On the above cover of the book is a photograph of a man wearing the replica of the Shroud of Turin based on Lupia's discovery that it is an ancient Jewish tallit. The man wears the Shroud-tallit over an alb since the tallit is a sleeveless garment. Below is a photograph of the back view of the man wearing the Shroud-tallit over the alb with the hood down. For a more elaborate explanation see the photographs below taken from the book from pages 21 to 23.

The above photograph is taken from the book, The Ancient Jewish Shroud At Turin, page 114. The hood of the Shroud-tallit is the natural drapery of the Shroud fabric hanging from the neck-line when it is worn. Jews used to wear the hood up covering their head to conceal their head teffilin (

This book is the result of forty years of research on the Shroud of Turin and is published by Regina Caeli Press in order to assist pilgrims wishing to celebrate the Shroud of Turin Exhibition 10 April 2010 through 23 May 2010, at Turin, Italy, and anyone interested in the Shroud of Turin. 

John N. Lupia, a world-renowned antiquities expert, who in October 2002, made the breaking news that the so-called James Ossuary was a fake, now has crucial archaeological evidence that proves that the Shroud of Turin is authentic.

His book, The Ancient Jewish Shroud At Turin (Regina Caeli Press, 2010) ISBN 978-0-9826739-0-4, is destined to be one of the most exciting books you will ever have read in Shroud literature since it decisively authenticates the Shroud of Turin as a first century Jewish tallit.

Above : The Ancient Jewish Tallit design was not unique but a common type of himation garment worn by the pagans (Greeks and Romans) as well, but without the sacred fringe in each corner called tzitzyot (plural of tzitzit). This four arm slit garment was called an amphimaschalos, that it, double arm holed. The long rectangular linen garment was folded in half so that each pair of arm holes lined up allowing the man to slide his hand and arm through each.

The three photos are taken from the book, The Ancient Jewish Shroud At Turin, pages 21, 22 and 23

The tallit design and form is ancient but the only forms known today are the medieval types that emerged around 1000 A.D and later. It was unknown before the 17^th century that the tallit was identifiable as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, and the ancient Jewish tallit form was not known until the 20^th century. These two key facts alone preclude that it could not have been a medieval forgery.

In this groundbreaking forensic investigation vital evidence is shown that the Shroud of Turin is an ancient Jewish linen tallit garment type worn by Essenes at Qumran before A.D. 66, placing the Shroud in this time-frame and associating Jesus with this movement by implication.

This ancient form of the tallit provides compelling and decisive evidence that the Shroud of Turin is authentic and is the personal garment of Jesus Christ.

The fact that it can be decisively authenticated as a first century tallit places a stumbling block of equal magnitude in the path of the 1988 C-14 dating results. Both cannot be correct. Plausible explanations are given in the book that explain the dating of the linen as being harvested 1260 to 1390 given by the 1988 C-14 testing showing that several key issues were never considered.

This type of garment was worn by Jewish men and it was the same one in which they were buried. It is similar to the abbaya worn by Arabs giving us the first glimpse at the unity it provides among the Semitic peoples of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. 

For the Christian the Shroud of Turin is the physical relic of Jesus Christ, being his own personal garment on which the imprint of his crucified body provides us with a graphic portrait in every detail of the New Testament narratives of his Passion and Death.

For the Jew, it is the oldest remaining relic of the first century Jewish tallit type woven in linen, which is distinctively very different than the woolen burial garment discovered in 2000 by Shimon Gibson at Akeldama in the Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem. Moreover, it confirms the words of the Prophet Isaiah when describing the authentic Messiah, Isaiah 63:2 “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?” The fact that no known antique linen tallit type of the first century exists except the Shroud of Turin, and that this type was unknown prior to the 17^th century, no forger could have created it in the 14^th century as the 1988 C-14 testing claims.

For the Muslim it points to the two texts in the Koran in which God spoke and a man came into being. The first one was Adam, who was created sinless, perfect and in the image of God. But, Adam sinned and every human person has inherited sinfulness. The second instance in the Koran when God spoke Jesus was miraculously born being the New Adam, the first born of the New Creation. Just like Adam Jesus is created sinless, perfect and in the image of God. The difference between Adam and Jesus is that Jesus never sinned, since Jesus is God. God did not cease being God as a human person because God is supreme above his creation and being All Powerful can do all things including being a human being. In the Person of Jesus, God revealed himself as All Merciful paying the debt of the entire world by offering himself as a sacrifice for its sinfulness. The abbaya of Jesus, therefore, bears the proof of God’s holiness, the evidence of his faithfulness to redeem humanity and give mercy to all who call upon him with a sincere heart.

Since the discovery confirms the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin its implications opens wide the doors to a deeper and a renewed dialogue in light of this discovery and the impact it has on the world’s three great religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.