Witnesses to Mystery

In this lavishly illustrated large coffee-table volume, writer Gorny and photographer Rosikon embarked on a two year investigative journey to seek the truth behind all the relics associated with the passion of Christ. The authors investigated a rich body of documentary evidence found in various museums, archives and churches surrounding sacred objects believed to have been preserved since Jesus' lifetime, exploring and collaborating with historians and scientists in their attempt to verify the relics' authenticity. They reach their conclusions not so much on the basis of faith as on the evidence supplied by historical sources and expert scientific opinion.The relics associated with the Passion - the suffering, death and burial of Christ - have long proved something of an enigma for the scientific community. Relics investigated, and photographed, for this glorious volume include: the Cross, nails, crown of thorns, pillar of scourging, Christ's tunic, the Veil of Manoppello, the Sudarium of Oviedo, the famous Shroud of Turin burial cloth and more.This Second Edition has some updated information and new photos on the relics. It includes a section on "Science & Mystery" that tells about the most comprehensive research ever done on the holy Shroud by a team of scientists from the Shroud of Turin Research Project based in Colorado. The Shroud section also includes a new report by a team of scientists from the ENEA in Frascati, Italy, of a discovery about the Shroud that surpasses any 21st century technological possibilities. It also has exclusive new photos and information on the Tunic of Argenteuil from a public display in 2016 that drew over 250,000 people. And the authors were allowed to take special photographs of the Cross d'Anjou, one of the most beautiful interesting relics of the True Cross, which is normally inaccessible.