The "Jesus Tomb" Hooey

The best way to counter the "Jesus Tomb" hooey is with intelligent satire. Ted Olsen's piece fits well in this genre. Below, I've just pasted the whole piece into my post. If you want to read it on the publisher's page, go here.

An Exclusive Interview with James Cameron
"I think you have the wrong guy!" he admits.
Interview by Ted Olsen posted 2/27/2007 01:12PM

James Cameron is the producer of "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," a Discovery Channel documentary that claims a tomb outside Jerusalem once held the remains of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, a "son of Jesus," and family members. We reached him at his home in Redding, California.

So, tell us about your interest in the historical Jesus.

Um, I guess I'm interested in Jesus, yeah. Where did you say you were from, again?

Christianity Today magazine.

Are you selling subscriptions or something?

No, we want to talk about your documentary.

What?

The one about Jesus' tomb.

Um, yeah, I think you have the wrong guy. I think you want the other James Cameron.

You're not James Cameron?

No, I am, but not …

… And your wife's name is Suzy?

Susanna.

Right. We found your number online. We figured the chances of you not being the filmmaker James Cameron are, like, a jillion to one. And you live in California, so that pretty much clinches it.

We're in Redding. Do you know where Redding is? It's, like, 500 miles from …

Let's get back on topic. What's your response to the criticism that no actual New Testament scholar supports your thesis?

Okay. We're done here. Don't call me ever again.

In the tie-in book, you say that "some of the most respected experts in biblical history and archaeology have contributed to this investigation." Could you name one who actually supports the argument that this is "the greatest archaeological story ever"? Just one? Hello? Mr. Cameron?

Ted Olsen is the former solicitor general of the United States.

"Former solicitor general." Good one. In fact, everything about this fictional interview uses the same techniques that Cameron and Indiana-Jones-wannabe Simcha Jacobovici use to tout their theory that the tomb found by archaeologists in the 1980s is, in fact, the tomb of Jesus and his family. For more coverage of the hooey, find the links at the end of Olsen's article.