In 1980, 27 years ago, Prof. Amos Kloner excavated a medium-sized burial cave in the area where the neighborhood of East Talpiot was slated to be built. This cave, like hundreds of similar burial caves around Jerusalem, included 10 sarcophagi (stone coffin for the internment of bones). Six of the coffins had names incised on them, as was customary in the Roman period. A study on the finds in this cave, including the names on the coffins, was published about 10 years ago. According to the study, the names were: Yehoshua bar Yosef (Joshua, the son of Josef), Miriam (this name was on two separate coffins), Mati, Yoffe, and Yehuda bar Yehsu.

The publication of the names a decade ago led to popular speculation that this was the burial cave of the family of Jesus, with the possibility that the names on the coffins could be interpreted as Jesus, son of Joseph; Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Matthew; Joseph, the brother of Jesus; and Judah, the son of Jesus. This interesting theory was discarded at the time, namely because the names Yehushua (Jesus), Yoseph (Joseph), Miriam (Mary), and Yehuda (Judah) were all very popular names. The Talmud mentions hundreds of rabbis named Yehushua, Joseph, and Yehuda, while during the time of Jesus, Miriam was the name of the popular, beautiful, and beloved Hasmonean princess who was the wife of King Herod and who was executed by him in a jealous rage.

Prof. Kloner, who discovered the cave and is one of the world's foremost experts on the subject, wrote at the time that the cave is similar to many other such caves and the fact that the names Jesus, Joseph, and Mary were found on coffins in one cave is pure coincidence. He has not changed his opinion since then.

But such a tempting theory cannot be left alone and so, 27 years after the discovery of the cave, Simcha Yakobovich and James Cameron, in conjunction with the British Channel Four and the Canadian Vision Channel, have produced a documentary about the cave of the family of Jesus - with Judah being identified as the son of Jesus. "The discovery," the film's producers claim, "might be one of the greatest discoveries that the archaeological world has ever uncovered. and may shake one of the world's greatest religions."

I would suggest a little humility. Archeology and religion do not go together. Archaeological finds tell us about the material world of yesterday. They can document daily life, traditions, and sometimes even events. Historical documents and traditions, on the other hand, can help us understand archaeological finds. But using archaeology to prove, disprove, or change a historical fact is something that should be left to the realm of fantasy and sensationalism. It definitely should not be confused with serious academic work or reality.