Name:Dennis •
Title: Question about the Statistics •
Date posted: 03/05/07 12:32
Q: In the documentary, it was mentioned about about 4% of Jerusalem's male residents were named Jshua (Jesus). That's 1/25. Why was the number 1/196 used in the calculation of probability of the tomb being that of THE JESUS of Nazareth instead of 1/25?
Also, since the documentary mentioned that about 25% (1/4) of the women in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus were named Miriam or a derivative, why as the fraction 1/4 _not_ used (with regards to _either_ Mary) in either calculation.
Finally, since Joseh is a _common_ diminutive name today for Joseph, and certainly diminutives were not invented only in the modern time, why did the documentary consider it so surprising that there'd be an ossuary with that label on it in the tomb in question? After all, Joseh would be a not only a diminutive, but also a shortening of name, something that would make it a likely choice for a nickname _in any age_.
Anyway, those would be some questions I'd have with the statistics presented. And afterall, the question hinges on statistics and the assumptions behind them.
Dennis
Name:KRS •
Date: 03/05/07 14:17
A: Yeah, I did some checking, and found that the name Yoseh isn't all that uncommon; its also found in another family (who had a brother named James and a mother named Mary, and may have had other siblings) in Mark 15:40. I'm really wondering what that family does to the statistical evidence.
