The Jesus Discovery

The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity

By: Simcha Jacobovici, James D. Tabor

Narrated by: Jason Culp

In 2010, using a specialized robotic camera, authors Tabor and Jacobovici, working with archaeologists, geologists, and forensic anthropologists, explored a previously unexcavated tomb in Jerusalem from around the time of Jesus. They made a remarkable discovery. The tomb contained several ossuaries, or bone boxes, two of which were carved with an iconic image and a Greek inscription. Taken together, the image and the inscription constitute the earliest archaeological evidence of faith in Jesus’ resurrection.

Since the newly discovered ossuaries can be reliably dated to before AD 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, they also provide the first evidence in Jerusalem of the people who would later be called "Christians". In fact, it is possible, maybe even likely, that whoever was buried in this tomb knew Jesus and heard him preach.

The newly examined tomb is only 200 feet away from the so-called Jesus Family Tomb. This controversial tomb, excavated in 1980 and recently brought to international attention, contained ossuaries inscribed with names associated with Jesus and his immediate family. Critics dismissed the synchronicity of names as mere coincidence. But the new discovery increases the likelihood that the "Jesus Family Tomb" is, indeed, the real tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Tabor and Jacobovici discuss the evidence in support of this interpretation and describe how both tombs appear to have been part of the property of a wealthy individual, possibly Joseph of Arimathea, the man who, according to the gospels, buried Jesus.

The Jesus Discovery explains how the recent find is revolutionizing our understanding of the earliest years of Christianity. Tabor and Jacobovici discuss what the concept of resurrection meant to the first followers of Jesus, particularly how it differed from the common understanding of the term today. Because the new archaeological discovery predates all other Christian documents, including the gospels, it offers a dramatic witness to what the people who knew Jesus believed.

There is no doubt that this is one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made. The Jesus Discovery is the firsthand account of how it happened and what it means.

©2012 James D. Tabor, Simcha Jacobovici (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Caveat Emptor

If you could sum up The Jesus Discovery in three words, what would they be?

Provocative, unabashed, incomplete

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Typical Tabor

Which scene was your favorite?

None stand out.

Any additional comments?

The authors reach a couple of conclusions without clear evidence, or without taking into account the contrary evidence. Overall, a very good book. I would not recommend to people who do not have an open mind about the origins of Yesuha or the Jesus movement.

Very Interesting!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It had some new insights into first century Christian belief. The use of the tetragrammaton name was quite interesting. No early manuscripts of the Greek Testament Scriptures have been found that use the Hebrew YHVH, but it's a usage was found on one of the ossuaries in the Jesus tomb. This family tomb dated before 70 CE, before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, thus the use of the tetragrammaton is quite compelling to modern scholars... Mainly because it is understood that Jews at this time did not speak the name of God. Jesus and his family, and his early disciples were Jews. This gives insight to some of that understandings and behaviors, and symbols used by early Christians, especially the symbol of the Jonah fish. I think the argument that this family tomb is indeed the tomb of Jesus and his family, is quite compelling. Worth reading.

A more plausible explanation

I loved the humility and honesty of the authors. They aren’t trying to destroy anyone’s faith, but they are giving more realistic story of Jesus death and burial. I always found it implausible that a Jewish man in the first century, would not be married or have children. Judaism celebrates, family and life. And while it’s not conclusive that Jesus was married or had a son it sure seems more likely. As Paul Harvey would say, “now you know the rest of the story.”

interesting

i found this very interesting and have listened to it several times and think it is STUPID YOU FORCE ME TO WRITE 15 WORDS IN ORDER TO REVIEW

Jesus, James, Jose

Amazing book. Very well presented. This book was full of objectivity and great science, not dogma. Thank you for that. Standing in Jesus’ tomb must have been an amazing experience. What a sad but incredible, inspiring and “hope filled” message. Bless you Simcha and James for presenting this wonderful book to us.
Billie F. Harrison

What you thought you knew.

This book gives you something to think about. It truly makes sense and gives insight into the mystique behind the bible stories. As a Christian it has deepened my faith. I will listen again and again to this audio.

Greatest archeological find in human history

Everyone will remember the 1st time they hear this. The greatest story ever told is continued. He is RISEN

Intriguing but not conclusive

The authors provide an intriguing analysis of a first-century tomb in Jerusalem. They tie it, with suggestive (but not conclusive) evidence, to the "Jesus family tomb" nearby; and that tomb in turn is tied, with evidence that is even more suggestive and even less conclusive, to Jesus himself.

Some of the argument stands or falls on whether the controversial "James ossuary" is genuine, and if so whether it came originally from the "Jesus family tomb". After bodies decomposed, the bones would be placed in a bone box or ossuary, usually plain but sometimes ornamented; and one such ossuary has the inscription "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus." There is considerable controversy as to whether the last phrase - "brother of Jesus" - is part of the original inscription or was forged by one of its more recent owners.

The new tomb, not excavated but explored with high-tech optical equipment, has an ossuary with an engraved picture that seems clearly to represent the story of Jonah. The authors tie this to the "sign of Jonah" mentioned by Jesus in one of the gospels and suggest this is evidence that the family that owned the tomb were of the first generation of Jewish Christians.

The book is on solid ground when it talks about Jesus' family relationships (mostly they're just quoting the New Testament in any case); and it's on solid ground when it describes the actual physical evidence. It gets a little unsteady when it argues that texts and bone-boxes are both referring to the same people, and to my non-expert eye, it begins to take off into nether regions when it uses the evidence to draw conclusions about early Christian theology.

In previous books, written separately, the authors have taken up one or another aspect of this complicated story. Here they've pooled their resources to bring all the threads together. I kept thinking, as I was listening to it: yes; maybe; it could all be true; but there's no smoking gun here, not yet. It's good to be open-minded, but it's also good to be cautious.

Brilliant Book for the questioning

Wow!! Keep up the good work! Good research is far more confirming and really needed in this area. Courageous stuff.

My new chritian bible!!

This great work has to be a must read book is you are sesious on the subject of chistianity and the historical Jesus. I have to confess that at the beginning on the first few chapter I was about to return or exchange it due to the monotonous boring voice of the narrator, but half way I was totally hooked and could not get enough, yes it was that great. I will definetely listen to it again and again..