Good Question: Does Tomb Contradict Christianity?
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Ben Tracy
(WCCO) "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?"
In the Bible, that's what an angel asks the women who are awestruck at the sight of Jesus' empty tomb. Many are now just as surprised to hear that two filmmakers think they've uncovered Christ's actual burial site and what's inside may challenge the most important event in Christianity. But what exactly did they discover?
"One of them says 'Jesus, Son of Joseph,'" announced one of the filmmakers at a press conference in New York.
He was referring to an ancient burial box an upcoming documentary on the Discovery Channel says are that of Jesus and his family. The boxes were first found back in 1980, but have been reexamined. They are said to be inscribed with the names of Jesus, his mother, his purported wife Mary Magdalene, and their son Judah.
Skeptics call this another installment of "The Da Vinci Code." Many serious scholars have called the discovery and their conclusions bunk, saying the names on the boxes were all common at the time and could belong to any family.
"I'm first of all a little skeptical," said Dr. Deanna Thompson, who heads the religion department at Hamline University. "How would they know they have Jesus?"
She says, if true, the claims would contradict basic Christian beliefs of a physical ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.
"We don't understand salvation to be just spiritual," she said. "At the heart of the Gospels is a very real bodily resurrection and ascension."
However, Thompson says even claims like those being made have value.
"Religion is about asking questions," she said. "That's part of what it means to be human to ask those questions. So, rather than shutting it off, I would say ask away, but we do it out of a motivation to deepen the faith and gain a better and deeper understanding."
As for searching for historical evidence to back basic Christian teachings, Dr. Thompson said "I'm not sure our faith ultimately depends on history. It is more than just a historical claim. If it's only faith in what's seen, it's not faith."
For their part, the filmmakers say their findings do not necessarily contradict Christian beliefs of a resurrection and ascension. They note that not all Christians agree on what happened after Christ's resurrection.
Believers do think Jesus ascended to heaven, but they disagree on what that means. Many worshippers think it was physical while others think it could have been spiritual. In that case, even if Christ's bones were found that wouldn't mean the resurrection didn't happen.
The Discovery Channel plans to air its findings in a documentary on March 4.