Special Encore Presentation: Jesus, Archaeology, and the Origins of Christianity: Recent Findings and Theories
January 7, 2015
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
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Episode Description
This week the host explores a true "Indiana Jones" theme, which fascinated not only scholars, but also the general public for centuries - the quest for discovery of the Tomb of Jesus. Since 1980s discoveries of a series of ossuaries buried beneath a condominium complex in Jerusalem have provoked controversy about the relationship between suspected remains of Jesus and their presumed placement by his early Christian followers. Ongoing explorations by filmmakers and scholars have revised interpretations and offer new perspectives on the Jesus story based on a variety of sources. Our guest this week is Dr. James Tabor, professor and chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, who have been recently working on these tombs with the filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici using very specialized, custom-built high-tech cameras, which allowed to examine the tombs, ossuaries and everything associated with them without going into the tomb.
Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
This show targets an audience interested in archaeology. It explores myths surrounding this exotic, often misunderstood field and acquaints listeners with the contemporary practice of unearthing the human past. Themes range from Dr. Schuldenrein’s own “Indiana Jones”-like adventures in the land of the Bible to his team’s archaeological forensics effort to unearth Kurdish mass graves in Iraq. That undertaking helped convict Saddam Hussein in 2006. Topical issues contribute to the evolution vs. creationism controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies. An episode highlights the main funding source for archaeology in the U.S. (Hint: the oil and gas industry). Experts reveal the latest high-tech approaches to buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding climate change, past, present and future.
Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
Joseph Schuldenrein is president and senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) in Yonkers, New York. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His professional expertise is in geoarchaeology, a sub-discipline that introduces earth science techniques to traditional archaeological excavation. Joe has worked extensively across North America and the Old World. He received his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Chicago. Recent research in North America has concentrated on the urban archaeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the Atlantic Coast. Joe’s projects in South Asia have ranged from Human Origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization of the Indus Valley. During the Iraq war Dr. Schuldenrein’s team helped direct a forensic archaeological mission in support of the Saddam Hussein prosecution. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in war-torn Afghanistan (2011). Dr. Schuldenrein publishes widely in numerous archaeological and geological journals. He is a reviewer for American Antiquity, Geoarchaeology, and Quaternary Science Reviews. He has acted as Principal Investigator or Consulting Scientist for grants awarded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. Dr. Schuldenrein has been interviewed for PBS, as well as national and regional TV and radio outlets over the past 30 years.
