Resurrection of the Shroud

August 9, 2000
The Shroud of Turin, which some claim to be the burial cloth of Jesus, has been surrounded in controversy, which this book is unlikely to settle. It will, however, provide an extensive, though not necessarily balanced, introduction to issues surrounding the Shroud. Attorney Antonacci reviews previous scientific investigations of the Shroud, examines the image embedded in it, and investigates theories that the image was produced by painting. He looks at archaeological artifacts and reviews scientific challenges to the issue of carbon dating. Antonacci concludes that Jesus emitted a kind of radiation "[that] did not harm [his] body or immediately affect his clothes. Interestingly, those are the same types of features that scientists have independently concluded could be the principal causes of the formation of all the unique features found on the body images and blood marks on the Shroud." Even if the Shroud is from the first century, it seems a bit of a jump to this reviewer that it actually draped Jesus. Nevertheless, patrons interested in this topic will find the book a very useful, interesting, and detailed presentation, and on that basis it is recommended.--David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino

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