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April 9, 2007
Emory theologians to discuss ancient artifacts and faith at Candler forum

Emory’s Candler School of Theology is providing a forum to discuss the documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” and the effects that ancient artifacts can have on faith.

The public is invited to attend the discussion, set for Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in White Hall 205. It will be led by Carl Holladay, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament Studies, and Steven Kraftchick, associate professor of the practice of New Testament interpretation and director of general and advanced programs at Candler.

“From the perspective of an archaeologist or a historian, these are pretty far-fetched claims that are made in the documentary,” Kraftchick said. “But from a theoretical, theological perspective, suppose you did have a bone box of Jesus of Nazareth? What kind of theological implications might that have?”

Kraftchick said it’s nothing out of the ordinary for media portrayals of religious issues to spark intense discussions, citing “The DaVinci Code” and Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” as two recent examples.
“We wanted to open a conversation about the artifacts in the documentary so that people could think through some things, other than just the sensationalism of it all,” he said.

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