Who is John Cullinane from The Source; a Novel and what is their importance?

Dr. John Cullinane is an archaeologist from the Biblical Museum in Chicago. He travels to the Holy Land hoping to do some important archaeological digs. He is in his forties and is an Irish-Catholic who was educated at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Grenoble and many other places. He studied in various places to acquire special skills and to perfect his technical analysis. He grew up in Gary, Indiana where his father worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. He is well known in his field.