Filmmakers Simcha Jacobovici and James Cameron set off a firestorm with their announcement that new technology and DNA study reveals previously discovered burial site is that of Jesus and his family.

The two purport that 10 ossuaries found in a cave in 1980 include burial boxes of Jesus, his brothers, Mary, a second person named Mary (believed to be Mary Magdalene), and Judah, the son of Jesus. The ossuaries were typical used in biblical times as burial boxes to hold the bones of the dead.

The announcement comes just as a documentary film by Jacobovici and Cameron is set to appear on the Discovery Channel, March 4. In addition, a book written by Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino regarding the claims went on sale today.

Biblical scholars immediately rejected the filmmakers' claim. Dominican Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, a biblical archaeologist and reported expert in the New Testament dismissed the talk completely, saying, "it is a commercial ploy that all the media is playing into."

Amos Kloner, the Israeli archaeologist who wrote about the original discovery also disagreed with the assertion. Kloner also pointed to the fact that Jesus' family was from Galilee. That, he says, casts serious doubt about a family burial cave in Jerusalem.

Though Cameron is well-known for his movie-making skills including his film about the Titanic, his assertions have led to charges that he is attacking the very foundations of the Christian faith with his claims.