With 2021 coming to an end, I wanted to share with you some of the top books on the Shroud of Turin that came out this year. If you are looking for something historical, nail-biting thriller, a hint of science, or a book in between this is the list for you. These books are not in a list of any particular favorites but more showcasing them all equally as exciting releases.

Now for the list.

1.) Jesus: A New Vision written by Whitley Strieber

Jesus: A New Vision is at once a magisterial work of scholarship and a completely new approach to the meaning and message of Jesus. It comes at a time when the western world is divided between a declining number of believers in Christian doctrine and an ever-increasing number of people who feel that Jesus was nothing more than a religious zealot who was executed for the crime of sedition. What if neither of these approaches is right? What if Jesus really did perform miracles, including the resurrection, but that this says not that he was a deity, but that he was exercising human powers which are buried within us all, and which we do not suspect are there?

2.) Shroud of Turin by Vittori Guerrera

A fast-paced book that is easy to read; The Shroud of Turin is guaranteed to interest everyone and give convincing proof–despite the recent propaganda to the contrary–that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Filled with facts of science and history; you are guaranteed to learn a lot! Well researched and well written. This book is small and doesn’t take too long to read — makes a great gift!

3.) An artful Relic: The Shroud of Turin in Baroque Italy written by Andrew R. Casper

This groundbreaking book introduces rich, new material about the Shroud’s emergence as a sacred artifact. It will appeal to art historians specializing in religious and material studies, historians of religion, and to general readers interested in the Shroud of Turin.

4.)The Truth About The Shroud of Turin: Solving The Mystery by Robert K. Wilcox

The shroud of Turin is one of history’s most controversial and perplexing relics. Many believe it to be the genuine burial shroud of Jesus Christ. Some hypothesize the image on the shroud was created through a rare scientific phenomenon. Still others think the shroud is a fake, proven—through carbon tests in 1988—to be a clever forgery. In The Truth About the Shroud of Turin , investigative reporter Robert K. Wilcox applies his investigative eye and compelling writing style to this mysterious artifact. Featuring new evidence, The Truth About the Shroud of Turin offers new insight into this baffling mystery and offers compelling evidence that the shroud is the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ.

5.) The True Icon: From the Shroud of Turin In the veil of Manoppello by Paul Badde

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most famous relics in the world. Scrutinized by scientists and studied by debunkers, it is also honored by countless faithful devoted to the mysterious image of a crucified man that appears on the cloth.In this lavishly illustrated book, best-selling author Paul Badde sets out on a journey through Europe and the Holy Land as he traces the rich history of the Shroud. With the investigative skills of a seasoned journalist, Paul Badde uncovers many of the mysteries surrounding the Shroud and also researches another relic honored as a burial cloth of Christ–the Veil of Manoppello, which bears the image of the Holy Face.Drawing upon his years in Jerusalem and his many visits to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Badde gives a riveting account of the discovery of Christ’s countenance by Peter and John in the dawn of the first Easter. Badde powerfully presents the case that their awe and wonder at the sight of the True Icon needs to be rediscovered in our own time.

6.) Shroud Of Turin: First Century after Christ! By Giulio Fanti and Pieandrea Malfi

The Turin Shroud is the most important and studied relic in the world. Many papers on it have recently appeared in important scientific journals. Scientific studies on the relic until today fail to provide conclusive answers about the identity of the enveloped man and the dynamics regarding the image formation impressed therein. This book not only addresses these issues in a scientific and objective manner but also leads the reader through new search paths. It summarizes the results in a simple manner for the reader to comprehend easily. Many books on the theme have been already published, but none of them contains such a quantity of scientific news and reports. The most important of them is the following: the result of the 1988 radiocarbon dating is statistically wrong and other three new dating methods demonstrate that the Shroud has an age compatible with the epoch in which Jesus Christ lived in Palestine. A numismatic analysis performed on Byzantine gold coins confirms this result. This book is, therefore, very important with respect to the Turin Shroud. It is unique in its genre and a very useful tool for those who want to study the subject deeply.

7.) Report on the Shroud of Turin by John H. Heller

Interprets the findings of a group of American scientists and medical researchers who used the latest in scientific equipment and methods to analyze the Shroud of Turin. Despite its publishing in 1983 it is interesting to look at what was known about the Shroud of Turin at the time.

8.) Photography from the Turin Shroud to the Turing Machine by Yanai Toister

This book introduces two conceptual models of photography: the Turin Shroud and the universal Turing machine. The Turin Shroud inspires a discussion on photography’s frequently acclaimed “ontological privilege,” which has conditioned an understanding of photography as a sui generis breed of images wherein pictorial representation is coextensive with human vision. This is then contrasted with a discussion on the universal Turing machine, which integrates photography into a framework of media philosophy and algorithmic art. Here, photography becomes more than just the present-day sum of its depiction traditions, devices, and dissemination networks. Rather, it is archetypical of multiple systems of abstraction and classification, and various other symbolic processes of transformation.

9.) The Shroud of Turin: The History And Legends of the World’s Most Famous Relic by Andrea Nicolotti

Shrouds have long held a special place among the sacred relics of Christendom. In the Middle Ages, shrouds, like holy relics, were the prize possessions of churches and cities. Cloaked in mystery, these artifacts have long been objects of reverence and awe, as well as sources of debates, quarrels, thefts, and excommunications. Shrouds—so some claim—provide visible testimony to faith. One in particular has drawn the interest of scholars, clergy, and the public alike: the Shroud of Turin.

In  The Shroud of Turin, Andrea Nicolotti chronicles the history of this famous cloth, including its circuitous journey from the French village of Lirey to its home in the Italian city of Turin, as well as the fantastical claims surrounding its origin and modern scientific efforts to prove or disprove its authenticity. Full of intrigue and mystery,  The Shroud of Turin dismantles hypotheses that cannot survive the rigors of historical analysis. Nicolotti directly addresses the thorny problem of the authenticity of the relic and the difficult relationship between history, faith, and science.

10.) The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: The Case for Authenticity written by John C. Iannone

The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: The Case for Authenticity: No cloth in history has been so studied as the Holy Shroud. Nor has any cloth so caught the fascination and reverence of the world. And still, this Linen remains a mystery. Is it the ancient burial cloth of Jesus, a Visual Gospel providing in its fabric the story of His passion and resurrection? What do modern blood and DNA studies reveal? Are there images of flowers and pollen that trace its history? What to forensic pathologists say about the wounds and the weapons that created them? About the Author: John C. Iannone is a Christian writer, lecturer and filmmaker who studied the Shroud for over 35 years. He was invited with colleagues to Turin, Italy to personally view the Shroud for an extended period. He has done over 260 presentations in Churches and Colleges of all denominations in the US, Canada and Rome. Mr. Iannone has spoken on Vatican Radio, EWTN and PBS in New Orleans and is currently creating a feature film on the Holy Shroud. He is the author of The Star of Bethlehem: The New Evidence. website: www.shroudimage.com.

Three More Familiar Authors & More Than Honorable Mentions

1.) The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: A Stunning Expose’ by Joseph Marino

The Shroud of Turin is the most studied artifact in human history. If science can prove the Shroud to be the authentic burial cloth of Jesus, the spiritual, psychological, and societal consequences would be unthinkably profound. In 1978, an investigation by a group of elite scientists known as Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) pointed toward authenticity. STURP, composed mostly of U.S. scientists who worked in the country’s nuclear and space programs, concluded that the image NOT the product of an artist. Additional research since that time has also been predominantly pro-authenticity. But only one test claims otherwise-the carbon date performed in 1988, whose results were announced as AD 1260-1390-a test that has since been proven questionable on multiple levels. Most people are unaware that C-14 is normally only a confirmatory test and does not outweigh the accumulation of other evidence.

So how did one test deceive the world about the most important relic in human history?

Joseph G. Marino is one of the world’s leading scholars in the study of the Shroud; he has researched, lectured, written, appeared on various radio and TV programs, and has presented at multiple international conferences. During the more than forty years that Marino has studied the Shroud, he has gained access to many rare documents concerning the events surrounding the carbon dating of the Shroud in 1988. He has spent countless hours for over thirty years researching and compiling the relevant data pertaining to the test. His latest book, The 1988 Dating Of The Shroud of Turin: A Stunning Exposé, is an explosive revelation about the largely-unknown and disturbing politics, backstabbing, personal agendas, egoism, and incompetence of not only the carbon-14 team members but even the Catholic Church as well.

2.) The Shroud: The 2000-Year-Old Mystery Solved by Ian Wilson

Two decades after radiocarbon dating declared the Turin Shroud a mediaeval fake, brand-new historical discoveries strongly suggest that this famous cloth, with its extraordinary photographic imprint, is genuinely Christ’s shroud after all.

In 1978 in his international bestseller The Turin Shroud Ian Wilson ignited worldwide public debate with his compelling case endorsing the shroud’s authenticity. Now, 30 years later, he has completely rewritten and updated his earlier book to provide fresh evidence to support his original argument. The Shroud boldly challenges the current post-radiocarbon dating view — that it is a fake. By arguing his case brilliantly and provocatively, Ian Wilson once more throws the matter into the public arena for further debate and controversy.

3.) The Turin Shroud: The Illustrated Evidence by Ian Wilson and Barrie Schwortz

See link for more information.