A lot of people have a lot invested in the belief that Jesus Christ was merely a great human teacher, about whom fantastic but fictitious tales were spread after his death. This view permits such people to consider themselves “Christians” in the sense of being followers of “the real Jesus” (about whom, according to this theory, we really can say nothing for sure, but they’re sure they know what He truly meant anyway, and—what do you know? It’s precisely what they already think!). Most importantly it avoids the whole scandal of the Cross thing, which is so tacky.
And that, in short, is what I think of James Cameron and his documentary on Jesus’ tomb. I move right past discussion of his claims and settle on an ad hominem attack.
But if you want a discussion of Cameron’s arguments, I recommend to you this post at Dennis Ingolfsland’s Recliner Commentaries blog, a blog that deserves to be better known than it is.
For a more sinister, humorous take I liked what Dirty Harry wrote yesterday at Libertas blog.
Nonsense, of course, but it will be tedious for a while until it blows over. And this will be another thing apologists will have to keep in mind in the future.
This post is a good opportunity for a book recommendation, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Richard Bauckham accepts a few ideas that put him a bit to the left of our church body, but he does a superb job of countering the whole Jesus Seminar/form criticism edifice, arguing that the Gospels are a record of direct eyewitness testimony of the life of Jesus.
PS – Bauckham himself is quoted on the subject of Cameron’s upcoming documentary here. A bit technical, but worth reading.
This takedown is incredibly thorough:
http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html
…and this one is very stylish. 😉
http://pererro.blogspot.com/2007/02/james-cameronjesus-thing.html