Stayed up way too late last night watching archaelogical porn.
I was intrigued by what Jacobovici choose not to show in his documentary (besides any serious alternative theories about the occupants of the tomb) The Lost Tomb of Jesus. Namely, he didn’t indulge in any Knights Templar theorizing that the website for his book dabbles in. He opened the door on this line of thought, however, by seemingly finding the “mysterious chevron and circle” inscribed on an ossuary in the vaults beneath Dominus Flevit.
There was a weird bit of drama wherein Jacobovici appeared to make a discovery in the Talpiot tomb–a manuscript of Jonah, the Old Testament scripture that Jacobovici claimed was the key to understanding Jesus’ ministry. It was weird because the text was a modern scroll buried by Orthodox Rabbis who believe that old sacred texts deserve a burial, yet he seemed to be implying that he just discovered some more evidence linking the tomb to Jesus of Nazareth.
But this theatrical snippet may open the door to something else. Jesus does cite Jonah, twice in Matthew, once in Luke. Is it possible or likely that Simon bar Jonah is not Simon Peter’s name, but a title that Jesus gave Simon, comparing him to Jonah? If that was true, then the ossuary at Dominus Flevit would clearly not belong to Simon Peter.
Kirk Kilpatrick has more to say about the mysterious chevron (which simply looks like an architectural adornment to me, a poor man’s gable with a faux window below).