FALSE TOMBS AND GNOSTIC TALES
FALSE TOMBS AND GNOSTIC TALES
By Berit Kjos
March 12, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
"Last year, it was the Gnostic nonsense of the 'Da Vinci Code.'... This year it's a variation on the 'Da Vinci' theme. We are not only being told that there was a Mrs. Jesus (aka Mary Magdalene). We are also informed that her tomb and that of Jesus have been found in Jerusalem; that DNA testing has proved that they are not related and so must have been married (how exactly does it prove that?)... In a surreal moment on 'Larry King Live' earlier this week, the film's producer, James Cameron, told us with a straight face that we should all be thankful that we now have tangible evidence that Jesus existed. Actually, no serious historian of biblical antiquity has ever doubted that there was a historical Jesus."[1] Wall Street Journal
"All archaeologists confirm the nature of the find."[2] Discovery Channel
"Professor Amos Kloner, the Jerusalem District archeologist who officially oversaw the work at the tomb... dismissed the claims. 'It makes a great story for a TV film.... But it's impossible.... There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb.... They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem.'"[3]
Is this science? Or part of an intensifying battle against unchanging truths -- a despicable mockery of the God of the Bible and the significance of His death, burial and resurrection?
It doesn't take much discernment to see through the hollow "theories" used to validate these "scientific" fabrications. But in today's atmosphere of politically correct "open-mindedness," there is little resistance to riveting misinformation! And those who are driven by manipulative marketing are likely to buy the tempting illusions about God as well.
The producer (James Cameron) and director (Simcha Jacobovici) of Discovery Channel's "Jesus Tomb" documentary featured fake evidence, false conclusions and a phony tomb -- one that's more accessible and "convincing" than the original.
"Jacobovici shows pictures taken by a camera that was sent down a pipe into the tomb. The majority of the viewers won't understand that this is not the same cave," said Professor Kloner, who supervised the original work in 1980. "Much of the movie was filmed on sets recreated from the drawings and photographs taken from those [false] works.... The documentary was made according to the 'imagination of people.'... I don't accept the claim that this tomb was the burial place for the family of Jesus."[4]
The two filmmakers may have been motivated primarily by fame and fortune. But the change agents that supported them have more revolutionary missions. So, before we rebut the Discovery Channel's absurd suggestions, let's remember that the vast majority of today's media masters have joined the crusade for global transformation. They share a stake in the destruction of Christianity -- the main obstacle to the UN vision of social solidarity and spiritual synthesis.
Since Biblical certainties stand as a barricade against crowd thinking and dialectical delusions, what could better serve the globalist purpose than undermining the heart of the Christian gospel: the purity, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? The timing of this travesty is no accident. This new "revelation" -- riding in the wake of The Secret -- surfaced just in time to corrupt the celebration of Christ's resurrection in the minds of people around the world.
It all makes sense when we remember that Discovery Channel is part of the global media conglomerate, Discovery Communications. The last few years, its senior vice president for Public Policy & Communications has been Donald A. Baer, an influential member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a "former Assistant to President Clinton for Strategic Planning and Communications."[5] [See CFR: Task Force Members]
Strategic communication -- whether outright propaganda or "convenient" facts -- is vital to the CFR's plan for a New World Order.[6] As Aldous Huxley warned in "Brave New World Revisited" (his 1958 update on Brave New World), the emphasis on psycho-social manipulation was set in place long ago.
"There are two kinds of propaganda--rational propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with the enlightened self-interest of those who make it... and non-rational propaganda that is... dictated by, and appeals to, passion....
"Propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with enlightened self-interest appeals to reason by means of logical arguments based upon the best available evidence fully and honestly set forth. Propaganda in favor of action dictated by the impulses that are below self-interest offers false, garbled or incomplete evidence, avoids logical argument and seeks to influence its victims by the mere repetition of catchwords, by the furious denunciation of ... scapegoats, and by cunningly associating the lowest passions with the highest ideals....
"The power to respond to reason and truth exists in all of us. But so, unfortunately, does the tendency to respond to unreason and falsehood -- particularly in those cases where the falsehood evokes some enjoyable emotion....
"Mass communication, in a word, is neither good nor bad; it is simply a force and, like any other force, it can be used either well or ill.... In the totalitarian East there is political censorship, and the media of mass communication are controlled by the State. In the democratic West there is economic censorship and the media of mass communication are controlled by members of the Power Elite...."[6]
No small part of that "Power Elite," Discovery Communications wields its mind-changing influence through its vast network of global operations which include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, The Science Channel, Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Discovery en Español and dozens more. Do you wonder what kinds of facts and worldviews this massive media system promotes? Or what it censors?
Let's turn to its page on "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." Here we are told that "hundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area.... One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels."[7]
But it's not true! Consider its claims and the contrary evidence:
"ALL LEADING EPIGRAPHERS AGREE ABOUT THE INSCRIPTIONS."[7]
Not true! Steve Caruso, a professional translator at Aramaic Designs, has been studying the Aramaic language for nearly a decade. Decoding the imprecise script and scratches is neither easy nor conclusive:
"Out of all of the inscriptions, the one attributed to Jesus is the most difficult to make out, and as a result the most difficult to interpret.... I honestly could see how Bar or 'son (of)' was implied.... With Yeshua or 'Jesus,' however, I had a great amount of difficulty...."[8]
"It is not scholarly and not scientific," said Professor Kloner, the original research manager. Dismissing Discovery Channel's claims altogether, he notes "that the documentary spends about 10 minutes talking about 'the missing ossuary,' suggesting it could be the same ossuary that turned up several years ago in the hands of an antique dealer.... Experts later discredited the ossuary (which bore the inscription 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus') as a forgery and fraud."[4]
"ALL ARCHEOLOGISTS CONFIRM THE NATURE OF THE FIND."[7]
Not true! "I've known about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists," says "the dean of biblical archaeology," retired Professor William Dever. "None of us thought it was much of a story because these are rather common Jewish names from that period," he explained. "It's a publicity stunt, and it will make these guys very rich, and it will upset millions of innocent people because they don't know enough to separate fact from fiction."[9]
Others agree. "Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States are denouncing the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt," writes Alan Cooperman in his article, "Jesus tomb claim denounced." He continues:
"Scorn for the Discovery Channel's claim to have found the burial place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and — most explosively — their possible son came not just from Christian scholars but also from Jewish and secular experts who said their judgments were unaffected by any desire to uphold Christian orthodoxy."[9]
"This whole case is flawed from beginning to end," said Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "By going directly to the media, she said, the filmmakers 'have set it up as if it's a legitimate academic debate, when the vast majority of scholars who specialize in archaeology of this period have flatly rejected this.'"[9]
"THE FILM ALSO DOCUMENTS DNA EXTRACTION FROM HUMAN RESIDUE FOUND IN TWO OF THE OSSUARIES AND REVEALS EVIDENCE THAT THROWS LIGHT ON JESUS' RELATIONSHIP WITH MARY MAGDALENE."[7]
Not true! This absurd claim hides the fact that no one checked or recorded the DNA of Jesus 2000 years ago! DNA testing for identity -- even in the most prestigious laboratory -- means nothing if there's no original sample to compare it with. Matching the DNA of individuals or unknown family members may sound "scholarly" or "scientific," but it proves nothing about our Lord!
Not only does Discovery Channel market its blasphemous message under the prestigious banner of "science," it also invokes the occult mysteries behind Gnosticism. The following statement by Director Simcha Jacobovici (posted on Discovery's website) shows how important those long-hidden heresies were to the filmmakers.
"The key moment in the investigation was the identification of the second Mary," he says. And in our "Post DaVinci Code" era, everyone knows Mary Magdalene." Then he shares an old secret:
"...her real name is Mariamne, which is the Greek version of Mary Magdalene. I found out that Scholars don't argue about that, because of the Gnostic gospels, because of the Acts of Phillip, several ancient texts that have recently been discovered.... And guess what, that's what it says on the ossuary.... So at that moment the light bulb went on."[10]
Was Gnosticism the key that unlocked the tomb's mysteries? According to this documentary, those occult legends tell us that Mariamne and her son moved to France (which didn't become a nation until centuries later). Discovery Channel's myth brings her back to Jerusalem before her death. Otherwise, how could her bones be added to the tomb?
The dramatization of Mary, Jesus, and the fake tomb makes it all the more believable. And to a world seeking spiritual thrills, this Gnostic version of "history" may seem too real to resist.
CONCLUSION
Today's assaults on Christianity are well timed and increasingly blatant. But they shouldn't surprise us. Blinded by the world's never-ending stream of entertaining distractions, the masses have little time for the truth, facts and logic that would enable them to resist deception.
That fact hasn't escaped our global leaders, including the mainstream media within the Council on Foreign relations. The mood of the nations has been surveyed, assessed and manipulated for decades awaiting that "opportune" time [Luke 4:13] for speeding the transformation. What the International Congress on Mental Health concluded in its 1948 report has now become reality:
"Change will be strongly resisted unless an attitude of acceptance has first been engendered."[11]
Today, more than half a century later, that general "attitude of acceptance" has been established! Nations around the world are fast conforming to the pattern set by UN founders in the 1940s. And the global networks of "mental health" and pluralistic partners are working to prevent any uncompromising Truths or moral guidelines that would hinder "positive" or "collective thinking" around the world.
We don't know the nature of the next assaults on God and His people, but we know the God who reigns in the midst of them. Are you ready to stand firm in Him when they come?
"...though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God...." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Footnotes:
1, Ben Witherington III, "Tomb of the (Still) Unknown Ancients," Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2007.2, "Has the tomb of Jesus Christ been found?" Discovery Channel 3, Mail David Horovitz, "New film claims Jesus buried in Talpiot," February 25, 20074, Julie Stahl, "Jesus Tomb' Filmmakers Should Be Ashamed, Archeologist Says," CNSNews.com (Jerusalem Bureau Chief), March 1, 2007.5, Council on Foreign Relations and Mock National Security Council Meeting on North Korea6, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited (New York: Perennial Library, 1958), pages 32-35.7, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus,"8, Steve Caruso, Aramaic Designs9, Alan Cooperman, "Jesus tomb claim denounced," The Honolulu Advertiser, March 3, 2007.10, The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Simcha Interview - Part 111, "Mental Health and World Citizenship," founding document of the World Federation for Mental Health, pages 7 and 8.
© 2007 Berit Kjos - All Rights Reserved
Order Berit's book Brave New Schools
Sign Up For Free E-Mail Alerts
E-Mails are used strictly for NWVs alerts, not for sale
Berit Kjos is a widely respected researcher, writer and conference speaker. A frequent guest on national radio and television programs, Kjos has been interviewed on Point of View (Marlin Maddoux), The 700 Club, Bible Answer Man, Beverly LaHaye Live, Crosstalk and Family Radio Network. She has also been a guest on "Talk Back Live" (CNN) and other secular radio and TV networks. Her last two books are A Twist of Faith and Brave New Schools. Kjos Ministries Web Site: http://www.crossroad.to/index.html
By Berit Kjos
March 12, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
"Last year, it was the Gnostic nonsense of the 'Da Vinci Code.'... This year it's a variation on the 'Da Vinci' theme. We are not only being told that there was a Mrs. Jesus (aka Mary Magdalene). We are also informed that her tomb and that of Jesus have been found in Jerusalem; that DNA testing has proved that they are not related and so must have been married (how exactly does it prove that?)... In a surreal moment on 'Larry King Live' earlier this week, the film's producer, James Cameron, told us with a straight face that we should all be thankful that we now have tangible evidence that Jesus existed. Actually, no serious historian of biblical antiquity has ever doubted that there was a historical Jesus."[1] Wall Street Journal
"All archaeologists confirm the nature of the find."[2] Discovery Channel
"Professor Amos Kloner, the Jerusalem District archeologist who officially oversaw the work at the tomb... dismissed the claims. 'It makes a great story for a TV film.... But it's impossible.... There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb.... They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem.'"[3]
Is this science? Or part of an intensifying battle against unchanging truths -- a despicable mockery of the God of the Bible and the significance of His death, burial and resurrection?
It doesn't take much discernment to see through the hollow "theories" used to validate these "scientific" fabrications. But in today's atmosphere of politically correct "open-mindedness," there is little resistance to riveting misinformation! And those who are driven by manipulative marketing are likely to buy the tempting illusions about God as well.
The producer (James Cameron) and director (Simcha Jacobovici) of Discovery Channel's "Jesus Tomb" documentary featured fake evidence, false conclusions and a phony tomb -- one that's more accessible and "convincing" than the original.
"Jacobovici shows pictures taken by a camera that was sent down a pipe into the tomb. The majority of the viewers won't understand that this is not the same cave," said Professor Kloner, who supervised the original work in 1980. "Much of the movie was filmed on sets recreated from the drawings and photographs taken from those [false] works.... The documentary was made according to the 'imagination of people.'... I don't accept the claim that this tomb was the burial place for the family of Jesus."[4]
The two filmmakers may have been motivated primarily by fame and fortune. But the change agents that supported them have more revolutionary missions. So, before we rebut the Discovery Channel's absurd suggestions, let's remember that the vast majority of today's media masters have joined the crusade for global transformation. They share a stake in the destruction of Christianity -- the main obstacle to the UN vision of social solidarity and spiritual synthesis.
Since Biblical certainties stand as a barricade against crowd thinking and dialectical delusions, what could better serve the globalist purpose than undermining the heart of the Christian gospel: the purity, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? The timing of this travesty is no accident. This new "revelation" -- riding in the wake of The Secret -- surfaced just in time to corrupt the celebration of Christ's resurrection in the minds of people around the world.
It all makes sense when we remember that Discovery Channel is part of the global media conglomerate, Discovery Communications. The last few years, its senior vice president for Public Policy & Communications has been Donald A. Baer, an influential member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a "former Assistant to President Clinton for Strategic Planning and Communications."[5] [See CFR: Task Force Members]
Strategic communication -- whether outright propaganda or "convenient" facts -- is vital to the CFR's plan for a New World Order.[6] As Aldous Huxley warned in "Brave New World Revisited" (his 1958 update on Brave New World), the emphasis on psycho-social manipulation was set in place long ago.
"There are two kinds of propaganda--rational propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with the enlightened self-interest of those who make it... and non-rational propaganda that is... dictated by, and appeals to, passion....
"Propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with enlightened self-interest appeals to reason by means of logical arguments based upon the best available evidence fully and honestly set forth. Propaganda in favor of action dictated by the impulses that are below self-interest offers false, garbled or incomplete evidence, avoids logical argument and seeks to influence its victims by the mere repetition of catchwords, by the furious denunciation of ... scapegoats, and by cunningly associating the lowest passions with the highest ideals....
"The power to respond to reason and truth exists in all of us. But so, unfortunately, does the tendency to respond to unreason and falsehood -- particularly in those cases where the falsehood evokes some enjoyable emotion....
"Mass communication, in a word, is neither good nor bad; it is simply a force and, like any other force, it can be used either well or ill.... In the totalitarian East there is political censorship, and the media of mass communication are controlled by the State. In the democratic West there is economic censorship and the media of mass communication are controlled by members of the Power Elite...."[6]
No small part of that "Power Elite," Discovery Communications wields its mind-changing influence through its vast network of global operations which include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, The Science Channel, Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Discovery en Español and dozens more. Do you wonder what kinds of facts and worldviews this massive media system promotes? Or what it censors?
Let's turn to its page on "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." Here we are told that "hundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area.... One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels."[7]
But it's not true! Consider its claims and the contrary evidence:
"ALL LEADING EPIGRAPHERS AGREE ABOUT THE INSCRIPTIONS."[7]
Not true! Steve Caruso, a professional translator at Aramaic Designs, has been studying the Aramaic language for nearly a decade. Decoding the imprecise script and scratches is neither easy nor conclusive:
"Out of all of the inscriptions, the one attributed to Jesus is the most difficult to make out, and as a result the most difficult to interpret.... I honestly could see how Bar or 'son (of)' was implied.... With Yeshua or 'Jesus,' however, I had a great amount of difficulty...."[8]
"It is not scholarly and not scientific," said Professor Kloner, the original research manager. Dismissing Discovery Channel's claims altogether, he notes "that the documentary spends about 10 minutes talking about 'the missing ossuary,' suggesting it could be the same ossuary that turned up several years ago in the hands of an antique dealer.... Experts later discredited the ossuary (which bore the inscription 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus') as a forgery and fraud."[4]
"ALL ARCHEOLOGISTS CONFIRM THE NATURE OF THE FIND."[7]
Not true! "I've known about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists," says "the dean of biblical archaeology," retired Professor William Dever. "None of us thought it was much of a story because these are rather common Jewish names from that period," he explained. "It's a publicity stunt, and it will make these guys very rich, and it will upset millions of innocent people because they don't know enough to separate fact from fiction."[9]
Others agree. "Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States are denouncing the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt," writes Alan Cooperman in his article, "Jesus tomb claim denounced." He continues:
"Scorn for the Discovery Channel's claim to have found the burial place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and — most explosively — their possible son came not just from Christian scholars but also from Jewish and secular experts who said their judgments were unaffected by any desire to uphold Christian orthodoxy."[9]
"This whole case is flawed from beginning to end," said Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "By going directly to the media, she said, the filmmakers 'have set it up as if it's a legitimate academic debate, when the vast majority of scholars who specialize in archaeology of this period have flatly rejected this.'"[9]
"THE FILM ALSO DOCUMENTS DNA EXTRACTION FROM HUMAN RESIDUE FOUND IN TWO OF THE OSSUARIES AND REVEALS EVIDENCE THAT THROWS LIGHT ON JESUS' RELATIONSHIP WITH MARY MAGDALENE."[7]
Not true! This absurd claim hides the fact that no one checked or recorded the DNA of Jesus 2000 years ago! DNA testing for identity -- even in the most prestigious laboratory -- means nothing if there's no original sample to compare it with. Matching the DNA of individuals or unknown family members may sound "scholarly" or "scientific," but it proves nothing about our Lord!
Not only does Discovery Channel market its blasphemous message under the prestigious banner of "science," it also invokes the occult mysteries behind Gnosticism. The following statement by Director Simcha Jacobovici (posted on Discovery's website) shows how important those long-hidden heresies were to the filmmakers.
"The key moment in the investigation was the identification of the second Mary," he says. And in our "Post DaVinci Code" era, everyone knows Mary Magdalene." Then he shares an old secret:
"...her real name is Mariamne, which is the Greek version of Mary Magdalene. I found out that Scholars don't argue about that, because of the Gnostic gospels, because of the Acts of Phillip, several ancient texts that have recently been discovered.... And guess what, that's what it says on the ossuary.... So at that moment the light bulb went on."[10]
Was Gnosticism the key that unlocked the tomb's mysteries? According to this documentary, those occult legends tell us that Mariamne and her son moved to France (which didn't become a nation until centuries later). Discovery Channel's myth brings her back to Jerusalem before her death. Otherwise, how could her bones be added to the tomb?
The dramatization of Mary, Jesus, and the fake tomb makes it all the more believable. And to a world seeking spiritual thrills, this Gnostic version of "history" may seem too real to resist.
CONCLUSION
Today's assaults on Christianity are well timed and increasingly blatant. But they shouldn't surprise us. Blinded by the world's never-ending stream of entertaining distractions, the masses have little time for the truth, facts and logic that would enable them to resist deception.
That fact hasn't escaped our global leaders, including the mainstream media within the Council on Foreign relations. The mood of the nations has been surveyed, assessed and manipulated for decades awaiting that "opportune" time [Luke 4:13] for speeding the transformation. What the International Congress on Mental Health concluded in its 1948 report has now become reality:
"Change will be strongly resisted unless an attitude of acceptance has first been engendered."[11]
Today, more than half a century later, that general "attitude of acceptance" has been established! Nations around the world are fast conforming to the pattern set by UN founders in the 1940s. And the global networks of "mental health" and pluralistic partners are working to prevent any uncompromising Truths or moral guidelines that would hinder "positive" or "collective thinking" around the world.
We don't know the nature of the next assaults on God and His people, but we know the God who reigns in the midst of them. Are you ready to stand firm in Him when they come?
"...though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God...." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Footnotes:
1, Ben Witherington III, "Tomb of the (Still) Unknown Ancients," Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2007.2, "Has the tomb of Jesus Christ been found?" Discovery Channel 3, Mail David Horovitz, "New film claims Jesus buried in Talpiot," February 25, 20074, Julie Stahl, "Jesus Tomb' Filmmakers Should Be Ashamed, Archeologist Says," CNSNews.com (Jerusalem Bureau Chief), March 1, 2007.5, Council on Foreign Relations and Mock National Security Council Meeting on North Korea6, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited (New York: Perennial Library, 1958), pages 32-35.7, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus,"8, Steve Caruso, Aramaic Designs9, Alan Cooperman, "Jesus tomb claim denounced," The Honolulu Advertiser, March 3, 2007.10, The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Simcha Interview - Part 111, "Mental Health and World Citizenship," founding document of the World Federation for Mental Health, pages 7 and 8.
© 2007 Berit Kjos - All Rights Reserved
Order Berit's book Brave New Schools
Sign Up For Free E-Mail Alerts
E-Mails are used strictly for NWVs alerts, not for sale
Berit Kjos is a widely respected researcher, writer and conference speaker. A frequent guest on national radio and television programs, Kjos has been interviewed on Point of View (Marlin Maddoux), The 700 Club, Bible Answer Man, Beverly LaHaye Live, Crosstalk and Family Radio Network. She has also been a guest on "Talk Back Live" (CNN) and other secular radio and TV networks. Her last two books are A Twist of Faith and Brave New Schools. Kjos Ministries Web Site: http://www.crossroad.to/index.html
posted by shummer60 at Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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