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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — "My faith, as well as the Christian religion itself, would be destroyed if any tomb were to be found that could be proven to contain the remains of Jesus."
Robert Gingrich of Overland Park, Kan., was reacting to questions raised in the recent television documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," produced by James Cameron and directed by Simcha Jacobovici.
The main question was whether a tomb containing ossuaries, or bone boxes, once held the remains of Jesus and his family.
In 1980 construction workers unearthed the tomb in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Ten ossuaries were found, six with inscriptions, bearing the following names: Jesus, son of Joseph; Mariamne Mara; Maria; Matia; Joseh; and Judah, son of Jesus.
Viewing the boxes 25 years later in an Israeli warehouse, the filmmakers made a case that the names refer to Jesus of Nazareth; Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of Jesus; Matthew; Jesus' brother Joses; and Judah, the son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus married.
For most Christians, finding bones, ashes, dust or anything else belonging to Jesus' physical body is not possible.
Even a survey of adult Americans by Scripps Howard and Ohio University in 2003 found that 63 percent "absolutely believe" that Jesus died and physically rose from the dead.
They hold to Gospel accounts, such as in the 24th chapter of Luke: "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."
Two men, believed to be angels, told the women, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
"While scholars find stories of dying and resurrected gods in other religions of the ancient world, Christianity in most of its expressions is unique among the world's major living religions in being based on the belief that its founder was resurrected from the dead," said Vern Barnet of Kansas City, Mo., an expert in world religion.
"In Scripture that is authoritative for most Christians, Paul writes, `And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain' (1 Corinthians 15:14).
"Although all religions have ways of pointing to an ultimate truth, no other major living faith makes such a claim about its founder."
In faiths that have founders - not all do, such as Hinduism - some revere the remains of their founders, and for others little importance is placed on remains, Barnet said.
In Judaism, the three patriarchs of the faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and three of the four matriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah, are buried in the city of Hebron in the cave of Machpelah, said Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz of Congregation Beth Shalom in Overland Park. The fourth matriarch, Rachel, who died in childbirth, was buried by the side of a road to Bethlehem.
Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad died an actual death, and his grave is in the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina, Saudi Arabia, said Abdalla Idris Ali, director of the Center for Islamic Education in Kansas City.
Although there are differences of opinion about Jesus' death, he said, "most Muslims believe, according to the Qur'an, that he was neither crucified nor killed but that Allah raised him up unto himself. Most Muslims believe Jesus Christ is in heaven, and he will come back down to spread peace and justice, and then he will die."
Because possibilities raised in the film, if true, could shake the pillars of Christian belief, the film evoked an immediate, strong, relentless attack on Cameron, Jacobovici and anyone else connected with the project.
Scholars, pastors, commentators and others rushed to defend the traditional Christian view of a physical resurrection.
Among them was Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, who said he did 50 interviews the week following the airing of the documentary.
"If we find Jesus' bones in a grave, abandon hope," Witherington said .
If Jesus was not bodily raised, there is no evidence that he can overcome death and bring back believers from the dead, he said. Also, one has to understand the views on resurrection of early Jews and early Christians.
"The word resurrection in early Judaism always referred to a particular miracle," Witherington said. "It meant a miracle that happened to somebody's body that brought them back from the dead.
"That's the main reason that early Jews would keep bones in ossuary boxes in hopes of the bodily resurrection. So when you hear about the resurrection from out of the dead in Christian documents, like Jewish documents, it refers to something that has happened to somebody's body, and in this case, Jesus."
Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary said that finding remains of Jesus would change Christianity. The research professor of New Testament Studies has written extensively refuting evidence that suggests the Talpiot tomb is that of Jesus and his family.
"If remains were to be found, Christianity might morph into an ethic, but that would be the end of Christianity as we've known it," he said in an interview.
"The claim of Christianity is that there is a spiritual element and a physical element to resurrection," Bock said. "It is not that the flesh comes back but that there is a form to the person, called the glorified body in Scripture. At the same time it involves the entirety of the person.
"This is what the empty tomb communicates and what Jesus' appearances in a physical form communicate and what his being able to take meals communicates during those appearances."
In 1994 Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, wrote a best-selling novel titled "A Skeleton in God's Closet."
The premise may sound familiar: An archaeologist discovers what he believes are the bones of Jesus in a grave outside of Jerusalem. The discovery, which challenges traditional Christian teachings, could shatter the faith of millions of believers.
Maier said he does not believe Jesus' bones could ever be found. "I believe the Resurrection was more than spiritual; a glorified body was involved.
"I think that if the actual, physical remains of Jesus ever were discovered, it could spell the end of Christianity, at least for the vast majority."
Others, however, view the Resurrection as spiritual and said finding Jesus' remains made no difference to their faith.
For Gerald Jepson of Olathe, Kan., the claims made in the documentary seemed more plausible than the stories in the Bible, which he believes are subject to interpretation.
Finding Jesus' remains shouldn't matter because the Resurrection is not about something that happened to Jesus' physical body, said Marcus Borg, religion and culture professor at Oregon State University.
"In the New Testament itself, it is clear that the resurrected Jesus is not a body of flesh and blood," he said. "Even if one takes the stories literally, the risen Christ can pass through walls and appear and then vanish and can be walked with without being recognized. So whatever the risen body is like, it is not a flesh-and-blood body."
Jesus' followers experienced him after his death, and these experiences included visions, Borg said. An example was Paul's experience of meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road.
"A vision includes a visual aspect and can even include the experience of touching," he said. "When the risen Christ says to Thomas, `Touch my wounds,' that could be part of a vision."
The biblical story of an empty tomb might be a parable of the Resurrection, Borg said, "and its point is, you won't find Jesus in the land of the dead. This is basically what the angel says to the women, `Why do you seek the living among the dead?' "
John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University, said on a Washington Post blog that he believes Jesus was crucified by Rome and raised by God. He added, "Finding the bones of Jesus would not disturb my faith, but finding they bore no wounds, ah, that would be another matter."
In the documentary, Crossan says, "I leave what happens to bodies up to God."
In the end, Britt Minshall, theologian and Baltimore pastor said, "Each person has to ask, `What is important for me?'
"For me, it goes back to the hill of Calvary, where he died on the cross for me. Nothing else matters."
Robert Gingrich of Overland Park, Kan., was reacting to questions raised in the recent television documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," produced by James Cameron and directed by Simcha Jacobovici.
The main question was whether a tomb containing ossuaries, or bone boxes, once held the remains of Jesus and his family.
In 1980 construction workers unearthed the tomb in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Ten ossuaries were found, six with inscriptions, bearing the following names: Jesus, son of Joseph; Mariamne Mara; Maria; Matia; Joseh; and Judah, son of Jesus.
Viewing the boxes 25 years later in an Israeli warehouse, the filmmakers made a case that the names refer to Jesus of Nazareth; Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of Jesus; Matthew; Jesus' brother Joses; and Judah, the son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus married.
For most Christians, finding bones, ashes, dust or anything else belonging to Jesus' physical body is not possible.
Even a survey of adult Americans by Scripps Howard and Ohio University in 2003 found that 63 percent "absolutely believe" that Jesus died and physically rose from the dead.
They hold to Gospel accounts, such as in the 24th chapter of Luke: "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."
Two men, believed to be angels, told the women, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
"While scholars find stories of dying and resurrected gods in other religions of the ancient world, Christianity in most of its expressions is unique among the world's major living religions in being based on the belief that its founder was resurrected from the dead," said Vern Barnet of Kansas City, Mo., an expert in world religion.
"In Scripture that is authoritative for most Christians, Paul writes, `And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain' (1 Corinthians 15:14).
"Although all religions have ways of pointing to an ultimate truth, no other major living faith makes such a claim about its founder."
In faiths that have founders - not all do, such as Hinduism - some revere the remains of their founders, and for others little importance is placed on remains, Barnet said.
In Judaism, the three patriarchs of the faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and three of the four matriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah, are buried in the city of Hebron in the cave of Machpelah, said Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz of Congregation Beth Shalom in Overland Park. The fourth matriarch, Rachel, who died in childbirth, was buried by the side of a road to Bethlehem.
Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad died an actual death, and his grave is in the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina, Saudi Arabia, said Abdalla Idris Ali, director of the Center for Islamic Education in Kansas City.
Although there are differences of opinion about Jesus' death, he said, "most Muslims believe, according to the Qur'an, that he was neither crucified nor killed but that Allah raised him up unto himself. Most Muslims believe Jesus Christ is in heaven, and he will come back down to spread peace and justice, and then he will die."
Because possibilities raised in the film, if true, could shake the pillars of Christian belief, the film evoked an immediate, strong, relentless attack on Cameron, Jacobovici and anyone else connected with the project.
Scholars, pastors, commentators and others rushed to defend the traditional Christian view of a physical resurrection.
Among them was Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, who said he did 50 interviews the week following the airing of the documentary.
"If we find Jesus' bones in a grave, abandon hope," Witherington said .
If Jesus was not bodily raised, there is no evidence that he can overcome death and bring back believers from the dead, he said. Also, one has to understand the views on resurrection of early Jews and early Christians.
"The word resurrection in early Judaism always referred to a particular miracle," Witherington said. "It meant a miracle that happened to somebody's body that brought them back from the dead.
"That's the main reason that early Jews would keep bones in ossuary boxes in hopes of the bodily resurrection. So when you hear about the resurrection from out of the dead in Christian documents, like Jewish documents, it refers to something that has happened to somebody's body, and in this case, Jesus."
Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary said that finding remains of Jesus would change Christianity. The research professor of New Testament Studies has written extensively refuting evidence that suggests the Talpiot tomb is that of Jesus and his family.
"If remains were to be found, Christianity might morph into an ethic, but that would be the end of Christianity as we've known it," he said in an interview.
"The claim of Christianity is that there is a spiritual element and a physical element to resurrection," Bock said. "It is not that the flesh comes back but that there is a form to the person, called the glorified body in Scripture. At the same time it involves the entirety of the person.
"This is what the empty tomb communicates and what Jesus' appearances in a physical form communicate and what his being able to take meals communicates during those appearances."
In 1994 Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, wrote a best-selling novel titled "A Skeleton in God's Closet."
The premise may sound familiar: An archaeologist discovers what he believes are the bones of Jesus in a grave outside of Jerusalem. The discovery, which challenges traditional Christian teachings, could shatter the faith of millions of believers.
Maier said he does not believe Jesus' bones could ever be found. "I believe the Resurrection was more than spiritual; a glorified body was involved.
"I think that if the actual, physical remains of Jesus ever were discovered, it could spell the end of Christianity, at least for the vast majority."
Others, however, view the Resurrection as spiritual and said finding Jesus' remains made no difference to their faith.
For Gerald Jepson of Olathe, Kan., the claims made in the documentary seemed more plausible than the stories in the Bible, which he believes are subject to interpretation.
Finding Jesus' remains shouldn't matter because the Resurrection is not about something that happened to Jesus' physical body, said Marcus Borg, religion and culture professor at Oregon State University.
"In the New Testament itself, it is clear that the resurrected Jesus is not a body of flesh and blood," he said. "Even if one takes the stories literally, the risen Christ can pass through walls and appear and then vanish and can be walked with without being recognized. So whatever the risen body is like, it is not a flesh-and-blood body."
Jesus' followers experienced him after his death, and these experiences included visions, Borg said. An example was Paul's experience of meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road.
"A vision includes a visual aspect and can even include the experience of touching," he said. "When the risen Christ says to Thomas, `Touch my wounds,' that could be part of a vision."
The biblical story of an empty tomb might be a parable of the Resurrection, Borg said, "and its point is, you won't find Jesus in the land of the dead. This is basically what the angel says to the women, `Why do you seek the living among the dead?' "
John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University, said on a Washington Post blog that he believes Jesus was crucified by Rome and raised by God. He added, "Finding the bones of Jesus would not disturb my faith, but finding they bore no wounds, ah, that would be another matter."
In the documentary, Crossan says, "I leave what happens to bodies up to God."
In the end, Britt Minshall, theologian and Baltimore pastor said, "Each person has to ask, `What is important for me?'
"For me, it goes back to the hill of Calvary, where he died on the cross for me. Nothing else matters."
