Ken Jeremiah has written extensively about spiritual and religious phenomena. He lives in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and runs tour groups to Japan, Italy, and other countries yearly.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      I. World Mummification1. Mummification and Critical Thinking      2. The Science of Mummification      3. Natural Mummies      4. Artificial Mummies      5. Other Forms of Mummification      6. Relic-Bodies            7. Death and the Unknown: The Allure of Mummies      II. Mummies in Italy8. Critical Thinking, Self-Reflection, and Mummy Studies      9. The Roman Catacombs      10. The Cult of the Martyrs      11. The Catacombs in Palermo      12. The Chapel of the Dead and the Skull Cathedral      13. Mummies of Ferentillo and San Domenico Maggiore; Papal Funerals      14. Polytheistic Elements of the Faith      III. Saints and Relics15. The Enigmatic Catholic Saint      16. The History of Saint Making      17. Stigmata and Other Miracles      18. Modern Saints      19. Asceticism in the Catholic Faith      20. The Importance of Physical Remains      21. The Cult of the Dead      IV. Incorruptible Bodies22. The Incorruptibles      23. Miraculous Preservation      24. The Preserved Bodies in Rome, Assisi and Mantova      25. Mummies in Florence, Naples and Sicily      26. Mummies in Other Parts of Italy      27. The Importance of the Incorruptibles      28. Preservation in Christianity      V. Influences from Other Cultures29. Mummification in Roman Society      30. The Old Testament      31. Historical Evidence      32. Immaculate Conception and the Resurrection      33. Mithra: The Zoroastrian God of the Sun      34. Pythagoras and Dionysus      35. The Cult of Osiris      VI. The Egyptian Influence36. Egyptian Influences in Italy      37. Alexandria and Coptic Christianity      38. Early Egyptian Religious Beliefs      39. Burial Practices      40. The Holy Trinity: Isis, Horus and Osiris      41. Religious Rituals and Practices      42. Integration and Assimilation      VII. The Reasons Behind Christian Mummification43. The Bodily Preservation of Jesus      44. The Rapture      45. Early Concepts of the Soul      46. The Power Inherent in Bodily Remains      47. Foreign Influences      48. Enduring Virtuosity      49. Symbols of Life and Death      Appendix: Locations of Select Mummies or Bodily Relics in Italy      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index