In 2006 the author, Thomas Craughwell, went on a tour of the excavations below St. Peter's Basilica in Rome where he saw the bones of St. Peter through a glass door. This lead him to his research for St. Peter's Bones. He didn't have to go far to begin in that several works by the excavation archaeologists were available as English translations at a university library just 30 minutes from his home.
I found St. Peter's Bones to be a fascinating and fairly easy book to read. It was written for the common man in the pew to understand the history behind what has happened over the past 2000 years to the remains of our first Pope - St. Peter. In addition, we learn Roman history, Church history and enjoy a real life mystery.
I suggest you read the first chapter for yourself. I will be adding this one to my library as I believe my young adult children will find it fascinating as they too have been to Rome.
About the Book:
In this fascinating account of the search for the remains of the world's first pope, none other than Peter, the chief apostle of Jesus, Thomas J. Craughwell takes us on one of the most exciting archaeological finds of the twentieth century.
In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1,100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church--one of the most venerable churches in all of Christiandom--and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter.
In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1,100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church--one of the most venerable churches in all of Christiandom--and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter.
Then in 1939, while reconstructing the grottoes below St. Peter's Basilica, a workman's shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. After inspecting what could be seen through the hole they'd made in the mausoleum's roof, Pope Pius XII secretly authorized a full-scale excavation. What lay beneath? The answer and the adventure await. In this riveting history, facts, traditions, and faith collide to reveal the investigation, betrayals, and mystery behind St. Peter's burial place.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
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