"Lost Tomb of Jesus" Postponed by Discovery Channel

"The Lost Tomb Of Jesus," the documentary film produced by "Titanic" director James Cameron for the Discovery Channel, may possibly be the first documentary ever debunked before it ever aired.

And now it won't be seen. At least not now.

The Discovery Channel, after protests from Christian and archaeological groups around the world, has postponed the documentary, which was scheduled to be aired on Monday, March 5.

The film, which claimed that small jars of bones found in a suburb of Jerusalem, could have contained the bones of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and other relatives. The documentary also claims that Jesus had a "secret son" with Mary Magdalene, named Judah.

Even before the documentary was well-known, archaeological groups had already disinherited the claims it made. Perhaps the most well-known, at least among archaeologists, is Amos Kloner, a former archaeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Kloner, who inspected the ossuaries - the ten small jars which contained the inscriptions and bones that started the whole controversy - dismisses the documentary as nothing but bad science, although he admits it will probably make a lot of money for the documentary team.

Father Babu Joseph, the spokesman for the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, spoke out vehemently against the film. "The documentary is not based on proven historical fact. Historically speaking, evidences closer to the event have more authenticity than evidences dished out after 2000 years. According to Biblican and non-Biblical sources, it has been believed that Jesus rose from the dead, and that is the basis of entire Christian faith and tradition," he said.

The Catholic Secular Forum had also protested the airing of the documentary, which is accused of "trivializing" the entire Christian faith.

In postponing the airing of the documentary, the Discovery Channel expressed regret for inadvertently hurting the religious sentiments of the Christian community.

Sources:

dnaindia.com/report.asp
www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/03/03/lost_tomb_is_no_open_and_shut_case/