No one in the world of academic theology that I know treats the supposed discovery of the tomb of Jesus as if it had any credibility. It is based on the idea that the resurrection of Jesus was in fact a physical resuscitation.
That idea was not hinted at before Matthew in the 9th decade and did not get serious attention until the writings of Luke and John in the late 9th and late 10th decades. If one does not understand resurrection as physical resuscitation then what happened to the body of Jesus is of no importance.
Both the tomb story and the account of Joseph of Aramathea are today regarded by biblical scholars not as history but as part of the developing myth of Christianity. The only thing Paul, who wrote well before any gospel was written, said about the burial of Jesus is that “he was buried.” No details, no myths, no Joseph.
I would hope that this bit of sensational nonsense would not exercise the minds of many people for too long. I am amazed that those who pose questions for this panel would give it the credibility you have.
Please e-mail On Faith if you'd like to receive an email notification when On Faith sends out a new question.
Email Me | Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
