Inquest on the Shroud of Turin

by Joe Nickell

Book Overview

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087975396X
• ISBN13: 9780879753962
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 178 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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Inquest on the Shroud of Turin is one of the best examples of competent scientific effort that has thus far been conducted on any topic that is of interest to a large segment of the human population. I read every word in the entire book, and I did not find it tedious or excessive in its coverage. Also I found no incident of mocking or belittling of Christian belief or its adherents. In my opinion, the book is an impartial assessment of forensic evidence which is still pertinent. When you consider who is more likely to be guilty of lying, clearly the churches of Christian belief are guiltier than scientists. And when you consider who is more likely to believe whatever their leaders tell them, Christian believers take the cake there also. This book does not even mention these factors, which, in any rational person's mind, would rightly rank high among the priorities of proof or belief. More than one item of evidence talked about in this book decisively proves the falsity of the shroud without any additional evidence being needed. As we human beings enter the new age which we are just now stepping onto the threshold of, and take our place in the world as genuine adults conscious of the need to believe only what is true, this book will stand above all but a very few others as an example of how we need to conduct ourselves whenever we are confronted by purveyers of false gifts and broken promises.

"As the (red ochre) dust settles over Sindondom"

Inquest on the Shroud of Turin by Joe Nickell is a clear, concise, 155-page work explaining the evidence that refutes the authenticity of the 3 1/2' x 14' cloth that allegedly covered the body of Christ after crucifixion and bears his image. Nickell's work is one-sided. He believes the shroud was created by an artist near the time it was first publicly introduced around 1353. He picks apart (sometimes in a mocking manner) the evidence shroud believers use to prove authenticity. As Nickell states at the beginning of the book, his collaboration with a panel of scientific and technical experts accomplishes equal time for the skeptics. According to Nickell, many reports on the shroud are done by pro-authenticity investigators who lack objectivity (p. 8). Mentions made in this book about Roman anatomist Dr. Luigi Gedda who, detecting a slump in the right shoulder of the image, deduced that the image was of a right-handed carpenter (p. 109) and the story of how renown microanalyst Walter McCrone was "drummed out" of the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) for publicizing his findings of iron earth pigment on the blood stains and body image (p. 125) seem to back up his claims of bias accounts of the shroud's authenticity. I do not recommend reading only this one book on the shroud because it is too one-sided (any of the books by Ian Wilson would make a good companion as would Dr. John Heller's Report on the Shroud of Turin) but I also do not think that, because Nickell has an agenda, this book should be discounted. Whether you believe, are skeptical, or are just curious, Nickell makes excellent cases for his side of the issue. Nickell includes chapters that cover a variety of topics: the history of the shroud, ways the shroud does not follow traditional Jewish burials at the time of Christ, the shroud versus Biblical accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection, ways that the image could be left on the cloth, and scientific consideration of the type of linen, blood stains, and the image itself. The chapters on blood and the yellow fibers on the image are a little dry and scientific (14 pages worth), but the rest of the work makes for fascinating reading. Nickell drives home his points with clarity and precision. He describes the shroud's past as one cloaked in controversy, politics, and profits which left more of an impression on me than the scientific evidence. The shroud was only first introduced to the public in 1353 and was denounced as a forgery almost immediately. Documents even show that the artist confessed. The book ends with a summary of the areas considered in the work and the evidence the shroud is a forgery as well as information of members leaving (or being "drummed out") of STURP. The additional chapter includes an update to 1987 (four years after this book was first released) about books published during this time and about the formation of the Association of Scientists and Scholars International for the Shroud of Turin

Shroud of Turin, Shroud of Shmoorin

Joe Nickell has brought us another beautifully written, fascinating and pleasantly arranged book about the Shroud of Turin. Unfortunately, few reviewers have many constructive things to say about it. Such critical luminaries as Matthew Spigelman have been hard pressed to find adjectives more descriptive than "entertaining and complete" or "interesting and informative". Hogwash, says this reviewer!

Excellent overview of shroud silliness

Nickell does a clear, thorough job of debunking all the silly contradictions and self-delusions of those folks who insist on believing that this long-acknowledged fraud actually contained the body of Christ(even the Catholic Church denies its authenticity). A good review of the actual "shroud" tradition (contradicted by the bible itself) and the scientific data disproving the shroud's miraculous nature. Highly recommended for clear thinkers who prefer fact and data to fanciful speculation and self-delusion.