Inquest on the Shroud of Turin

by Joe Nickell

Sacred relic or medieval hoax? Relic? Icon? Hoax? This authoritative book about the Shroud of Turin applies the methods of science and scholarship to the cloth many believe wrapped Jesus' body in the tomb. Sorting through the controversies surrounding the shroud, Dr. Nickell traces the historical, iconographic, forensic, physical, and chemical evidence, examining the latest radiocarbon dating tests as well as reports of DNA traces in the alleged bloodstains. Inquest on the Shroud of Turin is a must read for anyone interested in the facts pertaining to this mysterious cloth. - Back cover. This authoritative book about the controversial "shroud" of Turin, claimed to be the burial cloth of Jesus, presents overwhelming evidence that the cloth is actually the creation of a clever medieval artist. From the earliest known document that mentions the shroud - a letter from a 14th-century Catholic bishop reporting that the artist had confessed - Joe Nickell traces the historical, iconographic, p