The Real Reason History Channel Gave Cargill a Series

[stephan happy huller]

http://m.deadline.com/2013/12/jesus-tv- ... ic-newman/

[Bernard Muller]

I think the History channels are getting desperate about finding new interesting topics.
They are doing now programs on FUTURE history , such as an apocalypse happening in 2060.
Now, as it seems, because of a complete lack of evidence, they are going into (total) FICTIONAL history for these "lost years".
Anyway, I may watch the program to see how they get complete fiction into history : should be fun!

Cordially, Bernard

[Adam]

I agree with Bernard. But who's Cargill? The link was to Kosar, Roth, and Newman?

[stephan happy huller]

Robert Cargill is a respected authority on the archaeology at Qumran. But he was also a critic of many of the previous History Channel productions and especially those involving its parent Discovery Channel and a certain Simcha Jacobovici. I don't pretend to know any of the back room details of how this latest series was developed - the Secrets of the Bible (or something like that). But it involves a 'who's who' of the Biblioblog community. While I am certain that there is a great deal of academic responsibility in the new multi-part series (I haven't watched it), I was perplexed initially as to why History Channel would break from its normal routine of sensationalist coverage of the Bible. Now, I think I know why.

I view this as throwing a dog - or in this case a pack of dogs - a bone. People in academia have been trained to suck up to authority. It's how they got where they are for the most part. We'll see how much negative coverage this new production of 'Jesus the Magician' meets 'Friday the 13th' gets from the participants in the existing series. My guess is that History Channel will dangle a carrot in front of them (i.e. can anyone say 'second installment' of 'Secrets of the Bible') just long enough to mute any criticism from the greater community of bloggers.

Before people laugh and say - who cares about a bunch of bloggers. These people don't know anything about modern PR. It's all about blogs. It used to be tied to the news cycles of the 'dailies.' But now it is all geared to bloggers.

Oh and BTW Mark Goodacre and other prominent bloggers who pronounced the 'Jesus Wife fragment' a hoax - a second Mar Saba heterosexual/feminist conspiracy etc - are going to want to watch Nat Geo's update show coming soon with, with, with ... Ah shucks. Cat got my tongue.

[Peter Kirby]

Very interesting idea. Machiavellian. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

No idea if true. Seems like a lot of work over a small pile of beans. More directly relevant is all the free publicity this show has gotten online.