Product Description

The Shroud of Turin remains one of the enduring mysteries of our age. No convincing explanation has yet been given for the "negative" image of a crucified man transferred to a length of cloth and preserved in Turin for the last four centuries. Although radiocarbon dating of the fabric in 1998 indicated it to be medieval, synchronous with the Shroud's first recorded appearance in the 1350s, there is still no satisfactory explanation for the image itself.

Wilson's landmark, bestselling book on this subject, The Shroud of Turin, was published in 1978. In the intervening years, much additional research has been done on the Shroud, and the dating process itself has been scrutinized, Wilson's enthralling text, with its objective but persuasive answers, tells us as much is currently possible to know. It also make it possible for us to believe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #630855 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.com Review
Ian Wilson's well-written and intelligent book gives a balanced view of evidence for and against the Shroud of Turin's authenticity (including new finds such as the presence of human blood and DNA on the Shroud), and along the way, provides a fascinating discussion of subjects ranging from capital punishment in first-century Palestine to the chemistry of radiocarbon dating. For Wilson, the Shroud's ultimate significance resides in the very fact of Christians' fascination with it. The Shroud represents the possibility that the Resurrection actually happened; if there's any chance the Shroud is authentic, and if that chance excites you, then historical facts are a crucial aspect of your faith. Given that, the Shroud of Turin becomes much more than a curiosity for cranks and crazies. It's a valuable incitement to introspection for all believers. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly
The Shroud of Turin is perhaps the most controversial and awe-inspiring religious relic of our time. In 1988, a team of scientists announced that the Shroud was in fact a medieval forgery and not the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. Now, on the basis of new evidence, Wilson (The Turin Shroud and Jesus: The Evidence) re-opens the case. In part one of the book, Wilson uses the tools of image resonance and photography to contend that visual observation reveals the image of an apparently crucified body and its burial. In part two, Wilson argues that, while the Shroud visually satisfies the criteria that might be expected of the burial of a first-century Jew crucified as Jesus was, forensic evidence presented by the Shroud reveals its use as the burial cloth of a crucified man. In part three, Wilson traces an object that sounds and looks almost uncannily like the Shroud itself back to Jesus' time. Finally, Wilson concludes by pointing to tests that have proven that the Shroud's coating contains human blood and human DNA. In the engaging fashion of a detective spinning a mystery yarn, Wilson provides readers with plenty of data that proves, for Wilson, the Shroud's authenticity.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The skeptics are still unable to bury the Shroud of Turin, not because of popular credulity but because serious researchers are producing evidence very difficult to explain by the medieval hoax theory. Wilson (Shakespeare: The Evidence, LJ 12/94) eschews the label expert, but he has been using his skills as a historian to gather and evaluate evidence since 1955. His purpose is to scrutinize impartially "every genuinely worthy hypothesis" for and against authenticity, and he succeeds admirably. Wilson vigorously defends the integrity and competence of the scientists and the quality of their carbon-14 labs, but he is also able to present new evidence of microscopic organic contamination in the Shroud that would easily cause a 1000-year error in their results. Among the many other issues discussed is a fascinating exposition of an experiment showing how a camera obscura could have been set up to produce a negative photographic image?and how such a project was unlikely. More complete and less personal than Gilbert Lavoie's Unlocking the Secrets of the Shroud (LJ 3/1/98). Highly recommended.?Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Author's Style Makes This Book a Favorite
Though the Shroud of Turin is infinitely fascinating, the research available on it is finite: the pollen; the negativity of its image; the bloodstains; the theorized Mandylion connection; its accurate depiction of the anatomy of a man who died by crucifixion; the evidence of Roman-style execution, down to the images of the weights on the ends of the whip used to beat the victim; evidence of first century Jewish burial practices, etc.

All of this evidence adds up to two conclusions, neither of which can ever sit comfortably in the mind of an intelligent person. One conclusion is that the Shroud is a diabolical, intricate fake. It was designed by some Medieval forger who could predict how scholars, in a variety of fields, centuries hence, would seek authenticity, using features no Medieval audience would require or even accept - for example, Jesus' nudity and nail marks through the wrists, rather than the hands.

The other conclusion is that the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. *That* conclusion is so stunning, so truly terrifying in its implications, that the intelligent person, while intrigued and delighted by the Shroud's mysterious features, struggles to find conclusive evidence that the Shroud cannot possibly be what it very much appears to be.

In any case, the evidence to support either conclusion is finite. If you read this book, or Mark Antonacci's book, or any number of other publications on the Shroud, you will be going over similar intellectual terrain. You will read of neutron flux, the sacking of Constantinople, the Knights Templar, and the peculiarities of Jerusalem's flora. As an artist, Wilson pays more attention to artist Isabel Piczek's theories than other authors have -- and that is a very good thing -- but, otherwise, Shroud fans will have read about much of this material before.

What set Ian Wilson's book apart for me was the author's style. Amidst the hard evidence, Wilson was willing to give us his own subjective response to seeing the Shroud for the first time. Wilson was willing to quote others' astounded reactions as well. Wilson wrote of scholars whose theories he does not accept with wit and graciousness. He was also willing to share with those of us outside Shroud politics the ins and outs of the Shroud world's gossip and infighting.

For these reasons of style, humanity, humility, and humor, Wilson's is my favorite Shroud book so far. I like it that he doesn't allow the pressure to prove the Shroud's value via hard science to silence his humanity. Wilson strikes me as a wonderful chap; reading his book, I wished I could be discussing the Shroud with him in person in a pub somewhere in the soggy English countryside.

The theories of the Shroud being a masterful painting...
The theories of the Shroud being a masterful painting byDaVinci (ignoring the cruel fact that DaVinci was just a few years oldwhen the Shroud first came to Italy--I don't think he was that bright) or a brilliant early "photograph" of a rotting corpse are even more unbelievable then the possible authenticity of the fabric. Wilson clearly documents the history of the Shroud and every scrap of evidence for its existence back to the time of Jesus--criticisms of Wilson in earlier reviews show that these individuals have not read the text. He also goes to great lengths to demonstrate that carbon dating results can be (and have been shown to be) skewed due to contamination. The Shroud itself has been backwoven and repaired several times; any chance this could alter the results? Other criticisms of Christians appreciating the Shroud as a possible relic or image of Jesus show no knowledge of Christian theology. Please read the book before you attempt to bash it.

Riveting!
True Believers of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin as the burial raiment of Jesus will mutter that the author, a True Believer himself, does not go far enough to propound their position on the matter. Those That Scoff, however, will howl their ridicule and dismay that the author could be so blinded by personal bias. Can't win, poor devil. However, as a non-Christian who has only an academic interest that the image on the shroud is that of Jesus or not, I found the book to be an enlightening and thoroughly fascinating treatment of the enigmatic cloth as a historical object. There are Mysteries for which we'll never have an answer, and I suspect this is one of them. Best leave belief to the faith of those who are so inclined.