— If "Jesus" and "Mariamene" weren't related matrilineally, why jump to the conclusion that they were husband and wife, rather than being related through their fathers?
— The first use of "Mariamene" for Magdalene dates to a scholar who was born in 185, suggesting that Magdalene wouldn't have been called that at her death.
— St. Andrews' Bauckham defends his probabilities, noting that Jacobovici was comparing his name-cluster to the rather small sampling of names known to have been found on bone boxes, while his own basis for comparison, which adds names from contemporary literature and other sources, makes the combo far less unusual.
— Asbury Theological Seminary professor Ben Witherington, a early Christianity expert who was deeply involved with the James Ossuary, says there are physical reasons to believe it couldn't have originated in the Talpiot plot.
Darrell Bock, a professor at the conservative Protestant Dallas Seminary, whom the Discovery Channel had vet the film two weeks ago, adds another objection: why would Jesus's family or followers bury his bones in a family plot and "then turn around and preach that he had been physically raised from the dead?" If that objection smacks secular readers as relying too heavily on scripture, then Bock's larger point is still trenchant: "I told them that there were too many assumptions being claimed as discoveries, and that they were trying to connect dots that didn't belong together."
From Laurie Goodstein in the NYT:
“This is exploiting the whole trend that caught on with ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ ” said Lawrence E. Stager, the Dorot professor of archaeology of Israel at Harvard, in a telephone interview. “One of the problems is there are so many biblically illiterate people around the world that they don’t know what is real judicious assessment and what is what some of us in the field call ‘fantastic archaeology.’ ”
Professor Stager said he had not seen the film but was skeptical.
Mr. Cameron said he had been “trepidatious” about becoming involved in the project but got engaged out of “great passion for a good detective story,” not to offend and not to cash in.
“I think this is the biggest archaeological story of the century,” he said. “It’s absolutely not a publicity stunt. It’s part of a very well-considered plan to reveal this information to the world in a way that makes sense, with proper documentation.”
Jesus is the Son of God. As such, He deserves more respect than the one afforded Him by Mr. Cameron. The Apostles and the Martyrs of the 1st century A.D. certainly knew more than Mr. Cameron, and yet did not hesitate to die for the truth that some of them have conversed and ate with Jesus after the Resurrection! They have to be trusted more than Mr. Cameron, who rather than volunteering to be crucified upside down, Like Apostle Andrew or Peter, makes a lot of money for what he declares to be "truth"! If the Holocaust was "denied," it is no wonder that there are still hoaxers like Mr. Cameron denying the witness of the thousands of Christian Martyrs!
Jesus is the Son of God. As such, He deserves more respect than the one afforded Him by Mr. Cameron. The Apostles and the Martyrs of the 1st century A.D. certainly knew more than Mr. Cameron, and yet did not hesitate to die for the truth that some of them have conversed and ate with Jesus after the Resurrection! They have to be trusted more than Mr. Cameron, who rather than volunteering to be crucified upside down, Like Apostle Andrew or Peter, makes a lot of money for what he declares to be "truth"! If the Holocaust was "denied," it is no wonder that there are still hoaxers like Mr. Cameron denying the witness of the thousands of Christian Martyrs!