Initial Report 

Amos Kloner was the first person to report on the findings of the Tomb.  His results were officially filed with the Israel Government, but were not made into a spectacular documentary with a high-profile TV network.

The First Documentary 

The BBC first aired a documentary on the Talpiot tomb (define tomb) in 1996 as part of its Heart of the Matter news magazine. At that time, Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site said the claims of a connection to jesus (define jesus) did not hold up archaeologically, adding "They just want to get money for it." Others were similarly skeptical, though another of the archaeologists who discovered the tomb admitted "I'm willing to accept the possibility."

The tomb was featured on the Today Show on February 26, 2007 where it was mentioned that the ossuaries were sent to New York.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus and The Jesus Family Tomb

A second documentary about the tomb, titled The Lost Tomb of Jesus, has been produced by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici, and premiered on The Discovery Channel on March 4, 2007. The documentary is being released in conjunction with Jacobovici's book The Jesus Family Tomb.

With the help of statisticians, archeologists, historians, DNA experts, robot-camera technicians, epigraphers and a forensic expert from New York's Long Island, Jacobovici argued that the bones of Jesus, Mary and mary (define mary) Magdalene, along with some of their relatives, were once entombed in this cave.

"In their movie they are billing it as 'never before reported information,' but it is not new. I published all the details in the Antiqot journal in 1996, and I didn't say it was the tomb of Jesus' family," said Amos Kloner, now professor of archaeology at israel (define israel)'s Bar-Ilan University and author of the original excavation report for the predecessor of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

"I think it is very unserious work. I do scholarly work…," Kloner said. "[This film] is all nonsense."

Related Items:

• The Lost Tomb of Jesus -03- Critics of the Documentary
• The Lost Tomb of Jesus -05- A History of the critics of the resurrection
• The Lost Tomb of Jesus -02 - Details about the Talpiot Tomb