Book description
The Shroud of Turin, widely thought to be a fake, is in fact
authentic. The greatest mystery in history is finally solved, in
Thomas de Wesselow's The Sign.
The birth of Christianity, nearly 2000 years ago, has shaped the
whole course of human history. Yet historians still cannot explain how
it all really began. What made Jesus's followers claim to have seen
him alive again, three days after his crucifixion? Why did
Christianity take off so quickly?
It is one of the biggest and most profound of all historical
mysteries. This extraordinary book, based on seven years of secret
research by a brilliant historian, finally provides the answer. And it
lies an enigmatic relic long assumed to be a fake: the Shroud of Turin.
With historical detective work and cutting-edge scientific research,
art historian Thomas de Wesselow has discovered that Jesus's followers
did see something at the tomb. They saw something real but out
of the ordinary - something that seemed like a miracle. It was the
burial cloth of Jesus, stained with his body image. This ancient
marvel was hailed as a sign of the Resurrection, and kick-started the
Christian faith.
The Sign details conclusive evidence that the Shroud of Turin
is authentic, showing that the faint image on the cloth was formed
naturally through a rare chemical reaction. It then explains how this
revelation solves multiple puzzles of religious history: for example,
the Gospel reports of the appearances of the Risen Christ are clearly
based on early viewings of the Shroud.
As well as a major historical breakthrough, The Sign is a
truly thrilling read - and one you will never forget.
'Overturning 2,000 years of received biblical wisdom is no small
matter. Consequently [this] book encompasses an impressive amount of
scholarship and scientific examination. Persuasive... a very
intriguing explanation' Michael Prodger, Mail on Sunday
'Fascinating...startling' Telegraph
' A fresh insight into the Easter story' Financial Times
'Thorough, well-researched and fair-minded... Persuasive... much
more than just an addition to the canon of Shroud literature' Irish
Times
Thomas de Wesselow earned his MA and PhD at London's Courtauld
Institute, researching the controversial Guidoriccio fresco in Siena,
before becoming a Scholar at the British School in Rome where he
worked on another of the great mysteries of Italian art history, the
Assisi Problem. After a year in the curatorial department at the
National Gallery in London, he was appointed a Post-Doctoral Research
Associate at King's College, Cambridge, where he was later awarded a
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. He has written on a number of
famous Renaissance pictures whose meanings have hitherto defied
analysis, including Botticelli's Primavera and Titian's Sacred and
Profane Love. He has also developed new ideas about medieval
world-maps, in particular the Hereford Mappamundi. Since 2007 he has
been researching this book full-time. He is 40 years old and he lives
in Cambridge.
Thomas de Wesselow is an art historian used to tackling
"unsolvable" problems. He studied art history at Edinburgh
University and at the Courtauld in London, where he worked successfully
on the Guidoriccio Problem, one of the great mysteries of Italian art.
Later, he became a Scholar at the British School in Rome, researching an
even more complex puzzle, the so-called Assisi Problem. In 2002, he was
appointed a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at King's College,
Cambridge University, where he was later awarded a Leverhulme Early
Career. He left in 2006 to write full-time.
