The BLOOD AND THE SHROUD : NEW EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLDS MOST SACRED RELIC IS REAL

Rating:
Summary: While an interesting book...
Review: ...I found Mr Wilson's desperation for the shroud to be genuine to scream off the page...I enjoyed the section on Carbon Dating and the (possible) potential to mislead, though would have thought that in the 3 years since this book was written, such a stellar discovery (that all dated objects are potentially incorrect by as much as 1000 years) would mean that CD was pretty much discredited now. It doesn't seem to have been.

My other problems were with the "if" and "perhaps" statements used along the way (such as the assumption that the historical shroud of Essa is the same as the Turin shroud) become facts later - to paraphrase "I have now shown that there is mention of the shroud in literature before the Middle Ages" - Yes but only if your suppositions are correct.

Towards the end of the book, I began to get increasingly irritated by the continued assumption that the image was too perfect to have been painted by a forger, even a Leonardo. It's surprising what artisans can do, and this statement is too sweeping to remain unchallenged - look at the great Cathedrals of Europe to see what can be made by men with tools, skill and time. Mr Wilson is blinded by what he sees on the cloth.

All in all, though, most arguments get a good airing for both pro and con. Though the bias shines through there are many interesting parts in this book. I'd like to have known about other shrouds of the period, specifically whether they were common relics like Saints bones.

Rating:
Summary: Very well balanced
Review: Despite the fantastic tagline, Wilson gives a very well balanced account of recent Shroud research. Most importantly, he does not prove that the Shroud is real...and makes it very clear that he is not claiming to, either. Rather, he asserts that it is *possible* that the Shroud is real, and gives some very compelling evidence in support of this assertion.

Wilson gives a great deal of time to Shroud skpetics. There are few books where such fair argument is given, without being entirely self-defeating. Anyone who is convinced that, beyond a reasonable doubt, the Shroud is a fake, should read this book. It may not change your mind, but it will definitely make you think.

Rating:
Summary: Author presents convincing forensic evidence of authenticy.
Review: Ian Wilson organizes and presents past and present information about the famed Shroud of Turin in The Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence That the World's Most Sacred Relic Is Real. When a carbon-14 in the past decade seemed to eradicate claims that the Shroud of Turin, the possible burial cloth of Jesus Christ, was old enough to qualify as such, even though impressive evidence existed aside from the Carbon-14 dating, such as the presence of pollen from plants only found in the Holy Land, and the inexplicably unique and anatomically accurate details with which the Shroud seemed to have been somehow imprinted. Only recently was it discovered that carbon particles from a fire in the Middle Ages penetrated the Shroud and were counted by the Carbon-14 test procedure, making the Shroud appear to be far younger than it actually was. The question of the Shroud's authenticity is now, once again, wide open: is this remarkable relic a link with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, or is it one of history's most brilliantly conceived hoaxes? As an anthropologist and linguist interested in medically-related forensics, such as the circumstances that could have produced the physical image of a tortured and deceased Jewish young male on this ancient cloth, I found this book a useful addition to the serious sindonologist's compendium. The book needs more illustrations, in my opinion, but the latest evidence and opinions are all under one cover in Wilson's reverently but accurately presented materials. Judge for yourself!

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Mr. Wilson has reached for Mt. Everest and touched the moon with this new text. Wilson tracks the Shroud of Turin in a neutral but exciting scientific adventure for believers and non believers alike. He relates all known evidence of the Shroud, pro and con; to include the politics behind the radio carbon dating and specific explanations of why the evidence for apparent young age of the cloth (c.1300) is groaning against the other physical evidence for the Shroud being the actual burial cloth of Jesus.

Everything from the appearance of bacteria on the cloth, to paint showing up on tests is examined and alternate possibilities are examined.

Read this tome with an open mind, and you'll come away with a profound sense of awe.

Rating:
Summary: Real
Review: Some people have wrote bad reviews on the book yet not answered any questions. Also lets consider the fact that we, with todays advanced technology, it is impossible to recreate such an artifact in the way this was created. People have tried but cannot even come close to the shrouds perfect resemblance in the negative of a crucified man. to me it was his Resurrection that laid the image. I reccommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A must for those interested in the Holy Shroud
Review: The Templars get into it, and that makes this [witty] literature. Trust me. Unless you are an afficiado of the field, or wanting to be convinced of the Turin Shroud's authenticity (or at least the suspicion thereof), buy this in paper, or not at all.

That said, it could always be worse; Wilson actually admits that there might be some doubt about the age of the Turin Shroud. He scants the evidence against the shroud; he calumniates (gently, by the standards of the genre) anyone who might call said shroud's authenticity into question, and tip-toes through the minefield of alternate explanations.

Wilson tries to paint our hypothetical forger as almost superhuman. No, he wasn't. Nor was this person necessarily laughing up his sleeve at everyone else. He (I'm saying he for convenience) wasn't like us, and I'll thank people to remember it. The forger was an artist. He may even have approached his task reverently, seeing himself as inspired. A medieval forger wasn't like us, and he didn't think like us.

Leaving aside the science, of which so much is disputed that I honestly say it all has to be put aside except the radiocarbon dating (don't write me about the burning, that's a fallacy and you ought to know it), I will comment on only one historical point: the artist didn't use the "Christmas cracker" grave wrapping for the simple reason that it's inaesthetic. Don't forget, the medieval man had as sharp a sense of the ridiculous as you or I do. Picture, if you will, Jesus, freshly resurected, shuffling, hopping and writhing to get himself out of the tied-up parcel of medieval grave-clothes, and the graceful 14-foot long shroud becomes immensely more attractive.

Rating:
Summary: The theories of the Shroud being a masterful painting...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Author's Style Makes This Book a Favorite
Review: 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.