The headquarters is on lockdown, news vans are everywhere (http://silverspringscene.com/blog/2007/02/27/discovery-controversy-beckons-the-attention-of-local-media/)! A homicidal albino monk (http://silverspringsingular.blogspot.com/2007/02/protests-to-hit-discovery-hq.html) is on the loose!

Discovery Channel's The Lost Tomb of Jesus Reveals New Scientific Evidence Supporting Possible Find of Jesus Family Tomb

-- Award-Winning Filmmakers James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici Chronicle
Investigation of 2,000-year-old Artifacts Related to Jesus of Nazareth and
Mary Magdalene --

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific analysis of
limestone ossuaries (bone boxes) and physical evidence found in a
2,000-year- old tomb in Talpiot, Jerusalem, provide credible new
information that the tomb once may have held the remains of Jesus of
Nazareth and his family.

A new Discovery Channel documentary THE LOST TOMB OF JESUS, from executive producer James Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici, exclusively reveals what might be the greatest archaeological find in history. The film presents the latest evidence from world-renowned experts in Aramaic script, ancient DNA analysis, forensics, archaeology and statistics. Among the major discoveries chronicled in the program is new evidence that Jesus and Mary Magdalene, also known as "Mariamene e Mara,"
may have had a son named Judah.

A press conference will be held by Discovery Channel on Monday,
February 26, at 11:00 am in New York City. At that time, what are thought
to be the ossuaries of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene will be
unveiled. (To register for the press conference and receive location
information, please call 212- 751-3342.)

In attendance will be Jane Root, president and general manager of
Discovery Channel; James Cameron and; Professor James Tabor, chair of the
Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte; Dr. Shimon Gibson, archaeologist with the Albright Institute;
Professor Andrey Feuerverger, professor of statistics and mathematics at
the University of Toronto; and Dr. Charles Pellegrino, co-author of The
Jesus Family Tomb.

THE LOST TOMB OF JESUS, which premieres on Sunday, March 4, at 9 PM
ET/PT on Discovery Channel, follows an investigative journey into the
identities of and relationships among 10 ossuaries, which originally were
discovered more than 25 years ago but never were connected conclusively. In
conjunction with the film, HarperSanFrancisco is publishing a companion
book, The Jesus Family Tomb, co-authored by Jacobovici and Dr. Charles
Pellegrino, with a foreword by Cameron.

The Talpiot tomb originally held 10 ossuaries, nine of which are still
within the Israel Antiquity Authority's domain. Six of the limestone bone
boxes that served as First Century Jerusalem-area coffins include
inscriptions of names found in the New Testament - "Jesus son of Joseph,"
"Maria," "Mariamene e Mara," "Matthew," "Yose" and "Judah son of Jesus."

"This has been a three-year journey that seems more incredible than
fiction," says Jacobovici. "The idea of possibly finding the tomb of Jesus
and several members of his family, with compelling scientific evidence, is
beyond anything I could have imagined."

"It doesn't get bigger than this," says Cameron. "We've done our
homework; we've made the case; and now it's time for the debate to begin."

"Discovery Channel brings our worldwide audience the latest information
about life's enduring mysteries through the network's extensive funding of
scientific research and analysis," says Root. "It is an honor to be part of
what might be the most important discovery in history. This program
provides viewers with the latest forensic evidence, information about the
Talpiot tomb, and important historical context. We invite viewers to review
the facts, engage in discussion, and come to their own conclusions."

Could this have been a holy tomb for Jesus and his family? Evidence
shows the following:

- Leading epigraphers agree about the text inscriptions;
- Expert archaeologists confirm the nature of the finds and their
historical relevance;
- The tomb contains a mysterious symbol over the entrance found on other
Christian artifacts; and
- A statistical study concludes that the odds - on the most conservative
basis - are 600 to 1 in favor of this being the Jesus family tomb.

Dr. Carney Matheson from the Paleo-DNA Laboratory at Lakehead
University in Ontario, Canada, conducted a mitochondrial DNA analysis on
microscopic bits of matter recovered from the "Jesus son of Joseph" and
"Mariamene e Mara" ossuaries. The test genetically concludes that the two
were not maternally related. Given that this was a family burial place
reserved for spouses and blood relations, it is possible to deduce that
they were a couple.

As shown in the film, Jacobovici and his team use robotic cameras to
locate the tomb, which was believed to have been destroyed but is actually
in the center of a modern-day apartment complex. After briefly entering the
tomb, the filmmakers follow local regulations and seal the tomb with the
hopes that they will return to conduct further analysis.

A special Web site, http://www.discovery.com/tomb, will provide in-depth
information to allow viewers to make their own decisions about these
extraordinary findings. A virtual evidence kit, with the latest scientific
analysis, can be examined first hand. The original map of the tomb drawn by
Dr. Shimon Gibson in 1980, exclusive Web interviews, and detailed images of
the inscriptions will be online for the world to explore. The site will
feature a forum for debate and conversation with several experts sharing
their thoughts and answering questions in message boards and blogs.

THE LOST TOMB OF JESUS is produced for Discovery Channel worldwide by
Associated Producers, in cooperation with VisionTV Canada and Channel 4,
UK. James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici are executive producers for
Associated Producers. Phil Fairclough is executive producer for Discovery
Channel.
THE LOST TOMB OF JESUS airs in the U.S. on the following networks:

*World Premiere* on Discovery Channel: Sunday, March 4 at 9pm ET/PT
Discovery Times Channel: Monday, March 5 at 8pm ET/PT
Discovery en Espanol: Sunday, March 18 at 9pm ET/PT
Discovery HD Theater: Wednesday, March 28 at 9pm ET/PT
Discovery Communications, Inc. is the number-one nonfiction media

company reaching more than 1.5 billion people in over 170 countries.
Through TV and new media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include
Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Health.
DCI is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Cox
Communications Inc., Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks,
Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information please visit
http://www.discovery.com.


SOURCE Discovery Channel

With all due respect, given the amount of pseudoscientific junk that the Discovery Channel inflicts on us (well, really all of cable these days), I can't take seriously a news report based off of one of their programs.

I'll wait until Scientific American or other professors, specialists, univerisities, or scientific journalists investigate the matter. Time will tell.

Nate (skeptic)

With all due respect, given the amount of pseudoscientific junk that the Discovery Channel inflicts on us (well, really all of cable these days), I can't take seriously a news report based off of one of their programs.

I'll wait until Scientific American or other professors, specialists, univerisities, or scientific journalists investigate the matter. Time will tell.

Nate (skeptic)

I think Discovery shows respectable content, far from junk and some edge is necessary for survival in this business. Nothing they show is worse off than PBS, in fact I will go as far as saying they have been worldlier and far more accurate than the ignorant discriminatory B.S. of National Geographic.

No one is forcing you to watch Discovery’s networks, a flip of the remote is all it takes, heck, cable is not even a necessity, and millions of people survive without it. Save those dollars for investing perhaps?

Another article I just found concerning this:

Show has what may be 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' — as well as other secrets
The Associated Press
March 2, 2007 6:10 PM
NEW YORK — “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” ends on a portentous if melodramatic note.

By this point, the sought-after tomb had been located, entered and confirmed as the possible earthly resting place for Jesus Christ and his family. But within hours, authorities demanded that its cave-like entrance — on the grounds of a Jerusalem apartment complex built over it a quarter-century ago — be resealed.

A welder's torch flares in the night as the narrator intones, “The tomb that arguably once held the remains of Mary, the mother of Jesus; Matthew, from Mary's family line; Yose and James, the brothers of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; her husband, Jesus; and Judah, their son, is sealed up again.

“Who knows what secrets are still inside?” the narrator goes on. “And for how long they will be kept hidden under the Talpiot Apartments?”

Lots of questions are raised and answered, however speculatively, in “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” an intriguing documentary that premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. (A companion book, “The Jesus Family Tomb,” has been published by HarperSanFrancisco.)

This sort of inquiry upsets many Christians, for whom Jesus' ascension to heaven following his crucifixion is a fundamental tenet of their faith. Does the claim that Jesus even had an ossuary — a limestone bone box — contradict the Christian belief of his resurrection?

Such a concern is addressed early in “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” by John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University, who says, “Would that destroy Christian faith? It certainly would not destroy MY Christian faith. I leave what happens to the body up to God.”

Meanwhile, the film hears from a contrarian, David Mevorah, curator of the Israel Museum, cautioning that any theory that “this tomb was a tomb of the family of Jesus is a farfetched suggestion, and we need to be very careful with that.”

(A full-out debate on the film's assertions will follow its airing at 11 p.m. Ted Koppel, who is managing editor of Discovery Channel with no connection to the film's production, will moderate a panel versed in archaeology, theology, Biblical research and other related disciplines.)

Already “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” has seized the public's attention. In New York earlier this week, a news conference was held by its director, Toronto filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, and its producer, James Cameron (an Oscar-winner for “Titanic”), who unveiled the two ossuaries they said may have held the remains of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Their film argues that 10 ossuaries discovered in 1980, during excavation for apartments in a Jerusalem suburb, may have contained the bones of Jesus and his family.

Moreover, the film says, the presence in this family tomb of an ossuary that seems to contain the bones of Mary Magdalene — who was not a blood relative — suggests she and Jesus were married. And another of the boxes bearing the inscription “Judah son of Jesus” hints that Jesus had a son.

Currently, the ossuaries do not contain any bones, which were reburied after their discovery, as is standard practice with archaeological finds in Israel. But DNA evidence collected from the boxes becomes part of Jacobovici's investigative process as the film unfolds.

(The ossuaries, which became custody of the Israel Antiquities Authority, had been placed on shelves in a giant warehouse ... and ignored for a quarter-century, the film notes with some bemusement.)

Despite making claims some viewers may find outrageous, or worse, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” plays out as a fascinating detective yarn, with Jacobovici a dogged though respectful Sherlock Holmes.

Taking his inquiry step-by-step, he gives even the most devout viewer food for thought, while the less informed may find their jaws dropping: Jesus had brothers?! And sisters?!

The film takes on two tasks: Building a definitive case (which it doesn't quite do) and raising issues the average viewer may never have even considered.

“People are reluctant to think that you could come upon the Jesus family tomb,” says James Tabor, a University of North Carolina professor of religious studies, “and yet Caiphas, the priest who had Jesus crucified, his tomb was found by a bulldozer south of Jerusalem a few years ago.”

Interlacing Jacobovici's journey are historical re-enactments that help humanize what, at times, ventures close to a wonkish excess of Aramaic script, mitochondrial DNA analysis, forensics, statistical theory, and other scholarship.

Indeed, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” begins with a glimpse of Jesus on the cross, then offers an alternative scenario to the one most Christians embrace: that, following Jesus' crucifixion, his disciples secretly took his body from the tomb that just days later would be found empty, for permanent burial in his family's tomb.

By the end, the documentary may have fallen short of its pledge to “exclusively reveal what might be the greatest archaeological find in history.”

But it's a great story told illuminatingly — and maybe all the more worthwhile as a story some people just don't want to hear.

Another article I just found concerning this:

Show has what may be 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus' — as well as other secrets
The Associated Press
March 2, 2007 6:10 PM
NEW YORK — “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” ends on a portentous if melodramatic note.

By this point, the sought-after tomb had been located, entered and confirmed as the possible earthly resting place for Jesus Christ and his family. But within hours, authorities demanded that its cave-like entrance — on the grounds of a Jerusalem apartment complex built over it a quarter-century ago — be resealed. .....

It will be interesting to follow this story. Since names are not unique and DNA useless without somebody to compare it to, none of this is a smoking gun for anything but it will run into strongly held beliefs about all the details of the gospels and how the story "has" to go. I remember several years ago there was a story about a similar bone-box supposedly for Jesus' brother. Later analysis suggested that the box was indeed biblical in age but that the script was added centuries later. It's similar to the Shroud of Turin controversy, which has been recently shown by radio-carbon dating to be a 14th century fake done by means unknown.