The surface of the earth, if it would reveal its secret holdings and mysteries, would tell us so much about where we have been. Ive not visited the Holy Land. I know it is craggy and rich in caves. Its a place where settlements have been built and rebuilt. If only whole edifices could be moved out of the way for excavation to uncover secrets of antiquity.Those who paw around archaeologically in the Mideast and know the lay of the land and history will be key to affirming or debunking claims that residue of Jesus and his family were so tidily found in limestone boxes in a crypt in Jerusalem 27 years ago, although we are just hearing about it today, Skeptics smartly arent buying it yet. That this find comes as part of a ready-to-go documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus on the Discovery Channel for airing this Sunday is all too scripted. Its so conveniently on schedule to pick up where the controversial book and film, The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown has left off. Leave it to folks with secrets to commercially exploit them, from the outset.On Monday, cloth covers were removed from the boxes at a press conference at New York Public Library as parties showcased the find and the markings on the sides of the boxes, that finders say read like the names of the Christ household. Documentary producer James Cameron, who was instrumental in helping the world see recovered remains and sea bottom footage of the luxury ocean liner Titanic, is part of the team trying to sell the world on the incredible possibility that the holy family had their remains kept together in one place. The claim is that the burial boxes, or ossuaries, are marked to strongly suggest that they contain not only residue of Christ, but his alleged bride, Mary Magdalene; their young son, Judah, who is also being called Timmy; Jesus mother Mary; and Yose or Yosef or Joseph, presumably Jesus father. Skeptics say the names were common in those days, but that for all six famous names to appear in one place could be a once in a million statistical chance. Yet why have we not heard about this careful project of perpetual care before? Leave it to Camerons team to wait for the season of Lent to put out their story. I think this is the biggest archaeological story of the century, Cameron said. Its absolutely not a publicity stunt. Its part of a very well-considered plan to reveal this information to the world in a way that makes sense, with proper documentation.Add this to The Shroud of Turin, the so-called James Ossuary, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the litany of claims that many varied fragments of Jesus life were collected at the scene and brought to Rome in the first centuries and have been preserved in the vaults of the Roman Catholic Church. Its such a reach to claim with certainty that anything can be ascribed to Jesus. Of course, the very suggestion that living substance of Jesus stayed on earth runs completely against the New Testament story of the Son of God rising from the dead to heaven after his death, appearing various times to his followers during the 40 days after his death until his last ascendance. Some say if this preposterous story were true it would be a mortal blow to Christianitys fundamental claims about the son of God. Christian apologists have been fast to react and denounce it: Completely lacking in truth, theologically dangerous, insult our intelligence, recklessness, goes against all historical references and an attack on Christianity.Skeptics and the open-minded would be wise to watch the documentary, follow the debate and try to determined whether this is a hoax, wishful archaeology or possibly the Holy Grail itself. For progressive Christians, it doesnt make much difference. They dont need a virgin birth or a bodily resurrection to recognize that Jesus real worth was what he taught his generation and civilizations that followed — his revolutionary message about how human people should treat and interact with each other, his story of forgiveness, love and being there to comfort and support others.

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