On January 13-17 this year, Princeton Theological Seminary held a symposium on “Jewish Views of the Afterlife and Burial Practices in Second Temple Judaism.” The subtitle to the symposium was: “Evaluating the Talpiot Tomb in Context.” The list of participants included James Charlesworth and Geza Vermes. I daresay most of you are saying “umm… who?” These are not Evangelical scholars by any stretch of the imagination, which is what makes the findings of the symposium all the more interesting in light of the media hoopla over this topic. I will link to the full report below, but here’s a taste:

“A firestorm has broken out in Jerusalem following the conclusion of the [Symposium]. Most negative assessments of archaeologists and other scientists and scholars who attended have been excluded from the final press reports. Instead the media have presented the views of Simcha Jacobovici, who produced the controversial film and book The Lost Tomb of Jesus with Hollywood director James Cameron, and who claims that his identification has been vindicated by the conference papers. Nothing further from the truth can be deduced from the discussion and presentations that took place on January 13-17, 2008.”

   Read the full report for yourself. May it be of use to you as you encounter those who take the drivel of Jacobovici as fact.

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