The Shroud

THE SHROUD OF TURIN

The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Is it really the cloth that wrapped his crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist? Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages.

International lecturer and researcher Russ Breault presents a short summary on the Shroud of Turin (14min)

THE FACTS

THE CLOTH

The size of the cloth measures 14.5 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. A distinct, triple herringbone weave known to exist in first century, A.D.

And Joseph of Arimathea “…wrapped the body in a linen Shroud” Luke 23:53

THE BLOOD

Blood on cloth prior to image- impossible to forge Actual human blood in wounds of feet, wrists, side, scourge marks, head and brow Human blood stays red ONLY as the result of severe, prolonged torture Serum “halos” surrounding blood stains only visible with 20th century UV fluorescence photography

THE IMAGE

Lights & darks reversed, like on a photographic “negative,” only such image on earth Encoded with 3-D information of body, only such image on earth Depicts a scourged, “crowned,” speared and crucified man, approximately 5 ft. 11 in. tall weighing approximately 175 lbs. Not a painting – image color insoluble in all 25 solvents tested. Not a scorch from a heated statue – does not fluoresce under UV illumination. Not a rubbing of iron oxide – image does not consist of iron oxide. Not produced by an artist. Not a medieval photograph – not produced by any light process. Not produced by bodily secretions. A medieval forger would have needed to be an expert in biochemistry, medicine, anatomy, forensic pathology, photography, and 3-D computer analysis.

THE HISTORY

The 1988 carbon dating sampled a rewoven area not representative of the main cloth and proved nothing about the Shroud.

“L-shaped” burn holes and other Shroud landmarks are pictured in a manuscript documented from 1191.

Historical support cited by authors like Ian Wilson traced the Shroud back to the first century.

Rare Shroud dirt from foot area matches Jerusalem samples.

Once on the same body as the Sudarium of Oviedo – in Spain since 631 A.D.

Treatment parallels Scriptural accounts of Jesus of Nazareth, including scourging (more severe than routine), beating (dislocated nose), piercing through side, leg bones not broken, bruises on shoulders (from carrying cross), wounded knees (from falling), nailing of hands and feet, mocking crown of thorns The victim was buried, not devoured by animals as usual.