"It's interesting how this story keeps coming back, especially at Easter time," said Mark Goodacre, professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Duke University, in an email to Aleteia. "I don't think there is any merit in the identification of the Talpiot Tomb with Jesus and his family. All along, Jacobovici has not taken seriously contradictory evidence, like the presence of 'Judah son of Jesus' in the tomb."Other specialists etc. are quoted as well. None of them find the proposed connection convincing.
Contradictory, he said, because there is no ancient evidence of Jesus having a son, let alone a son called Judah.
"He has also overplayed the idea that Mary Magdalene is found in the tomb, and that she was married to Jesus," Goodacre added.
In addition, he pointed out, Oded Golan, at his forgery trial (he was first convicted by ["but"? - JRD] later cleared), produced a photograph from 1976 which showed the James ossuary in his parents' apartment. "That means that it could not have come out of the Talpiot tomb, which was excavated in 1980," Goodacre said.
Background here.
