Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence That the World's Most Sacred Relic is Real [Hardcover]

Ian Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

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 1988 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. Was it painted? If so, by whom? How could the artist have understood perspective before this technique was "discovered" in the Renaissance? How could he have painted an image in negative with no means to see and check it?

With so many questions about the Shroud as inexplicably unresolved as ever; with the radiocarbon dating findings only deepening the riddle, not solving it; and with the Shroud about to be shown again, in 1998 and 2000; an overview and an up-to-date consideration of the evidence is overdue. Here, Ian Wilson returns to the subject of his international bestseller, "The Shroud of Turin", to reveal such startling findings as the discovery of human blood and DNA on the Shroud; the uncovering of historical evidence that something very like the Shroud existed at the time Jesus lived; the discovery of a "bioplastic coating" of living microorganisms which, if it had been carbondated in 1988, would have indicated that the Shroud was some one thousand years older than it was thought to be; and the new analysis of the photographic-negative-like image on the Shroud.

Wilson's landmark book on this subject, "The Shroud of Turin", was published in 1978. In the intervening twenty years, in addition to the radiocarbon dating, much additional research has been done on the Shroud, and the dating process itself scrutinized. Ian Wilson's pursuit of every discipline related to the Shroud, including art history, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, photography, and archaeology, has equipped him to give the most authoritative answer yet to the question: Did the Shroud wrap the body of Christ? His enthralling text, with its objective but persuasive answers, tells us as much as it is currently possible to know. It also makes it possible for us to believe.

Editorial Reviews

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684853590
• ISBN-13: 978-0684853598
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author's Style Makes This Book a Favorite, April 25, 2004

By 

Danusha Goska (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blood and the Shroud: NEW EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLD'S MOST SACRED RELIC IS REAL (Paperback)

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.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!, July 7, 1999

By 

Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Blood and the Shroud: NEW EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLD'S MOST SACRED RELIC IS REAL (Paperback)

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.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science in Action, July 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Blood and the Shroud: NEW EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLD'S MOST SACRED RELIC IS REAL (Paperback)

It seems that some of the previous 'reviewers' of the book have not read it yet, based on the nonsequiters to Wilson's text presented in their reviews. The discussion of carbon-dating alone is worth the price of the book. The carbon-dating tests on the Shroud are being challenged not by the 'Shroudies', but because of a discovery made by an American microscopist a few years ago which is relevant to ALL carbon-dating tests on artifacts. Briefly, the microscopist had reason to challenge the assessment of a Mayan artifact which was determined to be 'modern' because of a varnish-like coating on it. The coating turned out to be an acrylic-like accumulation of bacteria, fungi, and other biogenic material, hardened into a shell around the artifact. Because this material has a higher concentration of isotope carbon-14, the tests may assign any artifact coated with it a younger age than if the material were not present. When blood in the folds of the Mayan artifact was tested, it turned out to be authentic (400 AD). After this discovery, the Shroud (and many other objects) were examined, and the fibers were found to have this coating (the photos of the coated linen fibers are stunning!) This is indeed a wonderful new tool to assist in dating artifacts, and in potentially reducing the inconsistencies observed previously (old bones embedded in younger rock, for example) by many scientists. Actually, the carbon-dating tests of 1988 should have been discarded on the basis that the three labs were told the age of each of the samples (including 'controls') before they tested them, and they knew which one was from the Shroud. In any case, Wilson's discussions on carbon-dating and on the methods that may have been used to forge the Shroud are fascinating, as are the photos. It should be mentioned that the reviewer who finds McCrones 'painted image' theory to be compelling probably did not read the book. His 'paint' theory has been discarded by all but a few scientists who have studied the Shroud. In fact, McCrone's previous claim to fame, the determination that the Vinland Map was a forgery, has also been discredited by newer and better tests. Wilson is scrupulously fair to those who do not believe the Shroud is the burial cloth of the Nazarene, and he discusses all disagreements openly and fairly. This book gives an excellent summary of the scientific work done to date on the Shroud, and of the history of it. Wilson never says that the Shroud has been proven genuine - he leaves the evidence to the reader to evaluate.