The Second Messiah: Templars, The Turin Shroud, and the Great Secret of Freemasonry

by Robert Lomas and Christopher Knight

Book Overview

For almost seven and a half centuries, a piece of cloth was venerated because it bore the image of the crucified Christ. However, but results of carbon dating have shown that the fabric could not have... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760720460
• ISBN13: 9780760720462
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 259 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

High speculative with lots of guessing

Let's look at the authors: Christopher Knight believed that the moon is an artificial construction probably built by humans with a message in "base ten arithmetic so it looks as though it is directed to a ten digit species that is living on Earth right now - which seems to mean humans." He believes that it was created to make life on Earth possible, including humans, and that the most likely builders were humans of the future using time travel. Robert Lomas is a British writer, physicist and business studies academic. He has stated that his books have several highly speculative works on the origins of Freemasonry, and his works have attracted "a great deal of criticism and even outrage" but argues that his writing is "loaded with all sorts of interesting theories and information that seem emblematic of an insider's point of view on the subject matter". My point is that both admit their works and their beliefs are highly speculative about areas they really have no real belief in, just throwing stuff out there to see if anyone will "bite". Neither has any training regarding the subject matter and hold no credentials to verify their research. They picked and chose their "facts" and made them into theories and subjective outcomes. At best, these two would be considered science fiction writers, but not factual in areas of Biblical research. Even the Freemasons have debunked these two.

stupendous research

This is by far the most exciting book I have read on the subject. The research is very thorough. There is a lot of information that is impossible to find elsewhere.

A book every Christian should read.

This book has the means to upset so many readers who have adhered to a blind and inaccurate idea of what it means to be "faithful." This book is historically accurate, factual in it's depth, and so being will no doubt be ignored by many with a vested psychological or social interest in the accepting of fairytales and dogmatic. As a writer of similar historical books, there are many that do not wish to face uncomfortable facts. After re-reading this book, the historical facts it contains will be ignored, or more likely, denied by those unable or more likely, unwilling to understand the implications of it's history. It will be denounced as "the work of atheists", as a fable by "unfaithful" and perhaps labeled "Unchristian." These terms cannot detract from its scope and accuracy, despite the frightened words of its detractors. If history, real history has taught humanity anything, it is that the unpopular ideas are often most importantly studied, and we often find that they are based on truth: and in religious dogma, truth is unwanted, unnecessary, and at times dangerous. This is an excellent companion book to "The Hiram Key" which also speaks to the political power of the Christian Church, and the monetary and social control it has garnered over the past 1400 years. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough, despite that fact that the mystics, the pseudohistorians, and the overly faithful will dismiss it. And that, in itself is a shame. For knowledge is free to anyone who seeks it. Yet so few do. I wish I could give this book 6 stars. W. S. Davis

Tarot, Arthur, Shroud, Scrolls, what DIDN'T they have??????

Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas present a clear, well-documented model of religious and Masonic history. I read this a long time ago... Then I read the Hiram Key... Then the Templar Revelation.... and then the Head of God.... and tonight I read this again. (The Second Messiah, and oh, for the un informed these books are a few of the many focusing on the Templars Jerusalem treasure and great heresy) I find this book more believable than its prequel (Hiram Key), though much of its work is based on the conclusions of that piece. And this is MUCH MUCH MUCH more credible than "The Head of God." It has the same idea of the royal blood line however, but doesn't take as far back as Akhenaten/Moses. First the authors set out to show that Paul's theology was at direct odds with the Jerusalem church, which was completely Jewish, not viewing Christ as anyone supernatural. But Paul's religion conquered it, which further expounds their idea that there were many secrets to Jame's church. If you haven't read the Hiram Key, this is their formula [Nasorean=Essene=Christian] They also get into the feature of all the books I mentioned-Rosslyn Chapel. Their finds in the ancient decorations of this temple prove that Freemasonry is centuries older than the English Lodge says. In fact, their dogma is rather evasive. It claims 1717 was the birth of modern Masonry, and doesn't appreciate Freemasonry historians to look further in the past than this date. It is amazing how all the books on these same subjects come up with such different conclusions. The engraving of the "Veronica" was interpreted by "The Head of God" to be just that (a severed head) and here it is identified with the Shroud of Turin. And speaking of the Shroud, here they establish that the most feasible theory regarding its origin is the image of Jacques de Molay. (And they at the same time debunk "The Templar Revelation"'s theory surrounding its mystery) It is surprising to note that in Templar history we find an interesting alternative in interpreting eschatological fulfillments-specifically the book of Revelation. And that is their big claim. Jacques De Molay became the "Second Messiah." He was their High Priest of Yahweh. I'm not going to get into detail explaining this, but it is profoundly interesting. By now you will not want to put this book down. And once you hit the last chapter it is utterly FASCINATING. And that is of course, if it is all true. But the jigsaw puzzle fit of most of their theories certainly suggests that they have found something rather arcane and revolutionary.

Jesus, Knights Templar, the Shroud, and the Catholic Church

After my review of "The Hiram Key" was published here I received an email from Christopher Knight inviting me to read his and Robert Lomas's next books "The Second Messiah" and "Uriel's Machine." I just finished "The Second Messiah." I start "Uriel's Machine", tomorrow."The Second Messiah" presents the reader with massive amounts of evidence to show that the Catholic Church has, for centuries, covered up the true facts concerning the Shroud of Turin, (among other things), how the Shroud came to be and who's image is imprinted on the cloth. Knight and Lomas present a strong case that the Knights Templar, King Philip the Fair of France, and Pope Clement V had as much to do with the creation of the Shroud as did the person who's visage appears upon it. The authors go to great lengths to explain what physical forces created the image on the Shroud of turin. They even attempt to create a "Shroud" themselves."The Second Messiah" is a ride through history, with stops along along the way to visit Herod's Temple, and learn about the secrets which were hidden for centuries underneath, to Scotland and Rosslyn Chapel and the secret of the West Wall, to London and the formation of the Grand Masonic Lodge and its break with the Scotish Lodges. Here, Knight and Lomas explain in fascinating detail the secrets of the 33 Masonic degrees."The Second Messiah" is very interesting, extremely well written and painstakingly researched. I suggest that you read this book holding "The Second Messiah" in one hand and the Christian "Bible" in the other. Keep a pad and pencil handy to jot down the questions you want to ask the Pope, the next time you see him!

The most extraordinary book I have ever read.

The authors present their latest findings concerning the links between Jesus, his brother James, the first Jerusalem Church, the Knights Templar, the Turin Shroud and Freemasonry. Without wishing to give away too much, the stories they unravel and the picture they lay before you develop and appear like the mysterious image of the Shroud itself; any hints given here would detract from the final impact as the book picks up more pace and rushes headlong to its conclusions. If they are to be believed, their theories will force a re-examination of the origins of Christianity - so this book will shock readers possessing less than open minds. The authors' style of writing - almost conversational - is one which I expected to find distracting; far from it! It turned out to be especially appropriate when one considers the very special nature of some of the (purely coincidental) conversations they did have with some key characters who have been introduced to them. Their revelations are truly stunning. Both authors are Freemasons of some years' standing; it is fascinating to see, even given that, how many obstacles to genuine research were placed in their way. In their words, "what is there to hide?" They found plenty. My only criticism is of the authors' tendency to present their theories as fact... but the sheer weight of documented historical evidence lends a high degree of plausibility to those theories. With every chapter containing so much complex detail, the inclusion of a brief, simple summary of each one is especially welcome and I have been stimulated to go in search of more books on the subject; I bought two more this week. Prepare to be left feeling shattered