The controversy over the Talpiot tomb has sparked any number of ad hominem attacks, but perhaps the most troubling is the undercurrent of Christian anti-semitism. Witness the following from evangelical scholar Ben Witherington--the first argument he raises concerning the theory's credibility is the personal background of filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici:
"Why should we be skeptical about this entire enterprise?
First of all, I have worked with Simcha. He is a practicing Jew, indeed he is an orthodox Jew so far as I can tell."
Q.E.D. This line of argument reminds me of what Catholic League President William Donohue said about opposition to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ:
"Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. It‘s not a secret, OK? And I‘m not afraid to say it. That‘s why they hate this movie. It‘s about Jesus Christ, and it‘s about truth. It‘s about the messiah."
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