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Executive Summary
No stranger to high-profile cases, McCrone specializes in solving mysteries using chemistry and microanalysis. The Shroud of Turin, which many believed was the burial shroud of Jesus after the crucifixion, was analyzed by McCrone, as was the Vinland Map – highly publicized as a rendering of the New World. In both cases McCrone discovered the objects to be inauthentic.

Founded in 1956 by the highly respected Dr. Walter McCrone, Westmont, Illinois-based McCrone Associates is one of today’s leading microscopy consulting firms. Having pioneered advances in microscopic technology and chemical analysis, the firm uses state-of-the-art instrumentation to solve difficult and unique particle identification, materials characterization and analysis problems. Using an extensive array of microscopy tools along with the knowledge, technical skills and creative enthusiasm of its research scientists, McCrone Associates provides an unequaled combination of analytical and problem solving capabilities.

For National Geographic to prove authenticity of the Gospel of Judas documents they turned to numerous experts, scholars and scientists. Approaches for determining authenticity included radiocarbon dating, ink analysis, contextual evidence, paleographic evidence and multispectral imaging. McCrone Associates was chosen as the firm to research, scrutinize and validate the age and authenticity of the ink used.

Major Challenge
Joe Barabe, Senior Research Microscopist and team leader for the ink analysis project at McCrone Associates, had a challenge. The initial analytical results were troubling, as the ink included a number of totally unexpected elemental constituents. Either the ink was modern, and the document was a fake, or the ink was indeed ancient but unlike anything he could identify in his own research. From this point, McCrone decided to approach the case on two fronts.

If McCrone could prove the ink was modern and not available at the time the Judas documents were written, they could essentially debunk the document as authentic. On the other hand, if they could find evidence that an ink with these constituents existed in the 3rd century C.E., that would support the document’s authenticity.

McCrone immediately decided to include Nerac as part of their research team. Because the project was highly confidential, Joe was unable to share much detail concerning the research he needed. Since the first step in determining authenticity was to exclude the possibility of the presence of a modern ink, the first question Joe asked was straightforward: What modern inks have these ingredients, in these approximate ratios?

Nerac Analyst Mike Plante received the initial request from McCrone. Although he researched the question diligently, Mike was not able to find any modern inks with those characteristics. Shortly after reporting his results, he received a call back from Joe explaining his problem in greater detail, including the time frame and the importance of this highly confidential project. Mike was not yet aware of the client or the specific document, but he was now aware that the document was purported to be ancient and from Egypt or the Middle East. Forming a synergistic relationship from the initial meeting, Joe and Mike exchanged ideas regarding particular compositions pertinent to the ink characteristics Joe identified in the document. Joe explained the ink used on the document resembled an iron gall ink in appearance but not in chemical make up, and also included a carbon ink component. Taking what he learned from their conversation, Mike proceeded to extensively research the topic.

During a subsequent conversation, the word pomegranate came up. Mike recalled previously conducting research regarding pomegranate and the ingredients McCrone was investigating. Shortly thereafter, Mike provided Joe and his team with some intriguing material. Joe realized immediately that Mike was on the right track and encouraged him to keep looking. One of the references Mike found was an ink used in the early days of Arabic printing – it was an almost exact match! With that as a basis, Mike generated a series of references, and even found that pomegranate ink was fully chronicled and discussed previously in David Carvalho’s Forty Centuries of Ink.

The collaborative efforts of the McCrone and Nerac teams produced a substantial discovery that suggests pomegranate ink is consistent with the ink used to write the Gospel of Judas more than 1,700 years ago. “We consider Nerac and Mike Plante part of the research team here at McCrone Associates,” explained Joe. “Mike’s open minded approach to research as well as his knowledge and expertise helped us establish a solid direction and point of context vital to identifying the type of ink used in the Gospel of Judas documents.”

McCrone Associates will publish a paper detailing their findings in the July issue of Microscopy Today. In their report, McCrone suggested that pomegranate ink is indeed one of the possible inks used to write the Gospel of Judas document; even more importantly, that the ink is consistent with 3rd century Egypt.

The Nerac Factor
Entrusted Collaboration and Direction:
McCrone Associates turned to Nerac concerning a highly sensitive project. Using his extra-disciplinary knowledge, Nerac Analyst Mike Plante worked closely with Joe Barabe, Senior Research Microscopist, McCrone Associates, to research and analyze ink characteristics that ultimately helped McCrone substantiate its final research concerning the Gospel of Judas documents.

A Resolved Critical Research Challenge:
Joe Barabe and his team at McCrone Associates turned to Nerac immediately once they realized that the ink did not fit the expected pattern for an ancient ink. Using his extensive knowledge, Nerac’s Mike Plante researched various published journals and documents to find a vital piece of information McCrone later used to help further their investigation and analysis of the ink used to write the Gospel of Judas.

An increase in ROI Research Analysis:
With Nerac, McCrone has a dedicated team of professional analysts they can turn to for specific, project-related work without the cost of hiring full-time employees. By lowering the time and cost of completing critical research assignments, Nerac increases the return on investment in R&D problem resolution and specialty research projects − helping McCrone ultimately make more valuable, faster business decisions.