“The Fisherman’s Tomb,” by John O’Neill.
Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana, 2018, 204 pages, grades 9 and higher.
As Vatican II proclaims in its magnificent Dogmatic Constitution entitled Dei Verbum, (Word of God) Divine Revelation comes to the faithful through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Old and New Testaments compose Sacred Scripture and are well-known to believers. What is harder to define is Sacred Tradition. St. Paul tells us in 2nd Thessalonians 2:14 that we are to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” Through this we learn that God used the “letter” or the Bible, and the “word of mouth” which is Sacred Tradition.
Later, Sacred Tradition will include the teachings of the Church and the writings of Church Fathers. One of the most famous teachings from Sacred Tradition is the statement by St. Jerome that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Vatican II uses this quote in Dei Verbum. Sacred Tradition helps us to better understand the history of the Church and the development of our faith.
John O’Neill traces the belief from Sacred Tradition that St. Peter was martyred and buried in Rome during a persecution started by the megalomaniac Roman Emperor, Nero. “The Fisherman’s Tomb” is the name of this compelling title that reads like a novel.
Over the centuries many have desired to find the exact location of the tomb of St. Peter. But since Rome had been burned and destroyed several times, the quest for the tomb is very difficult to achieve. When archaeologists dig under the Vatican, they discover that Rome has been rebuilt a number of times. So the foundations of the city are historical time capsules. Pope Pius XII decides to make a sustained effort to find the tomb of St. Peter. This occurs because one excavation uncovers a series of rooms filled with tombs. On the wall next to the tombs is a remarkable amount of graffiti.
The pope moves forward and begins what will be called “The Apostle Project.” Father Ludwig Kaas, a personal friend of the pope, and Father Antonio Ferrua, with a Ph.D. in archeology, are named heads of the project. Ferrua will eventually take total control of the project. Unfortunately, Ferrua has an exceedingly high opinion of his ability and does not take criticism well. After several years, The Apostle Project, finds what it believes are the bones of St. Peter. Satisfied that he has accomplished the near impossible, Ferrua settles into a career of social climbing in the Vatican.
But the pope brings in a brilliant young scholar, Dr. Margaret Guarducci, into the project. She quickly discovers that Ferrua has made a number of fundamental archeological mistakes and that the Apostle Project has incorrectly identified the Tomb of St. Peter. This starts a two-decade philosophical war and vicious reputation-smearing campaign by some members of one Vatican department over this matter. At the same time, successive popes try to protect Dr. Guarducci from of all this petty and professional jealousy. How is it all finally resolved?
What does Dr. Margaret Guarducci do to prove her theories about St. Peter’s Tomb? How does brutal chauvinism poison so much of the Apostle Project? How does Pope Pius XII enlist a Texas billionaire to fund the excavation? How does the Church use Sacred Tradition to teach us important parts of our faith? To find out, purchase this exciting, readable history of the search for St. Peter’s Tomb.
This book reads like a novel and is gripping. You will see the foibles of different members of the Vatican Curia, and the heroic courage of other Vatican officials. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
