The Jesus Discovery: The Resurrection Tomb that Reveals the Birth of Christianity [Hardcover]

James D. Tabor (Author), Simcha Jacobovici (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 28, 2012

The story of a stunning new discovery that provides the first physical evidence of Christians in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and his apostles

In 2010, using a specialized robotic camera, authors Tabor and Jacobovici, working with archaeologists, geologists, and forensic anthropologists, explored a previously unexcavated tomb in Jerusalem from around the time of Jesus. They made a remarkable discovery. The tomb contained several ossuaries, or bone boxes, two of which were carved with an iconic image and a Greek inscription. Taken together, the image and the inscription constitute the earliest archaeological evidence of faith in Jesus’ resurrection.

Since the newly discovered ossuaries can be reliably dated to before 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, they also provide the first evidence in Jerusalem of the people who would later be called “Christians.” In fact, it is possible, maybe even likely, that whoever was buried in this tomb knew Jesus and heard him preach.

The newly examined tomb is only 200 feet away from the so-called Jesus Family Tomb. This controversial tomb, excavated in 1980 and recently brought to international attention, contained ossuaries inscribed with names associated with Jesus and his immediate family. Critics dismissed the synchronicity of names as mere coincidence. But the new discovery increases the likelihood that the “Jesus Family Tomb” is, indeed, the real tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Tabor and Jacobovici discuss the evidence in support of this interpretation and describe how both tombs appear to have been part of the property of a wealthy individual, possibly Joseph of Arimathea, the man who, according to the gospels, buried Jesus.

The Jesus Discovery explains how the recent find is revolutionizing our understanding of the earliest years of Christianity. Tabor and Jacobovici discuss what the concept of resurrection meant to the first followers of Jesus, particularly how it differed from the common understanding of the term today. Because the new archaeological discovery predates all other Christian documents, including the gospels, it offers a dramatic witness to what the people who knew Jesus believed.

There is no doubt that this is one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made. The Jesus Discovery is the firsthand account of how it happened and what it means.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1981, a tomb was discovered under a condominium in Jerusalem that held ossuaries inscribed with such names as Jesus, son of Joseph; Mary; and Mariamene Mara. Although the bone boxes were ignored for more than 20 years, when they were finally examined, the case was made that they held the bones of Jesus, mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ brother, and a son of Jesus (!). This theory was largely rejected due to the commonality of the names. Now, another tomb under the same condo building has been examined using specialized robotic cameras. Untouched for more than 2,000 years, two of these newly discovered bone boxes contain further references to Jesus, according to the authors. One, they claim, is inscribed with a large fish, symbolic of Jonah, whose story is mentioned by Jesus in Matthew and Luke. The other has words scratched upon it that say, “The Divine Jehovah raises up from the dead.” Tabor, a religious studies professor, and filmmaker Jacobovici do an excellent job of walking readers through the discoveries, framing the history; explaining the what, why, and how of ancient ossuaries; and taking another look at the statistical evidence surrounding the names in the first tomb. For readers, however, the book’s problem is the photographs. Printed on dull stock, they are difficult to make out. The fish looks like a decorative urn, and it’s almost impossible to see the stick figure of Jonah often mentioned in the text. Considering the conditions under which the photos were obtained, the poor quality may be understandable, but why not at least have labels to show what is being discussed? Will this discovery cause heated debate? It already has. And a Discovery Channel television program coming soon will turn up the temperature still higher. --Ilene Cooper

Review

“An exciting, extraordinary, exceptional discovery. See for yourself the first archeological evidence ever for early Christian belief in resurrection.” (Barrie Wilson, Professor of Religious Studies, York University, Toronto and author of How Jesus Became Christian)

“These newly discovered findings, revealed by a sophisticated robotic camera exploration, are extremely important for early Jewish-Christian archaeology.” (Peter Lampe, Dr. theol., Dr. habil., Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Heidelberg) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 145165040X
• ISBN-13: 978-1451650402
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James D. Tabor is chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he has taught since 1989. Previously he held posts at Notre Dame and William and Mary. He holds a Ph.D. in biblical studies and early Christianity from the University of Chicago and is an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian origins. The author of several previous books, he is frequently consulted by the media on these topics and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brave and Invaluable Endeavor February 29, 2012

By Jeffrey J. Bütz

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Right out of the gate, the discovery that this book describes has been viciously attacked by academics and conservative Christian leaders, as was the previous book and documentary on the original Talpiot tomb. Sadly, those on the attack often do so without fully examining all the evidence. On the day of the press conference, scholars such as Jodi Magness were already resorting to near histrionics ("it pains me to see archaeology hijacked in the service of non-scientific interests, whether they are religious, financial, or other"). It is ironic that Magness and others who accuse Tabor and Jacobovici of using unscholarly methods resort to such unscholarly ad hominem attacks.

That being said, yes, the authors of this book have gone against the grain of the laboriously slow, methodical scholarly approach. And for that the world should be thanking them! If their theses and conclusions are false, the academics have plenty of time to refute them. What is interesting is that in the years since the initial release of information on both the so-called "Jesus Family Tomb" and the "James" ossuary, the scholarly refutation of these finds has been eroded by increasing evidence supporting their authenticity. The trial of Oded Golan on charges of forging the inscription on the James ossuary is presently completely collapsing. The supposed "commonness" of the names on the ossuaries in the Talpiot tomb is being stood on its head by the latest statistical research. The grouping of these particular names is not statistically probable, adding to what is now a likelihood that these ossuaries do belong to Jesus and his family. Now, the latest evidence from the neighboring "Patio tomb," discussed in this book, adds further evidence in support of the initial claims of Jacobovici and Tabor.... The old adage, "where there is smoke there is fire" is very germane here.

We are living in exciting times when revolutionary discoveries in many fields can now be made by amateurs and brought to "market" very quickly, bypassing the academics with vested career and political interests which hinder the pursuit of metaphysical truth. James Tabor, while not a professional archaeologist, is a professional scholar, and is to be commended for his ongoing bravery in continuing to pursue this research. Tabor has a lot to lose; not least his reputation among his peers. But Tabor is a very rare academic who puts the pursuit of truth above political and theological considerations, and for that he has my greatest admiration.

If these tombs are in any way related to Jesus and his family and earliest followers, this is pure dynamite theologically. As a Christian pastor, as well as a teacher, I welcome this information with open arms, as should all Christians. In these findings we have potentially invaluable physical verification of the existence of Jesus and his movement. The Jesus deniers will no longer be able to say Jesus is a myth invented by the early Christians.

Of course, there will always be fundamentalist Christians who decry these findings as undercutting the Christian dogma of the bodily resurrection. But if, in fact, Jesus' bones were permanently laid to rest in the Talpiot tomb, this is by no means a refutation of his resurrection, merely a refutation of one line of the Apostles' Creed ("I believe in the resurrection of the body"), a dogma vehemently denied by none other than St. Paul, who said, "Fool! . . . What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. . . . It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body . . . flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God . . ." (1 Cor. 15:36-50).

I sincerely thank James Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici for their bravery in the pursuit of truth. Their work has certainly not eroded my personal faith in Jesus and his resurrection, but enhanced it. At the least, their work is providing an invaluable service in confirming the historical existence of Jesus the Nazarene and the true nature of the Nazarene movement in Judaism.

Reviewed by the Rev. Jeffrey J. Bütz, S.T.M., author of The Brother of Jesus Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very important book September 2, 2012

By J. Dolby

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had read The Jesus Family Tomb and had seen the the TV programs dealing with each of the Talpiot tombs and felt that this book would probably not have much more to offer.

I was wrong.

This book presents strong arguments to support the hypothesis that the two tombs in the Talpiot suburb of Jerusalem are quite special. When analyzed in tandem, they represent not just a clearly pre-70 CE Christian burial area and a tomb that might have some interesting coincidence in name inscriptions, but instead two tombs that each held the bones of people we know from scripture.

This is a book that deals with history, not theology. Indeed, the authors firmly point out that the findings they present in no way counter one's belief in resurrection. Indeed, their report includes the earliest yet discovered symbols of Christian resurrection.

This is exciting stuff!

Their research used techniques ranging from "good ole archeology" to the study of ancient scripts, to the most modern of techniques, including robotic cameras and advanced DNA analysis techniques.

This book is perfect for three groups of people: those who are not at all familiar with this subject; those who are reasonably in agreement with the information presented in the earlier book and TV shows; and, perhaps most importantly, those who know something about these prior efforts and are in strong disagreement.

Beside enjoying the results of all the research James Tabor & Simcha Jacobovici presented here, I was highly impressed by the pace of the book and even more so by the logical progression of findings, building to the final conclusions.

This book doesn't have to change your mind or your beliefs.... Just read it with an open, historical rather than theological, mindset and I think you will find this intriguing. Read more ›

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, unfortunate cover April 1, 2012

By Marte

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As with all Dr. Tabor's books, The Jesus Discovery is well written and clearly lays out the facts. The discovery and exploration of a second tomb close to the original "Talpiot Tomb" strongly backs up the original theory that the first tomb belonged to the man whose name has come to us as Jesus, and his family. I personally was skeptical about the claims for the first tomb, although I could see why the archaeologists believed it was what they said it was, but with this additional information it's much more clear that they were correct.

Anyone with an open mind can see all the facts for themselves. There are many people who will adamantly refuse to try to understand anything outside their own comfort zone, and thinking in new and different ways about religious beliefs is very difficult for many. Those people have already gone out of their way to try to discredit Dr. Tabor and Dr. Jacobovici and all they've done is make themselves look desperate.

The only real down side to the book is the horrible, horrible cover. I think it's supposed to look like a Torah scroll with an image of Jesus faintly superimposed on it. What it actually looks like is... well, people have seen it as someone's bare behind and people have seen it as a closeup of female anatomy. One has to wonder whether the publishers were trying to sabotage the book from the get-go! One should not judge the book by its cover, but with a cover this blatantly awful, that's not easy to remember.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched January 10, 2013

By Mary Lou Corbett

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Easy reading and very informative - I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the history of Jesus!