Comments on BiblePlaces Blog: Tomb of Jesus (one week later)

Attempts to question Dr. James Tabor's credentials...

2007-03-10T07:27:00.000-06:00

Attempts to question Dr. James Tabor's credentials should be made elsewhere. It is not relevant to this issue.

We have done some research on James Tabor, and we ...

2007-03-08T13:45:00.000-06:00

We have done some research on James Tabor, and we have discovered the exact facts about his Ph.D. The title of his dissertation was "Things Unalterable: Paul's Ascent to Paradise". The degree was awarded to him not in "ancient history/Christian origins" as he states on one internet blog, but in New Testament and Christian Literature. This department is housed in the University of Chicago's Divinity School building, but it does give academic degrees and its teaching staff are culled from different departments of the University. Part of the problem here is that we seem to be consistently faced with attempts by Tabor to imply things about his background and qualifications that are simply not true. He is not an archaeologist but he has "done" archaeology; he is not an ancient historian but, apparently, he has "done" ancient history. What he seems to be incapable of, is simply providing an accurate, up-front account of his background. And people buy this rubbish!

Apparently, I was mistaken in my assumption that P...

2007-03-08T11:53:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I was mistaken in my assumption that Professor Tabor's Ph.D. was awarded to him by the University of Chicago Divinity School. I apologize for that. But it is still unclear what department he got the degree from; contrary to normal practice, his on-line bio does not provide this information.

Everyone knows Mary didn't die in the first place!...

2007-03-07T20:17:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows Mary didn't die in the first place! She was physically ascended Elija-style ;-)

One interesting fact is omitted from your article,...

2007-03-06T16:02:00.000-06:00

One interesting fact is omitted from your article, namely that James Tabor is also at the center of the phony Essene-latrine claim. For details, see http://jesus-crypt-fraud.blogspot.com/.

Tabor's amazon.com profile states that he received his Ph.D. from the "University of Chicago", without specifying that the degree was awarded to him by the Divinity School of that institution.

Jim Davila's blog (March 6, 2007)http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/ quotes Tabor as asserting: "I have never excavated even one tomb, and I am not even an archaeologist and have never claimed to be such."

Compare this assertion with these words, from an article by Tabor excerpted on the same blog a year ago (February 13, 2006):

"Archaeology is the material evidence of our human past. As an archaeologist, I have long observed and experienced the thrill that ancient discoveries cause in all of us. The look on the faces of my students as we uncover ancient ruins from the time of Jesus, or explore one of the caves where the scrolls were found, is unmistakable."

I do not see how these words "as an archaeologist", can be construed as anything other than a "claim to be an archaeologist." Are there perhaps two individuals named James Tabor?

I saw the lost Tomb of Jesus special on the Discov...

2007-03-06T14:55:00.000-06:00

I saw the lost Tomb of Jesus special on the Discovery Channel. It was pretty hilarious all the ways they try to fit all the pieces together. I thought also, isn't Mary buried under the Louvre (according to the Di Vinci Code)? Its all a bunch of hype for TV.

Isn't Mary buried in the Louvre?

2007-03-06T02:27:00.000-06:00

Isn't Mary buried in the Louvre?

I have not heard a single soul remind us that Jesu...

2007-03-05T21:49:00.000-06:00

I have not heard a single soul remind us that Jesus' mother Mary has a (now decommissioned Church) tomb on the Mount of Olives [the Tomb of the Virgin]. How cool to be buried in two places at once. What are the chances? We need some statistics!

David Maltsberger