BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE TURIN SHROUD
NEWSLETTER NO: 48 - December 1998
HOST: Shroud of Turin Website
Editorial
By Ian Wilson
More Glad Tidings!The last Newsletter appeared slightly earlier than its due date, in order to apprise members of the latest news from Turin at the time of the Expositions. This issue regrettably errs on the late side for personal reasons frantic efforts to complete a long overdue book on the Bible. I had hoped to get it away before the height of the Christmas mail clog-up, but without success.
However, given the season, at least some Glad Tidings can be brought, for the second issue in succession. On his visit to Turin earlier this year Pope John Paul II made probably the longest, most percipient and supportive comments on the Shroud of any Pope in history. In the wake of these the Vatican has announced the actual dates of the Year 2000 Shroud Expositions.In Britain, thanks to some entrepreneural activity by Martin Smith, there is to be a meeting of BSTS members for the first time in a couple of years, details of which appear on the back page. In the US, where there has tended to be a lack of cohesion and co-operation between the countrys several Shroud organisations, a most unifying meeting was held in Dallas on the weekend of November 6 to 8, ably arranged by Texas attorney Michael Minor. All reports of this have been full of praise, and for next year plans are in hand for a Shroud Conference in Richmond, Virginia, for the weekend of 17-20 June.
Barrie Schwortz's Internet site, which at one time looked in danger of closing because its popularity exceeded Barrie's financial and time resources, is now back on even keel again. Barrie now has high hopes of achieving his long-term goal of producing a Shroud CD-ROM, something along the lines of a National Gallery and Encyclopaedia Britannica, of Shroud images and information. This would immediately become the worlds finest resource for Shroud information. Details of this are included in this Newsletter, and members are warmly recommended to study Barrie's special offers on high-quality Shroud photographs, purchasable internationally by credit card, the proceeds from which will go toward the production of the CD-ROM.
Also in this issue is an important paper by American historian Jack Markwardt proposing some modifications of my Mandylion theory. These I find intriguing, compelling and welcome most warmly. Similarly appropriate to this season of goodwill is that the trenchant Alan Whanger v. Ian Wilson faces in the clouds sparring match of the last two Newsletters now sees Wilson on the defensive, largely thanks to a most impressive pro-Whanger paper presented by the noted Israeli botanist Professor Avinoam Danin at the Turin Congress. For whether or not this Editor does end up eating his hat, see the next Newsletter!