Well, it seems that the day I start this blog, the wonderful people over at AIA have posted a new editorial discussing the importance of fighting biblical archaeoporn.
Since this is really what this blog is about, I hope people will head over and see this as a good jumping off point.
However, the author pins too much of the blame for bullshit on amateurs. Quite frankly professionals deserve their share too. Dr. James Tabor, chair of the Department of Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte is a fully qualified professional. In the introduction to his most recent book, he begins by talking about how all his life he longed to feel a connection to Jesus, and subsequently found two tombs in Israel where Jesus was buried (yes, he actually names two tombs as possible places where Jesus was buried) and a German statue that he attempts to tie to Jesus’ real father. His work on the Jesus tomb repeatedly misinterprets scientific tests and questionable biblical interpretations, all because he wants to be connected to Jesus.
So, yes, follow Eric H. Cline’s call to challenge the amateurs, but remember that biblical archaeologists who have university positions and years of training are swayed in exactly the same way.
Filed under: Archaeology, Religion | Tagged: Archaeoporn, James Tabor, Jesus Tomb
