Yah, Right.... More on the BONES

This comment added March 10th:

So, last night I read a recent article in MacLean's Magazine about the discovery of these ossuaries. I am massively fascinated by this discovery now, not only because James Cameron is involved, but because of the time frame. It did not come out in previous articles how long these ossuaries have been known about - something like 20 years, it sounds like.

The other interesting thing I read is about the "James" ossuary, which was said to be a hoax. It sounds, from the MacLean's article, that the ossuary is not a hoax but that whoever discovered it attempted to make it really important by adding some text to it, which was overkill: there is a "fingerprinting" technique used in dating old objects where the patina on the item is compared to patinas on other items found with it. If the patinas compare in chemical make-up etc. then the items belong together.

MacLean's Magazine of March 12th 2007 has more.

As much as I wish the truth could come out, I doubt very much it ever will - and I think these ossuaries are genuine - because the church cannot allow the public, verified-by-DNA destruction of the myth upon which it is based.

The reality is, whether the church likes it or not, that Jesus of Nazareth was a man, born of a human woman and a human man. For whatever reason, he created a huge stir way back when and then some other people wrote myths about him.

Later, when Rome was grabbing up lands and peoples in Europe, it used this mythology to subdue, change, subvert and politicise the "pagan" populations.

I'm leaving the rest of this post alone for reference, but I am looking forward to reading the ongoing reporting on these ossuaries and to inevitable fallout from the church. If The DaVinci Code pissed the church off, having its pet myth debunked is really going to light them up.

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Ok, let me get this straight: FILM MAKER James Cameron is somehow involved in the discovery of ossuaries said to contain the remains of Jesus (no indication if this is Jesus of Nazareth, who may or may not have ever existed), his wife, son, mother and FATHER...

Father?

What?

The myth I grew up with was that Jesus was born of a virgin. Last time I checked, that's both impossible and an oxymoronic. That claim is about as valid and non-suspect as the biblical claim that Jesus was descended from the royal lineage of King David: lineages always -and still do - pass through the father, so that claim cannot be true unless Christians are willing to forego the whole 'virgin' thing. I bet they're not....

To quote the BBC, "According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, six of those coffins were marked with the names Mary; Matthew; Jesua son of Joseph; Mary; Jofa (Joseph, Jesus' brother); and Judah son of Jesua."

The BBC article goes on to report that the film makers say "...a tomb found near Jerusalem ...belonged to Jesus and his family.... The Oscar-winning director of Titanic (Cameron) says statistical analysis and DNA back the claim.

Well I'll be. Who's DNA are they testing, exactly and how is it that the DNA found in those ossuaries has survived who knows how long?

It should be noted that another ossuary discovered a few years ago, and said to hold the remains of James, brother of Jesus, was proved to be a hoax.

But of course, there's nothing at all strange in the participation of a film maker who counts among his successes the epic "Titanic."

Ahh Hollywood and the church; partners in crime, making up stories for 2000 years.