The Jesus Dynasty / James Tabor

At the invitation of Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici has issued a formal statement in reply to the various stories that appeared in the press, and in particularly to the Meyers/Magness declaration that he had manipulated the media covering the Princeton Talpiot tomb conference. His reply is now archived on the Biblical Archaeology Society Web site as part of a new feature section titled “Airing Differences: ‘Jesus Tomb’ Controversy Erupts–Again.” As one who has been often misquoted, misrepresented, or had statements poorly contextualized in news stories, even by conscientious journalists, I applaud Shanks for trying to air all sides of this contentious topic.

I continue to think the Jerusalem conference was a most positive development, despite some of the rancor and heated moments. Charlesworth is to be commended for his hard work and his willingness to bring together all sides of the issues, even with the resulting sparks and emotions. The volumes of papers and proceedings will demonstrate, I think, the high academic quality of most of the presentations. I have corresponded by e-mail with a majority of the attendees, those who did not sign the Meyers/Magness, and quite a few of those who did. My sense is that most of us found the conference to have been a valuable contribution to the discussion of both the Talpiot tomb and broader questions of Jewish burial in Jerusalem in late 2nd Temple times.