Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Pam Moon

Researcher, Scholar and Expert

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon: The Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

shroudofturinexhibition.com

Pam Moon. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Pam Moon

Researcher, Scholar and Expert

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon: The Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

shroudofturinexhibition.com

Pam Moon. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Turin Shroud. by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Pam Moon

Researcher, Scholar and Expert

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon: The Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

shroudofturinexhibition.com

Pam Moon. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Turin Shroud. by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Pam Moon

Researcher, Scholar and Expert

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon: The Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

shroudofturinexhibition.com

Pam Moon. by Travis Simpkins. The Turin Shroud

Giulio Fanti. Scientist & Researcher. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti. Researcher, Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Giulio Fanti

Professor of 

Mechanical and Thermal Measurement

Padua University

Researcher and Scientist

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti and the Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

telegraph.co.uk/news/Turin-Shroud

Giulio Fanti. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Luigi Garlaschelli. Chemist and Skeptic. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Luigi Garlaschelli. Chemist and Skeptic. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Luigi Garlaschelli

Professor of Organic Chemistry 
and Experimental Skeptic

University of Pavia, Italy

by Travis Simpkins

Luigi Garlaschelli: How to Fake the Shroud of Turin

For more info, please visit:

luigigarlaschelli.blogspot.com

Luigi Garlaschelli. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Giulio Fanti. Researcher & Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti. Researcher, Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Giulio Fanti

Professor of 

Mechanical and Thermal Measurement

Padua University

Researcher and Scientist

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti and the Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

telegraph.co.uk/news/Turin-Shroud

Giulio Fanti. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Luigi Garlaschelli. Chemist and Skeptic. The Turin Shroud. by Travis Simpkins

Luigi Garlaschelli. Chemist and Skeptic. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Luigi Garlaschelli

Professor of Organic Chemistry 
and Experimental Skeptic

University of Pavia, Italy

by Travis Simpkins

Luigi Garlaschelli: How to Fake the Shroud of Turin

For more info, please visit:

luigigarlaschelli.blogspot.com

Luigi Garlaschelli. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Giulio Fanti. Researcher and Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti. Researcher, Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Giulio Fanti

Professor of 

Mechanical and Thermal Measurement

Padua University

Researcher and Scientist

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti and the Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

telegraph.co.uk/news/Turin-Shroud

Giulio Fanti. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Giulio Fanti. Researcher, Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti. Researcher, Scientist. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Giulio Fanti

Professor of 

Mechanical and Thermal Measurement

Padua University

Researcher and Scientist

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Giulio Fanti and the Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

telegraph.co.uk/news/Turin-Shroud

Giulio Fanti. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Turin Shroud. by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon. Researcher, Scholar. The Shroud of Turin. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Pam Moon

Researcher, Scholar and Expert

The Shroud of Turin

by Travis Simpkins

Pam Moon: The Turin Shroud

For more info, please visit:

shroudofturinexhibition.com

Pam Moon. by Travis Simpkins. The Shroud of Turin

"The Hiram Key" by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas

The Hiram Key

Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery

of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus

by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas

Century, 1996

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

     Primarily built on a foundation of speculation and circumstantial evidence, The Hiram Key by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas is nevertheless quite entertaining as well as thought-provoking… containing the proper mix of mystery and revelation to make it a break-out bestseller. The book appealed to both the Masonic niche market and mainstream audiences. Controversial to say the least, the book drops several historical bombshells in just over 300 pages, making bold assertions about the origins of Freemasonry, the legend of Hiram Abiff, the teachings of Jesus Christ, the treasures of the Knights Templar, the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel and the image on the Shroud of Turin.

     The overview of the book is too broad to summarize here, but the main undercurrent consists of establishing a steady steam of connections from Ancient Egyptian temple rituals through the Qumran Community teachings of Jesus to the secret initiations of the fugitive Knights Templar and at present within the lodges of Craft Freemasonry.

     The boldest conjecture, as the book title suggests, rests with Hiram Abiff… the central figure in the Masonic 3rd Degree. The authors translated "Hiram Abiff" as meaning "the King who was lost." This led to the rediscovery of the long-forgotten Pharaoh of Upper Egypt, Seqenenre Tao, who was caught in a power struggle over the Osirian secrets with Apophis during the Hyksos period around 1570 B.C. Refusing to yield the secrets of the Egyptian king-making rituals, Seqenenre Tao was murdered (the authors claim by the brothers of Joseph) and his mummy shows signs of brutal head trauma reminiscent of the fate of Hiram Abiff.

     Other claims in the book suggest that the famous Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, in fact depicts the crucified body of Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Further research focuses on a set of Gnostic scrolls presumed to have been found buried within the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by the Templars, which the authors claim were later secreted away in a vault beneath Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. As far-fetched as the ideas seem at first glance, the book really needs to be read all the way through in order to be appreciated. If taken at face value, and approached with an open mind, there is something to be learned on various levels throughout the text.

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Seqenenre Tao. Hiram Abiff

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: King Solomon's Temple

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Jesus Christ

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Jesus Christ

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Royal Arch Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Cryptic Freemasonry

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: The Heavenly Jerusalem

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Jacques de Molay. Knights Templar

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Jacques de Molay. Knights Templar

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: The Shroud of Turin

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Rosslyn Chapel. Scotland

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas: Knights Templar

The Hiram Key. Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas

"The Templars and the Shroud of Christ" by Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ

by Barbara Frale

Skyhorse Publishing, 2012

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

     Demonstrating a profound depth of knowledge, Barbara Frale proves once again that she is amongst the foremost authorities on the subjects of both the Knights Templar and the Shroud of Turin. With access to inside information, gained through her work at the Vatican Secret Archives, Dr. Frale offers a solid hypothesis in The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. A well known fact brought out in King Philip the Fair's inquisition of the Templar Knights during the early 14th Century is the mention of idol worship amongst the warrior monks… particularly the worship of a bearded male head called Baphomet. Dr. Frale suggests that the object referenced as Baphomet was not blasphemous but may in fact have been none other than the famous Shroud of Turin, kept in a reliquary and folded in upon itself so that only the head of Christ was showing. How the Templars came to possess the sacred relic and why they did not reveal it's existence to their accusers (and thus redeem themselves) are subjects that comprise the bulk of the book.

     Barbara Frale theorizes that the Templars must have obtained ownership of the Shroud shortly after the violent sack of Constantinople in 1204 A.D. Reliable sources describe the Shroud as then being kept folded in a reliquary which only allowed the face on the cloth to be seen… a visual presentation which may have inspired the many "mandylion" depictions of Christ's solitary head in Eastern Orthodox art. The Templars protected and worshipped the Shroud, but kept it secret for various presumed reasons including the humanizing bloodstains and possible traces of Judaic script on the cloth. Much more is revealed in the text.

     Of particular interest is the great care offered in illustrating how the Templars themselves may have perceived the Shroud, which likely differed from the modern viewpoint. Frale states, "The definition of the Shroud is best understood if we try to understand the theological concept of Icon, which is not simply the same as a holy image. Icons, in a sense, live and give life; they can bestow real benefits on the spirituality of the faithful." This is further explained in the practice of the Templars wearing thin strands of linen around their tunics which were never removed, even during sleep. Early on these linen strands had touched the Holy Sepulchre, later on they must have been blessed by another Icon sacred to the passion of Jesus Christ… namely the burial shroud which held his crucified dead body and witnessed his resurrection.

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: Jaques de Molay

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: Baphomet

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: Mandylion

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: Mandylion

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

The Templars and the Shroud of Christ. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin