The Second Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Christopher Knight (Author), Robert Lomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

Is the Shroud of Turin genuine? That is the question that Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas set out to answer in the follow-up to their ground-breaking first book, The Hiram Key.

For over 700 years the world thought the shroud bore the image of the crucified Christ, but results of carbon dating have shown that the fabric could not have predated 1260. The authors have produced new evidence that conclusively proves that it is not a fake-yet neither is it the image of Jesus Christ.

As they continue their research into the mysteries of Freemasonry and the true historical Jesus, the authors have uncovered the precise time and place of the shroud's creation, as well as the people involved!

The answer to the great mystery of the Shroud of Turin will surprise and astonish-as the authors unlock the secrets of abandoned Freemason rituals and the man who would be called the Second Messiah!

Editorial Reviews

Review

One hundred years ago, an amateur was allowed to photograph the Shroud of Turin. The negatives he produced of that famous image captivated the Christian world and strengthened their belief that it carried the imprint of Christ's face and body. In The Second Messiah, authors Knight and Lomas, who are Freemasons, build a meticulous case against this theory. Although they use recent scientific data that proves the linen shroud could not have predated medieval times, they go well beyond proving it is not the burial shroud of Jesus. The Second Messiah not only pinpoints the exact moment in history during which the Shroud of Turin took the imprint, it actually names the man whose image the Shroud holds.Like any good mystery story, this one begins in medias res. The opening chapters recount centuries of suppression of certain "truths" of Freemasonry by the English Grand Lodge, which led the authors to believe that secrets were being kept from other Freemasons in the service of a Christian agenda. To the uninitiated, this might seem like petty in-fighting within the membership of a clandestine club. Read on. The authors soon paint a larger history of the Knights Templar, the Crusaders who were the originators of modern Freemasonry, and their oppression and eventual eradication by the Roman Catholic Church. The torture and martyrdom of Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, are at the center of this remarkable book's search for historical authenticity.In their introduction, the authors propose that "History seems not so much a record of past events, more a catalogue of preferred beliefs expounded by people who have a vested interest." One of their purposes in writing this book is to show how Freemasonry's rituals and secrets were twisted and used by the Catholic Church to persecute the Knights Templar and their followers. The chapter entitled "The Tarot and the Templars" fascinates with its explanation of how the allegorical cards were used by the Knights to instruct members in the secrets of Freemasonry, and how the Church misinterpreted the meanings of the Tarot and outlawed it.At the conclusion of their well-documented search for the origins of the Shroud of Turin and the Great Secret of Freemasonry, Knight and Lomas say they reached a "new vantage point," from which they see "people huddled together with their eyes squeezed shut _ all facing inwards and repeating the same words, "This is the only highground, there can be no other."" After publication of this painstakingly researched and utterly convincing book, it will be hard for readers, Freemasons or otherwise, to keep their eyes and their minds closed. -- From Independent Publisher

About the Author

Christopher Knight was born in 1950 and completed his education with a degree in advertising and graphic design in 1971. He has always had a strong interest in social behavior and belief systems. For many years he has been a consumer psychologist involved in the planning of new products and their marketing. In 1976 he became a Freemason and is now the managing director of a marketing and advertising agency. Dr Robert Lomas was born in 1947 and gained a first class honours degree in electrical engineering before taking up research into solid state physics. He later worked on guidance systems for Cruise missiles and was involved in the early development of personal computers and has always had a keen interest in the history of science. He currently lectures at Bradford University Management Centre. In 1986 he became a Freemason and quickly became a popular lecturer on Masonic history in lodges in West Yorkshire.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Element Books Ltd (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862042489
• ISBN-13: 978-1862042483
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,994,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most extraordinary book I have ever read., August 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Second Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry (Hardcover)

The authors present their latest findings concerning the links between Jesus, his brother James, the first Jerusalem Church, the Knights Templar, the Turin Shroud and Freemasonry.

Without wishing to give away too much, the stories they unravel and the picture they lay before you develop and appear like the mysterious image of the Shroud itself; any hints given here would detract from the final impact as the book picks up more pace and rushes headlong to its conclusions. If they are to be believed, their theories will force a re-examination of the origins of Christianity - so this book will shock readers possessing less than open minds.

The authors' style of writing - almost conversational - is one which I expected to find distracting; far from it! It turned out to be especially appropriate when one considers the very special nature of some of the (purely coincidental) conversations they did have with some key characters who have been introduced to them. Their revelations are truly stunning.

Both authors are Freemasons of some years' standing; it is fascinating to see, even given that, how many obstacles to genuine research were placed in their way. In their words, "what is there to hide?" They found plenty.

My only criticism is of the authors' tendency to present their theories as fact... but the sheer weight of documented historical evidence lends a high degree of plausibility to those theories.

With every chapter containing so much complex detail, the inclusion of a brief, simple summary of each one is especially welcome and I have been stimulated to go in search of more books on the subject; I bought two more this week.

Prepare to be left feeling shattered

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot, Arthur, Shroud, Scrolls, what DIDN'T they have??????, January 28, 2001

By 

Joel Brown (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry (Hardcover)

Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas present a clear, well-documented model of religious and Masonic history. I read this a long time ago... Then I read the Hiram Key... Then the Templar Revelation.... and then the Head of God.... and tonight I read this again. (The Second Messiah, and oh, for the un informed these books are a few of the many focusing on the Templars Jerusalem treasure and great heresy) I find this book more believable than its prequel (Hiram Key), though much of its work is based on the conclusions of that piece. And this is MUCH MUCH MUCH more credible than "The Head of God." It has the same idea of the royal blood line however, but doesn't take as far back as Akhenaten/Moses. First the authors set out to show that Paul's theology was at direct odds with the Jerusalem church, which was completely Jewish, not viewing Christ as anyone supernatural. But Paul's religion conquered it, which further expounds their idea that there were many secrets to Jame's church. If you haven't read the Hiram Key, this is their formula [Nasorean=Essene=Christian] They also get into the feature of all the books I mentioned-Rosslyn Chapel. Their finds in the ancient decorations of this temple prove that Freemasonry is centuries older than the English Lodge says. In fact, their dogma is rather evasive. It claims 1717 was the birth of modern Masonry, and doesn't appreciate Freemasonry historians to look further in the past than this date. It is amazing how all the books on these same subjects come up with such different conclusions. The engraving of the "Veronica" was interpreted by "The Head of God" to be just that (a severed head) and here it is identified with the Shroud of Turin. And speaking of the Shroud, here they establish that the most feasible theory regarding its origin is the image of Jacques de Molay. (And they at the same time debunk "The Templar Revelation"'s theory surrounding its mystery) It is surprising to note that in Templar history we find an interesting alternative in interpreting eschatological fulfillments-specifically the book of Revelation. And that is their big claim. Jacques De Molay became the "Second Messiah." He was their High Priest of Yahweh. I'm not going to get into detail explaining this, but it is profoundly interesting. By now you will not want to put this book down. And once you hit the last chapter it is utterly FASCINATING. And that is of course, if it is all true. But the jigsaw puzzle fit of most of their theories certainly suggests that they have found something rather arcane and revolutionary.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Gift for all Truth Seekers and Free-Thinkers, November 21, 2000

By 

Frater V "The Truth is Absolutely Not Absolut... (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Second Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry (Paperback)

This Investigation into the cloudy history of Freemasonry and the Origins of The Shroud of Turin is so well-conceived, written, explained and researched that I am amazed the general public has access to the material. Normally, I tend to write flippant, funny reviews.... However, "The Second Messiah" is such a truly illuminating book that I feel compelled to tone it down, considerably. Reverence? Perhaps. I have been dropping hints here and there, in other reviews, but would not specifically back certain theories ---e.g., the concept of the Shroud being painted by Leonardo da Vinci ("The Templar Revelation," by Picknett & Prince)....great read, but not plausible. My grandfather owned two volumes called: "The Complete Works of Leonardo da Vinci" (fully Illustrated, with notes made by Leonardo). Somehow, after growing up with those books, I don't think the Leonardo theory jives. This work, by Knight and Lomas, however, is based on terrific research and is based on a real-world hypothesis. It seems, to me, after studying everything I can get my hands on about Masonry, that Knight and Lomas know more than they let-on....or, have been extremely "lucky" with their insights, informants and book discoveries, but that makes it even more interesting to me. I keep wondering what the Next book will reveal ! This one Reveals quite a lot.....in fact, I doubt it could-have been published ten years ago. I feel that the Masons must be ready to join the Information Age, or Knight and Lomas would not have gotten this book printed. They have done a wonderful job and everything makes sense. There are no Loopy Theories or silly proposals, based on illusive myths. I believe they are onto something and that something is quite possibly The Truth.