In 1980 and 1981 during construction of an apartment building in the East Tapiot neighborhood of Jerusalem a
    construction crew uncovered two nearby tombs from around the time of Jesus. One tomb revealed bone boxes
    upon which were inscribed names thought by some to include the name “Jesus son of Joseph” as well as other
    names associated with the family of the biblical Jesus. A storm of controversy erupted in 2007 when the Jesus
    Family Tomb book made the claim that this tomb in East Talpiot could be the family tomb of the biblical Jesus.
    Now, in recent months, the second tomb was examined with a remote camera by the same team behind the
    Jesus Family Tomb. In their new book, the Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find that Reveals the Birth
    of Christianity the authors reveal dramatic symbols and an inscription that may lead to new insights regarding
    how the early followers of Jesus thought about the resurrection. How will the world react to these new
    discoveries and what implication will it have on the world’s acceptance of the Talpiot Tomb as the burial location
    of the biblical Jesus?

    Welcome.  This site is being brought to you by HistoryTec (historytec.org).

    The site is dedicated to using a balanced approach to probing the proposition that the “Talpiot Tomb” is the
    family tomb of the biblical Jesus.  Please note that the proposition will be approached from two related points-of-
    view; 1) is the Talpiot tomb  the actual tomb of the biblical Jesus or 2)  even if it is not, could it still be the burial
    site of important members of his family.

    This site is designed for non-specialists who desire to achieve a better understanding of this proposition by
    studying the results of work from experts in disciplines such as Archaeology, History and Epigraphy.    The
    project will not take any direct positions of matters of religious faith or theology.  Likewise, the project will not
    appeal to religious or theological explanations for historical events or phenomena.  This is not to say that visitors
    who hold religious beliefs that relate to this subject are unwelcome.  Hopefully a wide diversity of people will
    enter into the dialogue regarding this proposition.  For a more detailed discussion of this point click here.

    Is the Talpiot Tomb the family tomb of the biblical Jesus?  Some visitors will be aware that this question has been
    the subject of a heated and polarizing debate, both for and against this proposition.  FOTT will not take either of
    these opposing views.  Rather, it is the editorial position of this site that there is now enough evidence to say
    that the Talpiot Tomb could be the family tomb of the biblical Jesus, but it is not a certainty.  There are still many
    open questions that relate to the Talpiot Tomb that will help us more completely answer the central question, as
    well as many other questions that stem from the central question.

    Rather than generate a substantial quantity of new material relating to the proposition, this site will attempt to
    guide the visitor through an organized body of resource material from recognized experts on the subject.  If you
    are new to this subject the editor has prepared a brief Background Guide to help get you started (click here).
    This guide is supplemented with an annotated bibliography found in the Bibliography section. (click here).

    The scope of this site will not reach every possible relevant and useful work.  Rather it will be the objective of the
    site to organize a cross-section of material of sufficient scope for the visitor to understand the general
    background and the major lines of argument both for and against the proposition.  Therefore, visitors will be
    directed toward material that is often readily available and readable by the public.  

    Additional information will be organized for your review along nine “Lines of Argument”(click here).  Each of
    these lines of argument has the property that if the argument were to be satisfactorily resolved it could lead
    directly to a conclusion regarding the proposition.  For example, the line or argument – “Misunderstood Names?”
    – reviews the debate as to whether the name “Jesus son of Joseph” actually appears on a bone box found in the
    tomb.  Some argue that this is a correct reading, while others argue that is has been misread and that we must
    conclude that there is no Jesus in the tomb.  You decide!

    If you would like to participate in a general ongoing discussion of all things related to the Talpiot Tomb you may
    interested in joining the "Talpiot Tomb" Facebook group.  For information on this group click here.  If you are
    interested in making a donation click here.


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Is the Talpiot Tomb the
family tomb of the
biblical Jesus?