊は死後も生き延び昇天し我らを見守ると確信し、その信仰を大魚から吐き出され生還したヨナによって表現した。大魚とヨナの絵柄はローマのカタコームなどにも多数みられるもので、ヨハネによる洗礼や十字架のイエスを描いたものをはるかに凌ぐ。 ロボットカメラは、地下の骨棺側面に描かれた大魚から吐き出されるヨナを鮮明に写し出した。とすればこの墓地は、その規模から推察し裕福なキリスト教徒所有のもので、隣接する墓地が聖家族イエス一族のものだとすれば、ピラトからイエス埋葬の了解を得た衆議会の議員アリマタヤのヨセフのものではないか、というのが著者たちの見解である。 パウロを含め初期のキリスト教徒は、肉体を含めた復活などは考えておらず、マルコ福音書でも、消失したイエスの遺体に恐れおののき墓から逃げ去った女性たちの記述で終わっている。これがのちのマタイでは、イエスはガリラヤで弟子たちの前に姿を現し、ルカでは「エマオへの旅人」と共に食事をし、傷ついた手と足さえ見せる。 肉体を含む「イエスの復活」思想がマタイ・ルカ・ヨハネでは明瞭に反映されている。中世神学を経てイエスの死人からの復活は完全に教義化され、現在の信徒の「信仰告白」（我らは信じかつ告白す。主が十字架につけられ、死にて葬られ、三日目に死人のうちよりよみがえり・・・）に至っている。 著者のテイバー博士は、「ダビンチ・コード」ブームの際も、イエスがマグダラのマリアを妻としたという見解には歴史・考古学的証拠が十分でないとして慎重姿勢を崩さなかった。しかしその後マリアの実像をより正しく伝えると考えられる「フィリポ言行録」「トマス福音書」の検討、更にマリアの骨棺がイエスの墓地に埋葬されている確率が高いことにより、本書で率直に自説を訂正し、二人は婚姻関係にあり一子ユダをもうけたことを認めている。 「良き歴史研究は信仰の敵ではない。長年の歴史が示すように、宗教的ドグマ、無知と偏見こそが敵なのだ」とする著者たちの信念に共感し、史的イエスの探求が更に進展することを期待したい。

Eine sehr spannende Entdeckung, wirklich lesenswert! Finde es extrem schade, dass die Leute vor Ort so übel kooperieren - das ist doch unsere Geschichte! Auch ein interessanter Aspekt (wieder mal) für die katholische Kirche - endlich aufwachen aus dem Dornröschenschlaf ist angesagt!

‘Good history is never the enemy of informed faith.’ Seems true enough to me but for many Christians the physical resurrection of Jesus is an essential principle of their religion. ‘The Jesus Discovery’ would be a difficult read for these followers as it suggests that if such a resurrection did take place, it would have been of the spiritual, astral form of Jesus, a visionary experience for his disciples. I was raised as a Catholic, but never felt at home amidst all the dogma, even as a small child. I left the Catholic Church, mentally, when I was 13, but was still forced to be physically present at endless masses, benedictions etc. all of which gave me time to study the Bible. I discovered that the gospels of the New Testament were not one unified story and that the actual teachings of Jesus appeared to differ dramatically from the vengeful Jehovah of the Old Testament and also from the teachings of the Catholic Church. All fascinating. I went off on my own path but retained a strong interest in the historical Jesus. Did he exist? If so, what actually happened 2,000 years ago? ‘The Jesus Discovery’ provides some possible answers. James D. Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici approach their subject with sensitivity and respect. ‘The Jesus Discovery’ gives a very clear and readable account of their investigations into a sealed tomb dated to the first century CE (AD under the old system). I was amazed by the discovery of the ‘sign of Jonah’ on one of the ossuaries contained inside the tomb. For me, this suggests that the early followers of Jesus believed in direct mystical inner experience, raising their consciousness to find enlightenment, exactly matching a ‘visionary’ resurrection. There are further fascinating discoveries of great interest to anyone, like me, who wants to find out about the lives and beliefs of the early Christians. I appreciated the thorough research that the authors put into this book and their non sensational approach. A must read for all truth seekers.

Ever since I discovered Simca and his Naked Archaelogist series I have been more involved in my own faith. His explorations of the Holy Lands only confirms more and more what our bibles tell us. And with Prof. Tabor, a no nonsense, practical professor, this book brings humanity to the life of Jesus. Their work on the ossuary digs around Jerusalem gives one pause about what may be missing from the stories we learn in the bible. Their hypothesis make sense, and take you back in time, as you ponder what they think. Do you agree, or rely on what may be missing from what we were taught as children? It's an easy read, with religious history causing you to review your own beliefs.