“Risen” movie

“Risen”, a major motion picture starring Joseph Fiennes and Tom Felton , follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Jesus’ image imprinted on His burial cloth (the eventual Shroud of Turin, which is the subject of “The Linen God”)…..only adds fuel to the raging fire!

 

Turin Shroud on Display!

A very rare exposition of the Shroud of Turin begins this weekend at St. John’s chapel in Turin, Italy. For more detail, check out the link below.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/millions-expected-to-view-turin-shroud-in-rare-display/vi-AAbgSOf

 

 

 

KTRS interview

Thanks to host Paul Brown and KTRS Radio for the opportunity to discuss my novel addressing the mysteries of The Shroud of Turin, “The Linen God”. Check it out!

 
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Lunch in Ferguson, MO today!

YES….I had lunch with my daughter today in a small town very close to where I grew up in the north St. Louis suburbs.Ferguson, MO was a nice town then, and is a nice town today…….except for the fact that it is being held hostage by dozens of out-of-town “activists” with their own personal agendas, looters that aren’t even from Ferguson, and a horde of press that would boggle the mind….”journalists” who, in some cases, are making a bad situation worse with coverage that does not accurately reflect the situation.

As a father, I’m very sad for this young man’s parents, I can only imagine their sense of loss. But I also feel compassion for so many others impacted by these tragic events, not the least of which are the residents nearby who can’t get to their late night jobs because of all the craziness…..some who risk losing those jobs as a result. Or the kids who haven’t been able to start their school year. Or the merchants whose businesses are virtually shut down.

All because of an unprovoked shooting by a white police officer of an unarmed black man……which may or may not have happened. But I digress…..
New evidence (witnesses & medical) is suggesting the officer may have been under attack. However, even if this is the case and the officer is innocent, the Ferguson incident has uncovered a simmering distrust between the African American residents of Ferguson and its police department.
I pray justice is served and civic leaders step up to address the real issue in my home town.

The Tuscany Prize

My newest book, “Wildest Dreams” is up for the “Top Novel of 2014”. Check out the link below:

http://www.tuscanyprize.com/blog/wildest-dreams-novel-submission.php

 

 

 

Google Alerts: Shroud of Turin

Since “The Linen God” is based on the Shroud of Turin, I set a Google alert a year ago to let me know when new articles and blog postings hit the web relating to it. I’ve noticed a dramatic uptick in the recent month, leading me to believe interest in this amazing icon is increasing. I’d love to know other’s opinions on this subject. Please comment.

 

Thanks

 

Jesus crucified in a “Y” position?

New analysis of the Shroud of Turin suggests it could be a medeival forgery. The theory follows the logic that whoever created it thought crucifixion involved the hands being nailed above the head because of blood flow. Of course, traditional “T” crucifixion would also involve blood flowing down the victim’s arms with the body slumping on the cross, but I digress.

 Matteo Borrini at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK wanted to know if the “bloodstains” on the left arm, the clearest ones, were consistent with the flow of blood from the wrist of a crucified person. So he asked Luigi Garlaschelli of the University of Pavia, Italy, to assume different crucifixion postures, while a cannula attached to his wrist dribbled donated blood down his arm.

They found that the marks on the shroud did correspond to a crucifixion, but only if the arms were placed above the head in a “Y” position, rather than in the classic “T” depiction, New Scientist reported. It would have been nice had they tested the “slumped body” configuration.

Borrini said that this would have been a very painful position and one which would have created difficulty breathing. Someone crucified in this way may have died from asphyxiation. He added that similar positions were used during medieval torture, but in those cases the victims were suspended from a beam by binding their wrists with rope, rather than using nails.

 

Shroud image from an earthquake??

A major plot point in “The Linen God” was a theory proposed by physics student and seminarian, Manny Lusum. In an attempt to prove the Shroud of Turin was actually the burial cloth wrapped around Jesus’ body after His crucifixion, Manny theorized the formation of Christ’s image on the Shroud came about via a burst of partical radiation caused by a supernatural event, the Resurrection. This “Scorch Theory” is actually a widely-held viewpoint by many Shroud advocates.

A new study, led by Alberto Carpinteri of the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, claims neutron emissions from high-frequency pressure waves generated in the Earth’s crust during an earthquake at the time of Jesus’ death, may have produced significant neutron emissions. These emissions could have not only created the iconic image, but also affected the radiocarbon levels that later suggested the Shroud was a medieval forgery.

These neutron emissions could have interacted directly with nitrogen atoms in the linen fibers, inducing chemical reactions that created the distinctive face image on the shroud, the scientists say. The reactions also could have led to an inaccurate radiocarbon dating, which would explain the results of the 1989 experiments.

Stay tuned!

2015 Display of Turin Shroud

The Holy Shroud of Turin will be displayed in the Cathedral of Turin in the Spring of 2015. The Shroud is a piece of linen cloth that wrapped the body of a crucified man, and inexplicably bears his image. According to tradition, it was used to wrap the body of Jesus Christ. The Shroud is also the basis for “The Linen God”.
It’s a surprising move since the relic is shown only on special occasions. The exhibit has been approved by Pope Francis, as a way to mark 200 years since the birth of St. John Bosco. The exact dates of the exhibit are unknown at this point, but the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, says the Holy Shroud will be on display for roughly 45 days, sometime between the Easter season and mid August 2015. He also says, he’s hoping Pope Francis will visit the Cathedral to directly see the Shroud and pray before it.

Catholic Fiction review by Bonnie Way

Manny Lusum is obsessed with the Shroud of Turin. He’s almost finished his doctoral thesis, which will prove that the Shroud is genuine, when he has the chance to see the Shroud during its visit to New York.

Manny’s discovery that the Shroud there is not the original Shroud rocks his world – until he’s swept into a conspiracy by his best friend, Grace, and her mom, a journalist tracking down the story behind three grisly murders in Rome.

Grace is in love with Manny, though she won’t admit it to herself, much less to anyone else, because Manny is in seminary. She doesn’t totally understand Manny’s obsession with the Shroud – or his Catholic faith – but she’s swept into the whirlwind surrounding the conspiracy when she finally meets her father. As Grace struggles to deal with all of the information being thrown at her, she must also help Manny through the toughest time of his life.

Jim O’Shea pens a suspenseful story that pulled me in with the first few chapters and kept me reading until the very end. At times, I felt a bit lost in all the information about the Shroud and how all the loose ends were going to meet, but I was never bored. Manny and Grace are delightful, interesting characters with a great relationship, and every other character in the book felt equally real.

I confess that I knew next-to-nothing about the Shroud before reading this novel, so my curiosity was piqued. Jim includes an image of the Shroud on his website, along with two websites for readers wanting more information.

Jim O’Shea is a graduate of the University of Missouri and long-time resident of Missouri. He worked for twenty-five years in the software industry and now “spends his time crafting suspense novels that often tackle the complex relationship between science and religion.”

The Linen God made me think of Dan Brown, except that Jim actually checked his facts and got his history straight. The book also reminded me of Frank Peretti’s books, which challenge the reader to think more deeply about faith and current issues.

For more information about Jim and his books, check out his website. I was thoroughly impressed by Jim’s debut novel and look forward to seeing his next book on the bookshelves.

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Category: Contemporary Publisher : ISBN-13: 978-1938679063 Original Language: English Book Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

About Bonnie Way

Bonnie Way is a freelance writer and editor whose work has been published in a variety of publications from parenting magazines to travel websites. She is the editor of FellowScript, a quarterly writer’s newsletter, and is currently taking writing courses at the University of Victoria in BC. Bonnie has been an avid reader since childhood (she blames her reading habits for getting her into writing) and currently reviews books for several publishers and publicists. When she’s not writing, she’s busy as a wife and the mom of two beautiful daughters. Visit Bonnie’s website, The Koala Bear Writer.