The Fisherman’s Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search

Funny to be reminded that power is everywhere including the church and recognition seems to triumph truth too often. But this book so worth the read to find Peter’s bones reminds us the search for truth goes on without our knowledge and that is alright…..

In 2005, I asked Archbishop John Foley if he could arrange for my admission to the Scavi Tour under St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Foley told me to go to the Office of the Scavi and ask for Paolo. I did that, but Paolo was not available. A clerk took down my information. I never did get to see Paolo; and I never got to see the Scavi. John Foley laughed when I told him what happened. He said, “Paolo never responded to me either.” This small book (169 pages) may tell me what I missed. The book tells the story of two popes, Pius XII and Paul VI, who authorized a top-secret search under St. Peter’s Basilica seeking the remains of the Apostle Peter. Most of the story takes place between 1939 and 2014, when the archeological digging occurred. During the first half of the 1940s, the war in Europe and the occupation of Rome threatened to expose and interfere with the secret search. Thereafter, the story is mainlyabout the interesting personalities caught up in this massive undertaking. The villain – every story must have a villain – is Rev. Antonio Ferrua, who had recently acquired a doctorate in archeology but who had virtually no experience in excavations. Ferrua exercised the power of clericalism in an attempt to enhance his own reputation. The hero of the story is Margherita Guarducci, a highly experienced archeologist and a recognized expert in deciphering ancient inscriptions. Guarducci goes head-to-head with Ferrua, interpreting ancient inscriptions that Ferrua had disregarded as “unintelligible and meaningless graffiti.” The book is written in a straightforward, if somewhat choppy style that would remind you of a diary or a journal. The transition from chapter to chapter could be smoother. It is a very interesting book. And, oh yes, Paolo is not mentioned.

I found this book very interesting, but it was a bit complicated. I found myself going back and referencing information to keep it straight. It was a very good read, especially if you are Catholic.

I bought several to share with family and friends. Thought it was an interesting bit of history regarding the Vatican and persons involved in sponsoring this search for St Peter’s tomb.

This is an excellent book which fully delivers what it promises along with much more. As a Catholic, I had seen and followed many reports through the years--some contradictory--concerning excavations done over the last 70-80 years under St.Peter's Basilica which attempted to find and verify the original tomb of the Apostle. This had more than merely antiquarian interest to me, since much current theological scholarship has tended to discount the traditional Roman Catholic assertion that Peter the Apostle, commissioned to a unique leadership role by Jesus of Nazareth, upon traveling to Rome maybe for the second time, assumed leadership of the Christian community (or at least a part of it) and was martyred there during the persecution of emperor Nero in the mid-60's A.D. This also has larger implications for the question of how the office of bishop may have developed in the early Church from custodian of the meeting-place to Chairman of the Board of Elders to Apostolic Successor.The re-discovery of what is very likely the mortal remains of the Big Fisherman joins several other religious relics that tradition venerated but that were often treated with the general skepticism occasioned by the prodigious multiplication of objects of questionable authenticity during the Middle Ages. These material objects now viewed more seriously include the Shroud of Turin, the Sudarion (face cloth) ofOrvieto, the Black Madonna of Czestochova (likely a reproduction of the Hoda Gitria), and the Ark of the Covenant housed at Axum, Ethiopia. (This last is reputed to contain a tablet with the Ten Commandments written on it--both sides. Is the script Proto-Sinaitic?)The book would be enhanced with more graphical material. Illustrations or, even better, photos of the Trophy, the Red Wall and the Grafitti Wall would be very helpful. I've been fortunate to see museum models of those structures. Also, as I recall from the museum presentation, the inscription removed from the Grafitti Wall by Fr. Fellua actually read "HIC CEPHAS," or "Here lies Peter" using the Aramaic equivalent of Greek "Petros" as a way of "hiding in plain sight." That would tend to fit better with a move of Peter's bones in response to persecution rather than for security during construction.Confirmation that the Church of Rome really is literally founded on the Rock of Peter won't erase all the nasties that we Catholics have done over the last 2000 years, as I'm sure any competent Evangelical Christian historian will be happy to point out. But on-balance, I think we've done more to keep our civilization from re-descending into savagery than is generally recognized. And maybe somehow we've managed, as a follow-up to our Founder's Sacrifice, to bring more than a few often half-comprehending human souls to a post-mortem state of Salvation. Something like Tokyo subway door pushers stuffing Japanese commuters into trains.

The story of the search for the location of the bones of St. Peter spans decades with many twists and turns. This well-researched and well-written account does an excellent job of connecting all the dots to the ultimate conclusion that the bones are authentic.As a bonus, the descriptions of the tombs housed below St. Peter's Basilica are fascinating, as well as the inscriptions etched in stone by the early Christians. I also learned details about World War II that I was unaware of and about the lives of several unsung heroes.This is an outstanding read!

A fascinating story about a Texas benefactor, an archeologist and St Peter at a critical time in history

I recommend reading this book after the brilliant book by John Evangelist Walsh The Bones of St. Peter. Read together they really draw a compelling picture of the research and archaeology that made discovery of the bones of the apostle possible. The account written by Walsh is fascinating and describes the dig, it's findings and tests performed for authentication in minute detail. The book by John O'Neil is written some twenty years later and pics up where the first book stops, especially the lamentable persecution and ridiculing of the brilliant Margherita Guarducci, who is a real hero of the story. She has my huge respect. The FIsherman's Tomb is very good if you want to learn about characters and their relationships, The Bones of St.Peter is better and more accurate representation of the actual work that led to probably the biggest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Not to be missed.

Até parece que a igreja é a maior inimiga da religião...

Je suis déçu. Je pensais à un ouvrage sérieux, mais les à priori de l'auteur sur l'histoire romaine et la cruauté de Néron, m'ont dissuadé d'aller plus loin que les premières pages. Un historien sérieux ne s'appuie pas que sur Tacite pour juger cet empereur.

Interesting, well written if somewhat repetitive in places. For the curious, a good read!