From School Library Journal
Two amateurs with esoteric interests propose a double conspiracy: that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus conspired with the centurion to get Jesus to the tomb alive, where the Essenes resuscitated him, and that the Catholic Church perpetrated a fraud by substituting a medieval cloth for shroud samples because the Shroud of Turin shows that Jesus was alive, thus disproving Christianity. The authors trace a tenuous trail from the Tomb to Turin, with huge gaps between uncertain sources and heavy use of expressions such as could have and must have. Their resuscitation theory is buttressed by erroneous claims, e.g., that the Greek of "Jesus of Nazareth" proves he was an Essene. In addition, the validity of a computer analysis of poor photos of the shroud samples remains to be verified; the authors' contention that the image is of a living man is not conclusive. A book for aficionados of conspiracy theories and those looking for offbeat views of Jesus.
Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
This book will be cataloged as nonfiction, which seems to contradict its style. The subtitle provides the focus of the book but not the fact that it is of the genre that could be called "Have I got news for you!" The authors confront the venerable Shroud of Turin, acclaimed by some as the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. In the process of exposing fraud, the same writers tackle the mystery of Christ's Resurrection. The reader is carried to the authors' conclusions by a circuitous trip through mythology, medieval intrigue, and trouble with ecclesiastics, especially St. Paul. One is reminded of Hugh Schonfeld's Passover Plot. Detectives will enjoy this work more than theologians. Gary Young
