Film says Jesus died a natural death

Jerusalem: The Christian faithful have journeyed to Jerusalem for centuries to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to worship on hallowed ground.

However, a new documentary - The Lost Tomb of Christ - could shake the bedrock of Christian faith, taking up where The Da Vinci Code left off - purporting not to be fiction but rather fact, or at least a theory backed up by fact.

The theory goes that Jesus was not resurrected but rather died a natural death - after fathering a child with Mary Magdalene.

The claim is based on inscriptions on several ossuaries, or stone boxes containing bones, uncovered in 1980 in a cave south of Jerusalem. The inscriptions indicate the bones are of people with the names of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, among others.

However, the man who excavated the tomb and studied its contents, says names like Joseph, Mary and Jesus were common two thousand years ago.

Then there are some who see a positive lining to the controversy this documentary may ignite.

Says Dr Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land, "What will come out of this film is a greater interest in studying more about Jesus, more about archeology, more about history. I think Christians are going to have to re-evaluate the basis upon which they hold faith in Jesus. Is it because of historical reasons or is it because of reasons of faith?"

According to the makers of the documentary, a concrete slab covers the tomb of Jesus, next to a housing complex in the southern Jerusalem suburb of East Talpiot, while some protestants believe the tomb of Jesus is outside the old city.

Nonetheless, most Christians believe - and probably will continue to believe - that his tomb is in the church of the Holy Sepulchure, regardless of what the latest documentary says.

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