Will The Real Knights Templar Please Stand Up

Gonfanon2
Gonfanon2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

FOR $1,000,000: SPOT THE FAKE OR DISSOLVED ORGANIZATION
Order/Knights of Malta
Knights Templar
Papal Knights
Knights of Columbus
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Swiss Guard
Jesuits
Legion of Christ
Opus Dei
Illuminati
Freemasons

 

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At least three Ancient Antarctica Pyramids Underground City’s Found

Please visit our sister site: http://antinewworldorderparty.blogspot.com/2012/09/antarctica-triangle-ancient-pyramids.html

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A team of researchers are claiming that they have discovered three ancient pyramids on the ice covered continent of Antarctica. Exact details are sketchy, but the team have released three intriguing pictures of their discovery.

The international team comprises researchers from the United States, and several other, are from various European countries. Two of the huge pyramid structures were found approximately 10 miles inland, the third one not far from the coastline, clearly visible from ocean.

Can it be possible that Antarctica was once warm enough in the recent past to actually have had an ancient civilization living there?  And even more perplexing is the question of if an advanced culture did develop there, are there any structures still remaining that are buried underneath the ice?  Amazingly a team of researchers is making the claim that they have found evidence of several ancient pyramids on the ice covered continent of Antarctica.

The team are currently planning an expedition to reach one of the pyramids to find out if it is a natural or an artificial structure. No further Details have been reported from the team as of 29 August 2012. More news is pending. Im undecided on this one guys until further confirmation, so as always you decide.

Underground Pyramid base entrance, maybe.  One thing I can tell you is that what you are seeing is the Antarctic Triangle.  Put in to hide whats really there.  Underground City‘s they dont want you to know about or to find.  I have done some research and what I have found is other groups have tried to go to the Antarctic to find its secrets and have not returned or if they have will not talk about what they have found!

Have the Russian team inadvertently stumbled across something not meant to be seen, somethingburied many years ago by Aliens or earthly forces? Hopefully they will reveal all when they eventuallymanage to make contact… but in the world of conspiracy and secrets people have a habit of turningup dead.

A Russian team trying to reach the alien structure discovered by a roving satellite miles below the Antarctica  ice only have a limited period each year when work in the region is possible.
They last contacted their base on January 30th this year and they are now down to less than 48 hoursbefore temperatures fall to the lethal level and escape would be impossible!
The scientists carry Iridium satellite phones for communication, but there are black spots.
At the moment, nobody knows what has happened to them!
Read on for the full story.

In 1947 the US Navy under Admiral Byrd conducted Operation High Jump. The expedition to Antarctica involved 4000 naval personnel and 13 huge ships, including several large airplanes and helicopters. The goal was to map and catalog all of the coastline of the continent, including minerals and wildlife. The entire expedition was to last 6 months.

During the expedition a base was established at Little America, a coastal bay, and a tent city was constructed where aircraft could be maintained for the survey. Several teams of explorers were sent out to various corners of Antarctica with large format cameras for the photographic survey. When the crew photographing the region directly Southwest of the Australian continent arrived for their mission they were shocked. They radioed back that the coastal region was free of ice and that the water was 38F. They continued to take photographs and later returned to process the images.

Immediately after this event the entire expedition was halted and all ships and Naval personnel were made to return to the States. The results of the mission are still classified, after 60 years. Only Admiral Byrd, who was interviewed by a Chilean journalist on his trip home from the expedition, commented on the sudden return home. He stated that there was a danger which this expedition had encountered that posed a threat to every nation in the free world. He declined to elaborate on this.

http://rense.com/general32/aryan.htm   

For five years, the Germans carried out work for the creation of a secret project code-named “Base-211,” This has been determined by several independent experts. By the end of WWII, the Germans already had nine scientific enterprises where “flying disk” projects were tested. Many scientists are positive that at least one of these Third Reich enterprises was transferred to the Antarctic. Famous researchers of the Third Reich’s Antarctic mysteries, R. Vesko, V. Terziysky, and D. Childress, claim that from 1942, thousands of concentration camp prisoners, prominent scientists, pilots, politicians with their families, and members of the Hitlerjugend were taken to the South Pole via submarine. Some scientists believe that a German base still remains in the Antarctic. Moreover, it is even said that there is an underground Aryan city called New Berlin, which has a population of two million people.

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/antarctica/antartica12.htm

Representatives of three occult societies, “Thule”, “Vril” and “Ahnenerbe”, ran those projects.
Famous researchers of the Third Reich’s Antarctic mysteriesR.VeskoV.Terzisky, and D.Childress, claim that from 1942, thousands of concentration camp prisoners, prominent scientists, pilots, politicians with their families, and members of the Hitlerjugend were taken to the South Pole via submarine. Some scientists believe that a German base still remains in the Antarctic. Moreover, it is even said that there is an underground Aryan city called New Berlin, which has a population of two million people.

This has been determined by several independent experts. By the end of WWII, the Germans already had nine scientific enterprises where “flying disk” projects were tested. Many scientists are positive that at least one of these Third Reich enterprises was transferred to the Antarctic.

An ancient hi-tech “city” nicknamed “Rainbow City” was reportedly discovered in Antarctica by a small group of American researchers in the late 1940’s.

Reportedly an on-site staff of 2000 was later stationed there to study the ancient mechanical devices, the operation of time-space portals, holographic records, and an ancient underground ‘rail’ system with Rainbow City being the central hub. Antigravity craft are also reportedly being used by the researchers.

~The Hefferlin Manuscript; Rainbow City and the Inner Earth People, by Timothy Green Beckley

Conspiracy theorists recall the rumor, following WWII, of Nazi bases that were established in Antarctica. Other stories say that the Nazis contacted and were working with a group of extra-terrestrials and that there is an huge underground base there.

We’re not sure whether or not this is a base, but it does look un-natural and somehow maintained free of ice. We welcome any suggestions or comments.

Besides these images, the team is remaining pretty silent with their discovery until more research can be conducted on these pyramids.  I was able to obtain some small bits of information from a friend of one of the team members though.  The team is made up of 8 explorers from America and several European countries.  Two of the pyramid structures were found approximately 10 miles inland while the third one was very close to the coastline.  The team is currently planning an expedition to physically reach at least one of the pyramids to determine if it is natural or artificial.  No time frame was given as to when this expedition will be taking place though.

So, what is your opinion on these pyramids?  Are we on the verge of perhaps one of biggest archaeological discoveries ever or are these structures nothing but natural formations?  Be sure to stay tuned to this one ……

Read more: http://scienceray.com/biology/man-made-ancient-pyramids-found-on-antarctica/#ixzz26bi9AdbA

http://www.viewzone.com/antarcticbase.html

With google-earth we now have the ability to see the coast line of Antarctica in great detail from satellite images. We see the coast that was photographed, as well as some mountains that are free of ice or snow. We can see the ice breaking up in this region as if melting from some source of heat. But what’s more remarkable is that we can see some kind of an entrance.

The image above is readily available to anyone using google-earth and the coordinates provided. I suggest you try to examine this location at an angle instead of just straight down, and maintain the true North. The entrance appears to be about 180 feet wide by 230 feet high. Outside there are some straight surfaces which appear man made.

Choose the True American party and not be slaves of the Illuminati, Banker, Zionist, Khazar, Jews!

 

united states currency seal - IMG_7366_web
united states currency seal – IMG_7366_web (Photo credit: kevindean)

 

Get Prepared Doomsday is just around the corner.

 

Prepare for a financial Doomsday

Copied and starred from http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/2012/09/prepare-for-financial-doomsday.html

Guest Post by Andy from Financial Gooru

Prepare for a financial Doomsday

Many of us are preparing for the end of times; because as we all know it it is a matter of when not if. While many of us out there are preparing for the complete collapse of the world as we know it not many of us are preparing for a Financial Doomsday which will probably happen sooner than nature going haywire on us. So how exactly do we prepare for a financial Doomsday/ Economic collapse.  Through intensive research I have found way that I think will help anyone survive and Economic/ Financial Doomsday.

Save Money
This one is a bit of a obvious one but I have to put it out there. A shockingly high number of American families are operating without any kind of financial cushion whatsoever.
-According to a Harris Interactive survey taken in 2010, 77 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
-According to one recent survey, one out of every three Americans would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month if they suddenly lost their current job.
This is one reason why so many Americans have lost their homes and why so many Americans have fallen below the poverty level in recent years.  They simply had no cushion.
Last year, 2.6 million more Americans dropped into poverty.  That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.
Don’t let this happen to you.  At a minimum, everyone out there should have a cushion that will cover at least 6 months worth of expenses.  Preferably, you should have a cushion that will last you at least a year or longer. I know that sounds like a lot but trust me you will love having this around in case something does happen to you and your family.
The easiest way I found to do this is I used to buy a cup of coffee from Quick Trip every morning, it would cost me with tax 2.02 (it was their medium size I think if I remember correctly.). Then one day I really got to thinking how much could I save if I stopped drinking coffee well at least buying it from QT every morning. So I did simple math 2.02×7 is $14.14 a week or $56.56 a month about $678.72 a year! And that was just a cup of coffee I of course cut out eating out, junk food for the most part and I am now saving well over $200 a month and putting all of that into savings. That is just one example of how I did it. I am sure there are many ways out there of saving money I have probably not even thought up of yet and I am talking about small things not drastic. Not to mention the cut of junk food has made me happier and healthier.
Investments
 Now I want to be clear with this. This is not your typical investment that I am about to talk about. But rather one more suited towards the fall of an economy and essentially the dollar. The most obvious investment you can make is to buy gold and silver. I think every person in this country is doing that at this point. While that will hold value and its all and good, you can not eat gold and silver. At one point people will want food rather than gold. So a gold and silver investment while good should not be the only investment.
Once the economy fails and everyone is running around trying to figure out what to do and items and resources become scares, everything will start becoming more localized and we will probably move back to a barter system. With that said it will be good to prepare for a barter type of system just in case it ends of that way and even if it doesn’t it will not harm you in any way. Here is what I think you will need in a barter type of system.
1. Water, The single most important item any one person can have. Drinkable water is important to life. While I would stock up a lot on this you can also invest in rain catching gear, water purifying system and other things to make undrinkable water drinkable.
2. Salt, stock up on this and start now. This one little thing that people take for granted everyday will be essential to your survival and a good thing to have in a barter system. Salt is one of the most important thing a person can have in their stock pile period. It is essential for the human body, it makes food yummy, and it can preserve food as well.
3. Spices, you think they are expensive now wait until the economy fails and governments go bankrupt and so do major companies. This one comity that people take for granted will be super rare and expensive. However, most spices and herbs can be grown almost anywhere with a little bit of knowledge.  A good website I found about some spices you can grow are http://ideas.thenest.com/dinner-recipes/cooking-advice/slideshows/easy-spices-to-grow.aspx?page=5  and http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-herbs.html these are two very good sites to get you started.
4. Live stock, food is one of those thing you have to have. While you can hunt if you do not have live stock which is a good way to get meat and other foods live stock is more beneficial. It is there when you need it you don’t have to go out and find it hopefully, you can trade it for other animals goods or services, and depending on the animal it will have many uses.
5. Other currency, while it is good to have food water etc it is also a good idea to have some form of other currency available in case you can some how assuming things are not that bad go to another country or that their currency is not completely useless. This is something I would keep around, because I do not like to assume anything like all currency will be useless and you will be trapped in this country. You just never know what life will throw at you and where you might find yourself. Therefore, I think that having some other currency like Euros, Yen, and the Australian dollar to name a few might be useful.
6. Land, I believe that land is one of those things that over time will increase in value even more so than gold. Because scientist have found a way to make artificial gold believe it or not, but they have yet to find a way without lasing our water supply it will grow in value tremendously. Not to mention land is very useful to have because you can grow food on it have life stock and the uses for land are almost limitless. Not to mention if the land has  a natural aquifer.
Like I said not your normal investment portfolio. I could spend so much more time on this but these are the 6 things I think will help you if an economy collapses.
Pay off any debt
Now this one may be a bit tricky to do since many people are having trouble meeting ends meet. But by all means try to pay off any and all debts you may have. I am going to take a guess that banks will want money owed to them if the economy starts failing to keep themselves afloat. Just because the economy fails doesn’t mean our money will be worthless. The great depression is a perfect example of that. Money was not all that worthless still had value just not as much as it does now.  This one again may be hard but I know from personal experience but it has to be done. Many things can happen if the American economy can fail don’t be caught off guard pay off any dept you may have.  I will have a completely separate blog post about this coming up soon. As I have said I was in that boat I have searched for solutions and I have found it through trial and error. I have given the advice to my friends and it worked great for them. So I will dedicate a whole blog post just to that.
Learn a Skill
Learning a skill is good even if the economy is still going strong. But a  carpenter, welder, handyman can be worth their own weight in gold. Knowing how to build and work with your hands will be skills that if the economy goes you can use to barter with. It can be almost any skill just learn one or a trade and master it. I would say master one than have 1000 that you barely know what you are doing.
These are some of things I would recommend. There is so much when it comes to this that I could make this blog post endless, yet I do have to end it at some point. Just remember what can go wrong will go wrong. Do not assume anything prepare for everything. It cant hurt to be ready it can only hurt not to be ready. As we have seen time and time again it is a matter of when not if. If you have any ideas or comments please feel free to post them and let me know how I did or if I missed something important.

http://financialgooru.blogspot.com/

 

Lake Ontario has Secret Underwater Military Base

 

English: Map of Lake Ontario. Category:Michiga...
English: Map of Lake Ontario. Category:Michigan maps (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Recently I was talking with two different sources that will remain anonymous to protect the identification from possible government prosecution about Underground area 51 sites around the world.  I was told that Lake Ontario had one from Co-worker who was an ex Marine who was a Military Police who protected that base.  It was said that if threat of Nuclear War ever broke out that this is one the place that the US president would go.  He said that the area is protected by the US Coast Guard and US Military.

 

The second source is a friends mother who dated a high up government official who bragged to her about this secret underwater military base, under Lake Ontario that he was aware of,  He said that if anything was to happen during the Cold war with the Russians   like a Nuclear War was to go hot that he and his family would be protected from nuclear fall out at that underwater base!

 

Now I have no first hand knowledge of this underwater base only hearsay, but I have no reason to believe that these two people would have any reason to lie to me or about this place.  Neither of these people knew of each other and about talking to me about this underwater base.  So I have done some of my own research into this topic and have given my research results on this blog post.  Happy hunting!  If you have any evidence or knowledge of this please feel free to contact me about this and we can add your info to this post!

 

This section copied from http://fierycelt.tripod.com/CdrX.html

 

According to Malcolm Williams, researcher for the Northeastern UFO Organization, infrared photos taken in the dark of night from the shores of Lake Ontario show all sorts of anomalies which cannot be either conventional aircraft or meteorological phenomena. Taken on various occasions, the photos show a pattern of lights in the sky which are definitely under intelligent control as they zig zag from one position to another in the heavens. One photo shows an object actually resting on top of the water, apparently about ready to make a plunge beneath Lake Ontario.

 

Many of the photos taken by Malcolm Williams, a former member of the Royal Astronomical Association, were done from a position which would indicate that the main area of interest is over the lake between Oakville and Toronto. This theory is supported by Harry Picken, an aeronautical engineer, pilot, and past president of Genair Ltd., a St. Catharine’s aircraft research firm. Picken, who owns a home right on the banks of the lake, has been keeping tabs on the aerial movements near his property for years. One of the most peculiar things the engineer has noticed is that the lights are usually orange, a color foreign to aircraft lights. “The orange color indicates to me a high sodium content in the light source. Sodium is never used in conventional aircraft lighting,” he further points out.

 

Both Harry Picken and Malcolm Williams believe that the UFO activity over Lake Ontario is somehow related to the fact that a high voltage hydro generating station is located at nearby Lakeview. The UFOs have been seen repeatedly to lift up from the lake and head in the direction of the plant.

 

Over the years, many odd occurrences have taken place in and around Lake Ontario. In his book, “The Great Lakes Triangle,” Jay Gourley tells of several air mishaps in this very locale, adding substance to the theory that something totally “alien” is operating in and around this body of water.

 

“There is little doubt that the pilot of the twin jet CF-101 Canadian Air Force interceptor, number 18112, knew he was in trouble on August 23, 1954,” Gourley states in his well researched reference work on the subject. “He was near Ajax, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Ontario. He bailed out. He explained later that the aircraft became impossible to control. Publicly, the Canadian Defense Headquarters refused to reveal the cause of the accident. The official cause is classified secret. I have seen this secret file. It says the scientists who studied the case could not determine what caused the jet to become unmanageable.” It could be that UFOs utilizing highly magnetized equipment beneath the surface could have accidentally or purposely pulled the aircraft out of the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.ufodigest.com/article/lake-shining-waters-%E2%80%93-historical-perspective

 

 

United States Coast Guard Seal, in correct PMS...
United States Coast Guard Seal, in correct PMS colors. This emblem shall only be used in accordance with the Coast Guard Heraldry Manual, and is not to be reproduced commercially without prior approval of the U.S. Coast Guard. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Satellite photo of Round Lake, Renfrew County,...
Satellite photo of Round Lake, Renfrew County, Ontario. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Early map of Lake Ontario
Early map of Lake Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Lake Ontario NASA
Lake Ontario NASA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

A retired secret service agent admits to the public about the underground tunnel system at 5:10 in this video:

 

 

 

 

 

The Fall of the house of Paul’s! Patriots Pick up the Flag of Liberty and March on!

The Fall of the house of Paul’s in 2012 started with Rand Paul’s Sell out Endorsement of Mitt Romney , At least Rand has shown his careerist colors.
You’re an idiot if you equate Rand Paul with Ron Paul.   I have said from day one

Rand Paul endorses Establishment

Go look it up. Rand supported sanctions on Iran and financing the war in Afghanistan he sold out a LONG time ago.  In both interviews with CNN and FOX, Rand was asked whether he had “checked with his father”. In both cases Rand deceptively ducks the question with a carefully crafted answer about how he supported his dad, since he was 11 years old. This response does nothing to answer the question – DID YOU CHECK WITH YOUR DAD?? It is a dishonest “non-answer”. And, the fact that he ducks the question with the same verbatim non-answer twice, shows that he purposely planned to not tell the truth.

Ron Paul hasn’t come out saying that he disagrees with his son, and the fact that Rand is endorsing Romney means that Ron failed as a father to pass on his moral values onto Rand.

True Ron Paul libertarians–especially the young and idealistic–will NOT back Mitt Romney. He is, after all, a champion of everything repellent the US State does overseas and at home. He is a despicable statist, a junior oligarch, and a proponent of perpetual war, bank bailouts, torture, murder, camps, drones, the police state, redistribution, so the empire can march on towards a New World Order Global Government take over!

Absolutely know the the Truth about the Shroud of Turin

By:Daniel J Leach

Many claim that The Shroud of Turin is Jesus Christ but the  Knights Templar claim that this is Jacques de Molay.  I myself would like to think that this is Jesus Christ but with my research and understanding of history tend to lead me to believe that this is indeed Jacques de Molay and not Jesus Christ.

Geoffroi de Charny (the French Knight who died at the 1356 battle of Poitiers) and his wife Jeanne de Vergy are the first reliably recorded owners of the Turin Shroud. This Geoffroi participated in a failed crusade under Humbert II of Viennois in the late 1340s.[26] He is sometimes confused with Templar Geoffroi de Charney.[27]

This Section Copied from: http://blog.templarhistory.com/2010/03/the-templars-and-the-shroud-of-turin/

Any discussion of the Shroud of Turin is bound to be controversial. Those who view this sacred and holy relic fall into two camps, those that believe it to be the undisputed earthly evidence of a Christ risen and those who believe it to be a medieval forgery.

It is not the intention of this web site to cast doubt on or support the authenticity of the shroud, but rather to show its possible relationship to the Knights Templar. We receive many letters from angry people who wish to enter into lengthy debates about carbon 14 reliability. We are aware of new evidence that puts the reliability of carbon 14 dating in question, so please refrain from telling us of the findings or directing us to URLs that make the claims.

There are two theories that relate to the Templars having been involved with the Shroud, one, which would support the authenticity of the Shroud and another, which would refute it.

In 1204 the Crusaders sacked the city of Constantinople. Among them were the Knights Templar, whom some scholars contend took the Burial shroud of Jesus from the city. To support this theory, author Ian Wilson who wrote the book “The Shroud of Turin: Burial Cloth Of Jesus?” makes the claim that the head that the Templars were accused of worshipping was none other than that of Jesus. His belief is that the Shroud when folded depicted the head of Christ and was referred to as the “Mandylion.” There is a painted panel at Templecombe in England that shows a bearded head like that, which is depicted on the Mandylion.

In their two books, “The Hiram Key” and “The Second Messiah,” authors Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas paint a contrasting picture to the Mandylion theory. The authors theorize that the image on the Shroud of Turin is in fact that of the last Grand Master of the order, Jacques de Molay, who was tortured some months before his execution in 1307. The image on the shroud certainly does fit the description of de Molay as depicted in medieval wood cuts, a long nose, hair shoulder length and parted in the center, a full beard that forked at its base, not to mention the six-foot frame. De Molay was said to be quite tall.

However, many have criticized the theory on the basis that the Templar rule of order forbade the Templars from growing their hair long. What critics of the theory overlook is that during DeMolay’s seven years in prison it is highly unlikely that he would have been afforded such luxuries as good grooming.

Knight and Lomas claim that the shroud figured in the Templars rituals of figurative resurrection and that DeMolay’s tortured body was wrapped in a shroud, which the Templars kept after his death. Lomas and Knight further believe that lactic acid and blood from DeMolay’s tortured body mixed with frankincense (used to whiten the cloth) etching his image into the shroud.

When the shroud was first put on display in 1357 (50 years after the disbanding of the order) by the family of Geoffrey de Charney who was also burned at the stake with de Molay, the first people viewing the shroud recognized the image to be that of Christ.

The authors theorize that Jacques de Molay may have been tortured in a manner similar to Christ as a mockery. Certainly then, the wounds suffered by de Molay where the same as those of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Today it is commonly believed by many, through carbon dating, that the shroud dates to the late 13th century and not to the date of Christ’s supposed crucifixion. It is interesting that the church revealed these carbon dating results on October 13th, 1989, which is the same day the Templars were arrested by Church and State. According to the authors:

“Carbon dating has conclusively shown that the Shroud of Turin dates from between 1260 and 1380, precisely as we would expect if it were the image of Jacques de Molay. There is no other known theory that fits the scientifically established facts. Through experimentation, we know that the figure on the Shroud was on a soft bed of some kind, which strongly suggests that the victim was not dead and was expected to recover.”

The Second Messiah pg. 161 – Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas

Regardless of whether the findings of Ian Wilson or Knight and Lomas are correct, it is evident that this most holy and venerated relic has found its way into the Templar mythos.

Lynn Picknet and Clive Prince, authors of “Turin Shroud: In Whose Image?” present another theory of interest on the matter. Readers will recognize the authors from the book, “The Templar Revelation.” In the authors’ earlier book the duo claim that Leonardo Da Vinci who created an early photographic technique manufactured the image on the shroud of Turin.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science
Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:01 CDT
Print

Shroud of Turin

© Public domain
Full-length negative photograph of the Shroud of Turin.

A hoax or a miracle? The Shroud of Turin has inspired this question for centuries. Now, an art historian says this piece of cloth, said to bear the imprint of the crucified body of Jesus Christ, may be something in between.

According to Thomas de Wesselow, formerly of Cambridge University, the controversial shroud is no medieval forgery, as a 1989 attempt at radiocarbon dating suggests. Nor is the strange outline of the body on the fabric a miracle, de Wesselow writes in his new book, The Sign: The Shroud of Turin and the Secret of the Resurrection (Dutton Adult, 2012). Instead, de Wesselow suggests, the shroud was created by natural chemical processes – and then interpreted by Jesus’ followers as a sign of his resurrection.

“People in the past did not view images as just the mundane things that we see them as today. They were potentially alive. They were seen as sources of power,” de Wesselow told LiveScience. The image of Jesus found on the shroud would have been seen as a “living double,” he said. “It seemed like they had a living double after his death and therefore it was seen as Jesus resurrected.”

Believing the shroud

As de Wesselow is quick to admit, this idea is only a hypothesis. No one has tested whether a decomposing body could leave an imprint on shroud-style cloth like the one seen on the shroud. A 2003 paper published in the journal Melanoidins in Food and Health, however, posited that chemicals from the body could react with carbohydrates on the cloth, resulting in a browning reaction similar to the one seen on baked bread. (De Wesselow said he knows of no plans to conduct an experiment to discover if this idea really works.)

Perhaps more problematic is the authenticity of the shroud itself. Radiocarbon dating conducted in 1988 estimated the shroud to medieval times, between approximately A.D. 1260 and 1390. This is also the same time period when records of the shroud begin to appear, suggesting a forgery.

Critics have charged that the researchers who dated the shroud accidentally chose asample of fabric added to the shroud during repairs in the medieval era, skewing the results. That controversy still rages, but de Wesselow is convinced of the shroud’s authenticity from an art history approach.

“It’s nothing like any other medieval work of art,” de Wesselow said. “There’s just nothing like it.”

Among the anachronisms, de Wesselow said, is the realistic nature of the body outline. No one was painting that realistically in the 14th century, he said. Similarly, the body image is in negative (light areas are dark and vice versa), a style not seen until the advent of photography centuries later, he said.

“From an art historian’s point of view, it’s completely inexplicable as a work of art of this period,” de Wesselow said.

Resurrection: spiritual or physical?

If de Wesselow’s belief in the shroud’s legitimacy is likely to rub skeptics the wrong way, his mundane explanation of how the image of Jesus came to be is likely to ruffle religious feathers. According to de Wesselow, there’s no need to invoke a miracle when simple chemistry could explain the imprint. It’s likely, he says, that Jesus’ female followers returned to his tomb to finish anointing his body for burial three days after his death. When they lifted the shroud to complete their work, they would have seen the outline of the body and interpreted it as a sign of Jesus’ spiritual revival.

From there, de Wesselow suspects, the shroud went on tour around the Holy Land, providing physical proof of the resurrection to Jesus’ followers. When the Bible talks about people meeting Jesus post-resurrection, de Wesselow said, what it really means is that they saw the shroud. He cites the early writings of Saint Paul, which focus on a spiritual resurrection, over the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, which were written later and invoke physical resurrection.

“The original conception of the resurrection was that Jesus was resurrected in a spiritual body, not in his physical body,” de Wesselow said.

These ideas are already receiving pushback, though de Wesselow says he’s yet to get responses from people who have read his entire book. Noted skeptic Joe Nickell toldMSNBC’s Alan Boyle that de Wesselow’s ideas were “breathtakingly astonishing,” and not in a good way; Nickell has argued on multiple occasions that the shroud’s spotty historical record and too-perfect image strongly suggest a counterfeit.

On the other end of the religious spectrum, former high-school teacher and Catholic religious speaker David Roemer believes in Jesus’ resurrection, but not the shroud’s authenticity. The image is too clear and the markings said to be blood aren’t smeared as they would be if the cloth had covered a corpse, Roemer told LiveScience.

“When you get an image this detailed, it means it was done by some kind of a human being,” Roemer said.

Unlike many “shroudies,” as believers are deprecatingly called, Roemer suspects the shroud was deliberately created by Gnostic sects in the first or second century. A common religious explanation for the markings is that a flash of energy or radiation accompanied Christ’s resurrection, “burning” his image onto the cloth.

If anything is certain about de Wesselow’s hypothesis, it’s that it is not likely to settle the shroud controversy. Scientific examinations of the delicate cloth are few and far between – and so are disinterested parties. Roemer, for example, recently arrived at a scheduled talk at a Catholic church in New York only to find the talk had been canceled when the priest learned of Roemer’s shroud skepticism. (The Catholic Church has no official position on the shroud’s authenticity.)

Meanwhile, de Wesselow said, people who aren’t driven by faith to accept the cloth as real generally don’t care about the shroud at all.

“The intellectual establishment, if you like, is not interested in shroud science,” he said. “It regards it as fringe and it’s not interested.”

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