Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Talpiot Tomb: Unraveling the Mystery of the Jesus Family Tomb

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I remember watching James Cameron's documentary on the Talpiot Tomb and doing a fair amount of research on the topic. I looked at information both pro and con as I was planning to write an article on the discovery for my high school newspaper. Frankly, I now wish I had this book back then. While the research gave me a high degree of certainty that the documentary's hypothesis was false and was thus worthwhile, this short volume increased my opinions even further. Habermas lays out arguements in favor of the tomb and hits them hard. Color photos, pictures, and graphics give the book a more appealing visual quality. In fact, my main objection is the small size of the book though this is balanced by both its content and the fact it's a quick read (I finished it in one evening). While not a mammoth definitive work on the Talpiot Tomb, this is still one I would very much recommend.

I read this after reading the Jesus Family Tomb to get an alternate opinion. Being an archaeologist myself, I was hoping for findings based more on science and less on the opinions of biblical scholars and statisticians. It's too bad that the archaeologists are required to immediately relinquish discovered bones to fundamentalist stone-throwing kooks. The remains could have provided solid information on number of individuals, health, diet and relationships between those in the tombs.

I did not feel the book was exhaustive enough. While some good (and bad) points were brought up, I felt the author was more after income and fame from, or for lectures wrought by the findings he presents here, than from any actual plausible revelation.

The fact here is there are no true facts; only conjecture and doubt.

Going back to another work, 'The Jesus Tomb' the Jews did not want the discover to be valid, nor did the Israeli Archeo Institution (IAA), for it would sure be inconvenient and embarrassing for them to reveal afterwards that something so potentially enlightening and important as the Talbiot Tomb, should it prove out to be the absolute truth, was an action they only wanted to spend 2 days on during the original research. Sure, it was 4 days, but part of it was looted before and after the IAA sent someone out, and even then, it was simply as damage control, archiving in a warehouse to be buried again and forgotten about. Were it not for James Cameron, Charles Pelligrino, Simcha ?, who would have ever gone back to look?

If one looks at the expert testimony (mostly from those who really didn't want to get caught up in the twister of public opinion) the one inherent truth would be that histories in 7 principal cultures would have to be rewritten and revised, not to mention religious dogma who have taken stands already against such evidences or rather, findings. Some of which are Christian faith apologetics.

My advice: keep an open mind, then discover Truth. Which, by the way, may be Gary's way for all we know. It just that 97 pages just isn't enough discussion.

Not a good book at all. Don't waste your time, it's too apologetic. If you are looking for a more equilibrated source, this book is definitively not the one you are looking for. In fact is is a reply (a responsa) to The Jesus Family Tomb: The Evidence Behind the Discovery No One Wanted to Find.