Wordless Wednesday and About.com's Wordless Wednesday

Biblical archaeology sees its share of hoaxes and inflated claims. Recently debunked is the James Ossuary, a funerary container supposedly holding the remains of Jesus' brother James. Some continue to believe in it. The current hub-bub in the Biblical archaeology field is over a slab known as Gabriel's Vision or Gabriel's Revelation. Its existence has been known for a decade, but it has recently come to public attention through the New York Times.

The text, written in ink that has disintegrated in areas, appears to include information that could alter the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Scott Richert, About.com's Guide to Catholicism, looks at the hype about this large limestone slab in Shaking the Foundations of Christianity. Here is a passage from Scott's blog that captures the essence of what has made people chatter and blog about this messianic "Dead Sea Scroll on stone":

The implication, of course, is that, if the story of Jesus is "nothing new under the sun," then Christ cannot have been what He and His followers have claimed Him to be--the incarnate Son of God. And that's where the laughable part comes in, because at the heart of the Christian claim of Christ's divinity is precisely the point that Christ's coming was foretold.

People are looking at the text as a challenge to Christianity or as supporting evidence. This all assumes the document's authenticity is verified. Scott has much more to say about the tablet, so if it interests you, be sure to read his blog. If you'd like to discuss this tablet, please post on the Ancient/Classical History Forum thread on the topic.