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Laurence Gardner on Ancient Secret Science Continued from page 59 of Jesus. The weave of the cloth and the historical lecturer and the appointed tvne of material are certainly ald enonch — Jannhite Histarinaranher Raval historical lecturer and the appointed Jacobite Historiographer Royal. Distinguished as the Chevalier de St Germain, he is Presidential Attaché to the European Council of Princes, Prior of the Sacred Kindred of St Columba, and a Knight Templar of St Anthony. His latest book, Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark, is published by HarperCollins/Element (2003, see article in NEXUS 10/02 and review in 10/03). His previous books are the worldwide best-selling and award-winning Bloodline of the Holy Grail, Genesis of the Grail Kings and Realm of the Ring Lords (reviewed in NEXUS 4/01, 6/03, and 8/01). Sir Laurence can be contacted via his website, http:/www.graal.co.uk. of Jesus. The weave of the cloth and the type of material are certainly old enough, and pollen has been found embedded which is undoubtedly Syrian. At present, no one really knows the true origin of the Shroud, and even scientists argue about various aspects of its analysis. For our film purposes, however, we are concerned only with the DNA analysis of the blood embedded in the cloth, and with the blood group. These have been specifi- cally identified, and the DNA tests were done in the 1990s at the University of Texas. The information is actually held on file by the San Diego DNA Crime Lab, so it ties in rather well with our screenplay. The film is currently under the working title, The Christian, and the basic format for the story is given as follows [he reads from a promotional poster]: "Since the inception of the DNA Crime Lab in San Diego, California, over 592 crimes have been solved by DNA match. But one puz- zling case remains a mystery. May 16, 2003—a 30-year-old white male, identified only as Chris Doe, was arrested on bur- glary charges in LA County and later released on $1,000 bail. Chris Doe has a positive DNA match to the Shroud of Turin. He is now wanted for questioning by the authorities and by the scientific community.” AM: I read an interesting book called The Second Messiah, which says that the image on the Shroud of Turin is really of Jacques de Molay. LG: That's a book by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas—one of a num- ber of suggestions about the Shroud. Others reckon it might be Leonardo da Vinci. Various ideas have been put for- ward over the years, but the traditional view is that the Shroud was the burial cloth POSTSCRIPT In a recent email about this film project, Laurence said: "All is going well to the extent that the film producers have now also optioned my other three books. It rather looks now as if screenplays will become very much a part of my life as well as writing books." oo About the Interviewer: Atasha McMillan, after graduating with a degree in English literature, received training and experience in mainstream journalism, working on newspapers and magazines. She left that world behind some years ago, and now concentrates on freelance writing for the new age/alternative/counterculture market. About the Interviewee: Laurence Gardner, Kt FSA, is an interna- tionally known sovereign genealogist, JUNE — JULY 2004 NEXUS +77 www.nexusmagazine.com