Discussion of: Statistical analysis of an archaeological find
arXiv:0804.0097 · doi:10.1214/08-AOAS99G
Abstract
We critique the analysis by A. Feuerverger of an archaeological find [arXiv:0804.0079] that has been alleged by some to be the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. We show that his analysis rests on six faulty assumptions that have been severely criticized by historians, archaeologists, and scholars in related disciplines. We summarize the results of an alternative computation using Bayes' theorem that estimates a probability of less than 2% that the Talpiot tomb belongs to Jesus of Nazareth.
Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/08-AOAS99G the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org)