Rating: 
Summary: Lines of fact?
Review: The book draws arbitrary "facts" from lines drawn arbitrarily on paintings, but, dismisses myths and legends as baseless and foolish, all with an air of scholarly authority.In short I found that the authors own comments on how they brushed aside other views (like Lincoln's) equally applicable to their own fickle choices. The study of art, the research into France, language and cartography certainly make the book enjoyable and enlightening. The theories presented didnt surprise me any and they did not appear as original, only the location and the mechanism to "define" the location did. All in all, its a book that I read cover to cover and spent many hours pondering despite my complaints with it.
Rating: 
Summary: The mystery is how i got through this book.
Review: The information given in this book is entirely to technical and makes for difficult reading.The information that the title implies to is not given until the last chapter. This book should be retitled "The Tomb of Information: The Enormous Body of Work with no solution to the 2,000 page mystery".
Rating: 
Summary: A conclusion based on speculation, not fact.
Review: The mystery at Rennes-le-Chateau has facinated me ever since I read The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. I was hoping that Tomb of God would expand on the mystery and perhaps answer some of the questions that I had. It is unfortunate my money was wasted. The geometry lesson left me baffled, especially the conclusion that was drawn from it. Speculation should never lead to conclusion. Unfortunatly the authors have ignored this basic tenet and left this question hanging; if you have the proof, why don't you go and get it? Without the physical evidence, the "2000 year old mystery" has no solution. This book will collect dust on my shelf as it is not worth re-reading.
Rating:
Summary: Speculative pseudo-history at its worst
Review: The mystery of Rennes-le-Chateaux is undoubtably facinating, but that's no excuse for producing something as poor as this. It's by now totally discredited (I saw it described as a "notorious hoax" in the Observer a while back), especially since being torn to shreds by TimeWatch (a British History program), during which the authors were shown to have not made any attempt to check some of the most basic facts underlying their theories. Strictly for the gullible.
Rating: 
Summary: A solution to the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau, and more
Review: The only reason I don't rate this book a 10 is that the opening chapters, while very interesting, and well written (considering what they contain) are not easy to get through, due to the extreme complexity of the subject. I shudder to think what a casual reader who had never read anything before about the mysteries surrounding the little village of Rennes-le-Chateau in southern France (the works of Henry Lincoln, especially) would make of them. But if you have read any of Lincoln's books, or seen any of his TV documentaries on the subject, don't miss this book. The authors, an archeologist and an engineer, make Lincoln look like a bumbling amateur by deftly maneuvering through a complex mine-field of clues, real and false, that led Lincoln far down the wrong trail. In several chapters of detailed detective work, they demonstrate with geometric logic (pun intended) that the real treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau (or that general area) is not Templar gold, or some vague ancient Holy Place, but the tomb of Jesus, its existence and location kept secret by some few initiates over the centuries because denial of the physical resurrection and assumption of Jesus was grounds for the most excrutiating punishments of the Catholic Inquisition. The closing chapters are much easier to follow, and explore the question of how the body of Jesus came to be buried in a secret location in what was then Gaul and who was responsible for keeping the secret all these centuries, in encoded paintings, parchments, gravestones, and landmarks. (Here it helped that I had just recently read Bloodline of the Holy Grail and The Hiram Key, q.v.) Unfortunately for those of us who would like to see the authors' thesis put to the ultimate test, the site the authors show to be indicated by all these clues is on private land and not likely to be excavated. But even if human remains were to be found there, it would be impossible to prove whose they were. Jesus left no fingerprints or DNA samples on file anywhere to compare them to. ! But the authors make an extremely convincing case. If you're interested in the origins and true nature of Christianity, or just love a good (true) mystery, you'll find this book well worth the effort it takes to follow the evidence.
Rating: 
Summary: How to Destroy Your Own Theory
Review: The Tomb of God starts with an impressive mountain of analysis, proving to me, at least, that the authors have discovered hidden geometric patterns in works connected with the Rennes le Chateau mystery. It does get tedious eventually. They might have added some geometric analysis of at least some artwork in Saunière's Mary Magdalene Church in Rennes, which would have bolstered the connection between Saunière and Poussin. Unfortunately, their main linkage remains the unavailable and possibly forged parchments supposedly found by Saunière. Anyway, after all this analysis, the authors are unable to resist the urge to reinterpret the New Testament to make it fit their esoteric theories. Their interpretation is more in line with other recent works by Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln. Better written, but no more convincing than the others. Finally and incredibly, they destroy their own thesis by citing a March 1996 London Sunday Times article commenting on a discovery in Jerusalem of an ossuary marked with the names of Joseph, Jesus son of Joseph, Mary, Martha, and Judas son of Jesus. The article quotes an Israeli archeologist who points out that those names were fairly common in New Testament times, and that the likelihood that the ossuary held bones of the Holy Family is pretty close to zero. Joseph, certainly, would have been buried up in Galilee. My thought upon reading this is that if the Templars did find something like this while digging around on Temple Mount, and if they did bring it back to France and rebury it on the side of Mt. Cardou, then that would be interesting but have no provable bearing whatever on the New Testament stories or Christian faith. Like the thousands of Crusaders who believed that they had purchased a piece of the True Cross, the Templars would have believed that they had found the True Remains of Jesus, but how would they prove it? Bottom line: the book is interesting and worth a week of your time, but reserve judgment on their findings.
Rating:
Summary: How to Destroy Your Own Theory
Review: The Tomb of God starts with an impressive mountain of analysis, proving to me, at least, that the authors have discovered hidden geometric patterns in works connected with the Rennes le Chateau mystery. It does get tedious eventually. They might have added some geometric analysis of at least some artwork in Saunière's Mary Magdalene Church in Rennes, which would have bolstered the connection between Saunière and Poussin. Unfortunately, their main linkage remains the unavailable and possibly forged parchments supposedly found by Saunière. Anyway, after all this analysis, the authors are unable to resist the urge to reinterpret the New Testament to make it fit their esoteric theories. Their interpretation is more in line with other recent works by Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln. Better written, but no more convincing than the others. Finally and incredibly, they destroy their own thesis by citing a March 1996 London Sunday Times article commenting on a discovery in Jerusalem of an ossuary marked with the names of Joseph, Jesus son of Joseph, Mary, Martha, and Judas son of Jesus. The article quotes an Israeli archeologist who points out that those names were fairly common in New Testament times, and that the likelihood that the ossuary held bones of the Holy Family is pretty close to zero. Joseph, certainly, would have been buried up in Galilee. My thought upon reading this is that if the Templars did find something like this while digging around on Temple Mount, and if they did bring it back to France and rebury it on the side of Mt. Cardou, then that would be interesting but have no provable bearing whatever on the New Testament stories or Christian faith. Like the thousands of Crusaders who believed that they had purchased a piece of the True Cross, the Templars would have believed that they had found the True Remains of Jesus, but how would they prove it? Bottom line: the book is interesting and worth a week of your time, but reserve judgment on their findings.
Rating:
Summary: Can't explain it in one-line.
Review: The Tomb of God, is excellently written. It uses respcetable scienctific methods to uncovered the greatest conspriacy ever. And most importantly, it eliminates the Bible as an association with God. It doesn't neccessarily eliminate God- itself, just the POLITICS OF RELIGION. I have seen religion and specifically the Bible compel many people to do things that they normally wouldn't do. After all, it compelled me because I thought I was going to hell I acted like I was going to hell. However, the book doesn't address what characteristics and triats God must have or must not have if God doesn't have the Biblical triats which it seems god doesn't. It is sad if indeed that is the body of Jesus not because Mr. Shcellenberger and Mr. andrews discovered it but because it was used as a false way to control people and compel people's souls. For example, mental illness and religion are extremely related. It seems also that criminal behavior and the Bible are related because 90 % of criminals in one study said that they beleive they are going to hell. In other words, if you tell people they are going to hell then they will act like they are going to hell. The authors did a respectable job but they didn't give an adequate explanation of what God must be like.
Rating:
Summary: margaret starbird was right
Review: THE WOMAN WITH THE ALABASTER JAR is symbiotic to this volume
Rating:
Summary: The Tomb of Rennes le Chateau Jesus Theories
Review: There are two distinct aspects to this book. First, a detailed argument involving geography, geometry, art theory, and esoteric occultism in the attempt to prove that the answer to what made Sauniere rich was, and may still be, buried in a mountain near his church. It is demanding reading, but certainly interesting. At points one is unsure whether the authors are making their point or seeing what they want to see, but it's a fun ride and when it all appears to work out in reality on the ground in Southern France, rather convincing. Unfortunately, the critical approach they take in this section, even to their own ideas, disappears in the next section. Second, is a story about what is in that mountain and how it got there. The further they go into this, the more ridiculous it becomes. Speculation is piled on assumption, all of which is later taken as fact without any real proof or argument, until anyone who has read a balanced book on Christ, the early church, etceteras, will find it unbelievable. Certainly, there is a mystery surrounding Rennes le Chateau, but it's time to dump all the Jesus speculation and get back to something with more plausibility, whether it is an esoteric teaching or gold from the Second Temple. It simply is not Jesus, whether His historical teachings, bloodline, or body. This is clearly shown by how quickly all these authors run straight out of their area of specialty and deep into outright speculation that no-one with even a basic background in these areas would accept. That they don't know what they're talking about in this area and their willingness to accept any fringe theory that gives support to their conjectures reflects badly on the reliability of the rest of their work. If I can't trust what they say in the area I know about, how am I suppose to trust what they say in the rest of the book? Maybe they were playing just as fast and loose with some things there, too? The key chapter for this second route relies on Barbara Thiering's work, which most New Testament scholars think is crank. And when the authors are doing their own (almost completely undocumented) reconstruction of early church history we get nothing new. Instead there's a rehash of warmed over, long debunked speculation regarding the Essenes, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnosticism, Paul's place in the early church, etceteras; even the old liberal swoon theory of the resurrection, which was so weak it was immediately refuted by other liberal scholars in the 1800s. They also overstate the tension between Paul and the Jerusalem church, then claim that after James was murdered Christianity did not return to Jerusalem until the crusades. Huh? Did aliens abduct the entire Eastern Orthodox Church for a thousand years? And where did the EOC come from? Largely from the efforts of the Jerusalem disciples whom A & S seem to think were sitting around on their collective ass in Jerusalem doing nothing (except allegedly converting to Gnosticism). And if Paul was so out of step with these people, why did they twice confirm his message and ministry in Jerusalem, and how do you explain the doctrinal agreements of what would eventually become the Pauline and non-Pauline EOC and Catholic churches through the Seven Ecumenical Councils? So "black-wash-the-Catholics" are these writers that they don't even seem to know that the EOC exists; going on to portray the entire early church as Roman! The authors also have a bad habit of projecting their ignorance of the field on everyone else. For example, even though Christian publishers have put out dozens of books on Gnosticism, and it is discussed in virtually every book and class on the early church, A & S proclaim it a dark secret kept from Christians. What is this non-sense for? Simple: it creates the empty spaces into which they can insert their baseless speculations. Either way, this is typical of the level of Rennes writings when it goes this direction, and is an excellent argument for why it should be abandoned. The part of this book that deals more directly with Rennes le Chateau, Sauniere, the history of ins and outs surrounding the mystery, is a gripping X-File come to life, as are the comparable parts of equivalent works. As soon as they go off into this other stuff, however, it simply loses all credibility. Honesty, folks, this isn't hidden information; it's available in virtually any "For Dummies" level book on the subject. This is what happens when your theory either outstrips or ignores the actual evidence and begins to create the evidence. They pretty much admit to doing this on page 397 and 386. How are we to trust people whose operating assumptions include "In the absence of conclusive evidence, one can speculate..." and "...we studied these events and the early origins of the Christian Church in the light of our discovery of the Secret...". Speculation, assumption, and circular reasoning never make a reliable conclusion.
|
