Looks like I'm not the only one...

It would appear I'm not alone. My last post outlined some of my 'worries' regarding the supposed discovery of Christ's Tomb and an associated documentary by James Cameron. Take a look at this from the Jerusalem post.

Film on 'Jesus Family Burial Site' Is Just PR, Says Archeology Expert

New York, Feb 26, 2007 / 07:13 am (CNA).- An Israeli archeologist says a new documentary film, which claims that a burial cave uncovered 27 years ago in Talpiot, Jerusalem, is the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family, is just hype.

Professor Amos Kloner, the internationally renowned archeologist who revealed the findings of the dig 10 years ago, criticized the filmmakers' marketing strategy and said it is not based on proof, reported the Jerusalem Post.

Kloner said a similar film was released 11 years ago, and the new film, The Lost Tomb of Jesus, is simply a renewed effort to create controversy in order to make a profit.

Kloner found 10 ossuaries in a cave in 1980 but only released his findings 10 years ago. Nine of the tombs remain. Six bear inscriptions identifying them as those of Jesus, his mother Mary, a second Mary, and relatives Matthew, Josa and Judah.

The names inscribed on the coffins were very common in the Second Temple era and are not sufficient proof that the cave was the burial site of Jesus' family, Kloner reportedly said. He added that "Jesus son of Joseph" inscriptions had been found on several other ossuaries over the years.

"There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb," Kloner told the Jerusalem Post. "They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the 1st century CE [AD]."

The film took three years to make and it is expected to premiere at a New York press conference today. The filmmaker is Israeli-born, Canadian-based filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici. Award-winning director James Cameron is the project’s executive producer.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has loaned out two of the ossuaries, the ones the filmmakers claim belonged to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, for display at Monday's press conference. Kloner reportedly said the IAA was "very foolish" to agree to the loan.

“This has been a three-year journey that seems more incredible than fiction," said Jacobovici in a press release. "The idea of possibly finding the tomb of Jesus and several members of his family, with compelling scientific evidence, is beyond anything I could have imagined."

"It doesn't get bigger than this," said Cameron in the press statement. "We've done our homework; we've made the case; and now it's time for the debate to begin."

The film will be broadcast on the international Discovery Channel on March 4, as well as on Britain's Channel 4, Canada’s VisionTV and Israel’s Channel 8.

Jesus' tomb discovered?

Brace yourself for a titanic struggle between film director James Cameron and 2,000 years of Church tradition.

The famous film director has set a course to sail some stormy waters which he thinks could sink the Christian faith once and for all and he's striking below the waterline by attacking the central belief of Christians: The resurrection.

Its been the staple diet of the Church since it began. The belief that three days after death, Jesus came back to life in order to prove that his message was true and that God could offer eternal life to mankind and its this account of resurrection which has proved to be surprisingly robust against 2,000 years worth of criticism.

We've had the 'swoon theory', the 'substitution theory' the 'theft theory' and even the 'alien abduction' theory but according to Cameron, these are all wrong, Jesus and his family were buried in a tomb before their bones were placed in a stone box, waiting for the Terminator (Cameron) to find them. Waiting for their judgement day.

Well it would appear that time is now as Cameron has made these claims (conveniently) just before his new documentary gets shown around the world.

I will watch with interest but incredibly I find the resurrection claim more credible than this inconclusive and massively presumptive claim, and even more incredibly, I'm not alone either.

Looking into the future for schools

It's been on the cards for some time. With new technology on the rise in the classroom, I've been demonstrating how powerful it can be.



Helping students to embrace new technology such as blogging and podcastiong isn't difficult, in fact the concepts behind the technology don't bring anything new to the table at all, instead it changes the way in which young people engage in learning.

This post may have taken seconds to write but it does help demonstrate how technology is becoming easier and easier not only to use but also use in the classroom.

Anyone wanting more information, may be interested in this site which compiles some work from various schools around the north west of England.

Can media make a difference?

It seems like the national curriculum us set to be re-shuffled for students here in the UK. There will be a re-emphasis on personal learning and the expressive arts are also on the ascendancy.

As some of my regular readers will know, I am currently helping to run a media bus project which basically allows students to have a go at using media skills to create curriculum based content. The aim is to encourage students to use research, preparation and presentation skills to look at any given topic.



I've been reminded today of just how effective something like this can be. Over at one of our schools, we have just finished our second project in which we have taken a look at the schools work towards arts status accreditation.

Some of the pupils have given us some feedback which helps us to tweak what we are delivering in the schools.

Technologies such as blogging and podcasting have massive potential for use within our 21st century schools, but I am reminded that the technology in itself is only useful if it is used to re-enforce and develop personal skills at the heart of the students who we work with.

Lung capacity test - Internet style!

Need to see how healthy your lungs are? You can now check on the internet to find out!

Those good folks over at Lungster have devised an excellent web based test which will quite literally take your breath away.

Quite siply, this is viral advertising at its very best! I spotted it over at this top-blog site.