The Tomb of Jesus and His Family?: Exploring Ancient Jewish Tombs Near Jerusalem's Walls

by James H. Charlesworth (Editor)

Overview

Addresses a much-contested archaeological discovery

In 1980 archaeologists unearthed a tomb near Jerusalem that contained a family's ossuaries inscribed with some familiar New Testament names, including Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. In 2007 the Discovery Channel produced and broadcast a documentary called The Lost Tomb of Jesus, raising interest -- and controversy -- among the public and specialists alike. Could this actually be the tomb of Jesus and his family?

In January of 2008 a group of internationally renowned scholars from a broad range of disciplines met in Jerusalem to discuss that very question. Covering the archaeological facts about the discovery, Jewish burial customs during the late Second Temple period, first-century inscriptions, the Talpiot tomb, the James ossuary, the Holy Sepulcher, and more, this volume presents their expert perspectives on a much-publicized topic.

Contributors: Mordechai Aviam, Wolfgang E. Krumbein,
James H. Charlesworth, André Lemaire,
Claude Cohen-Matlofsky, Lee Martin McDonald,
April D. DeConick, Charles Pellegrino,
Casey D. Elledge, Stephen Pfann,
Mark Elliott, Petr Pokorný,
Howard R. Feldman, Jonathan J. Price,
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Christopher A. Rollston,
Camil Fuchs, Amnon Rosenfeld,
Shimon Gibson, Jane Schaberg,
Rachel Hachlili, Andrew V. Sills,
Eldad Keynan, Mark Spigelman,
Kevin Kilty, James D. Tabor,
Amos Kloner, Konstantinos Th. Zarras,
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Watch an interview with James H. Charlesworth below:,

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802867452
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/19/2013
Pages:	605
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited over sixty books.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors xi

List of Abbreviations xiv

Preface: Contextualizing the Search for Herod's and Jesus' Tomb James H. Charlesworth xviii

Introduction: Jerusalem's Tombs During the Time of Jesus James H. Charlesworth 1

Ossuaries and Jewish Burial Customs in Judea and Galilee

The Talpiot Tomb Reconsidered: The Archaeological Facts Amos Kloner Shimon Gibson 29

The Imperfect "Tomb of Jesus and Family" Claude Cohen-Matlofsky 76

Burial Customs in Judea and Galilee in the Late Second Temple Period: An Important Component in the Discussion about "Jesus' Family Tomb" Mordechai Aviam 108

The Ossuary of Simon and Alexander Andre Lemaire 112

Inscriptions and Prosopography

What's in a Name? Rachel Hachlili 125

Identifying Inscriptional Names in the Century Before 70: Problems and Methodology André Lemaire 150

Demythologizing the Talpiot Tomb: The Tomb of Another Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Stephen Pfann 165

Prosopography, Mitochondrial DNA, Statistics, and the "Yeshua' Family Tomb": Pensées of an Epigrapher Christopher A. Rollston 206

DNA and Patina: Improving Methodologies

A Review of the Significance of the DNA Findings from the Talpiot Tomb Mark Spigelman 225

The Potential Role of Patina History in Discerning the Removal of Specific Artifacts from Specific Tombs Charles Pellegrino 233

Talpiot, a Jesus Family, and Mary Magdalene

The Talpiot "Jesus" Tomb: A Historical Analysis James D. Tabor 247

The Memorial Mary Meets the Historical Mary: The Many Faces of the Magdalene in Ancient Christianity April D. DeConick 267

Mary Magdalene as Mara, Honorable Teacher Jane Schaberg 291

The Mariam Ossuary in Greek Jonathan J. Price 304

The James Ossuary

The James Ossuary and Its Implications Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. 313

On the Authenticity of the James Ossuary and Its Possible Link to "the Jesus Family Tomb" Amnon Rosenfeld Howard R. Feldman Wolfgang E. Krumbein 334

Talpiot, Statistics, the Holy Sepulcher, and the Apostles

Who Is in the Talpiot Tomb? A Statistical Approach Mark Elliott Kevin Kilty 355

Names, Statistics, and the "Jesus Family" Tomb Site Camil Fuchs 375

A Critical Evaluation of the Occurrences of Common Names, Rare Names, and Nicknames: The Name Yose (&cgpA;&cgpX;&cgpK;&cgpL;) from the Talpiot Tomb as a Test Case Eldad Keynan 399

The Holy Sepulcher, Court Tombs, and Talpiot Tomb in Light of Jewish Contemporary Law Eldad Keynan 415

The Aposties and Brothers of Jesus Andrew V. Sills 434

Beliefs in Second Temple Judaism About Burial and the Afterlife

The Burial of Jesus in Light of Jewish Burial Practices and Roman Crucifixions Lee Martin McDonald 447

Understanding the Afterlife: Evidence from the Writings of Josephus Casey D. Elledge 477

Death and Burial Customs in Earliest Christianity Konstantinos Th. Zarras 514

Burial Practices and Faith in Resurrection Petr Pokorný 535

Summary and Conclusion

Polemics, Irenics, and the Science of Biblical Research James H. Charlesworth 549

Postscript

What Is the Message of "the Patio Tomb" in Talpiot, Jerusalem? James H. Charlesworth 555

Selected Bibliography Blake A. Jurgens Jon David Shearer III 576

Editorial Reviews

The Bible Today
"This volume's real contribution is the wealth of information it provides about Jewish burial practices between the advent of Herod the Great and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when the production of tombs and ossuaries in this region was radically disrupted."

Journal of Theological Studies
"A useful and informative book, providing an excellent example of the way limited evidence can be read in varying ways and lead to divergent results."

From the Publisher