Carla Kanaan Ancient History

Discuss the factors for and against the Shroud Of Turins authenticity in relation
to being the burial shroud of Jesus Christ and evaluate its authenticity based on
these factors

The Shroud of Turin has been a controversial subject for centuries and involves endless factors
which have been tirelessly discussed, tested and refuted in order to prove or disprove its

authenticity. The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth, in the form of a herringbone weave. It measures

to be 4.2 meters long and 1 meter wide. The Shroud features a faint yellow image on the front

and back which encompasses a naked, bearded, crucified man with red bloodstains

corresponding to torture. Individuals and groups of Christian denominations state that the image

on The Shroud Of Turin matches the wounds of the crucifixion suffered by Jesus Christ (Robert

T. Caroll, 2015) and therefore, is the burial shroud of Christ himself after His torturous crucifixion.

The Shroud has been preserved and revered for centuries as the real, tangible burial Shroud

that wrapped Christ (Tia Ghose, 2015), however, there are many factors associated with the

Shroud which provide questioning towards it authenticity. These factors present themselves as;

biblical accounts, physical anatomical characteristics, Carbon 14 dating and evidence of blood.

Due to these factors, there are continual debates between the Shroud being a medieval forgery

or the extraordinary work of Christ.

The continuous debate of the Shrouds controversial authenticity begins with the biblical
accounts of The Passion. There has been endless research regarding similarities and

differences between the biblical accounts and physical evidence presented on the Shroud itself.

A prominent feature on the Shroud is what appears to be small pools of blood at the top of the

figures head, which matches the accounts of the crown of thorns which were placed upon Jesus

head during the passion (John 19:2). This is undoubtably a persuasive factor to the Shrouds

authenticity, as Jesus Christ is the only recorded man to have received a crown of thorns.

However it has been endlessly refuted that the figure on the Shroud cannot be Jesus Christ for

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reasons regarding the fact that his body would be smothered in blood. (The passion of Christ,

2004) (miraclesceptic, 2009) Yet, the Shroud only presents enough intact blood which is merely

smudged, in order to match with the descriptions in the biblical accounts. It is stated by skeptics

that the blood flows are merely an artists representation of blood. It has also been examined that

the claims within the New Testament, clearly match the wounds (Lynne Kelly, 2004) depicted on

the Shroud and the wounds are consistent with the blood of the 120 Roman flagrum whips (Fred

Zuckabe, - in national geographic - 2005), the side spear, nail wounds and no broken legs.

(Jesus Christ is the only man who's legs were not broken while undertaking crucifixion) The

reaction to these factors is simply that they could not be the result of a super sophisticated artist

who anticipated such detail (John P.Jackson, 1991) (John L. Ateo, 2014). Nevertheless, It has

been researched and explained that some of the cases stated by supporters of the Shroud are

simply nowhere to be found. An example of this is no mention as to how many whip wounds

Jesus sustained - which contradicts the 120 whip wounds that believers state is undeniably a

factor of the passion of Christ(Robert Perry, year unknown). Furthermore, the most questioning

element to the Shroud is the prominent nail marking through the individuals wrists. Nails through

Jesus hands have always been a prominent feature within artistic portrayals over centuries, and

it is believed these artists would have obtained information from the bible. (Psalm 22:16)

However, it is stated that there is a limited chance a nail could hold a man upon a cross.

Therefore, this leaves believers not wanting to question their faith, and they simply do not

acquire a refute to this point without going against the Holy Bible. Continuing, John 19:40

indicates that Jesus burial strictly followed Jewish customs and thus the body would have been

washed and wrapped in 75-100 pounds of spices with several linen clothes. However, this

completely contradicts what the shroud of Turin displays, a single, dirty, unwashed body which

displays no traces of spices when exposed to scientific testings. (John L. Ateo, 2014) Therefore,

it can be noted that the biblical descriptions in relation to the Shroud of Turin, present arguments

which contradict the physical evidence, yet somehow relate to the artefact enough for believers

to identify it as the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.

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A dditionally, one of the most leading factors of debate associated with the Shrouds authenticity
is the anatomical characteristics which are encompassed throughout the linen. There have been

countless debates regarding the anatomical composition and inconsistencies which have been

both supported and refuted tirelessly. Firstly, the most questionable characteristic of the body is

the height of the man who is presented to be approximately 175cm tall. This factor alone has

lead skeptics to question why Jesus would possess such a height, considering people of the 1st

century would not have possessed such heights.(Joe Nickell, 2015) It has also been questioned

why the miraculous height of Christ was never mentioned in the bible, a point made by skeptics

is that if Christ was in fact 175cm tall, there would have been no need for Judas to point Jesus

out to the Romans. (John L. Ateo, 2014) However, the refuted arguments from supporters is the

fact that the height of the figure would have been distorted due to the linen cloth stretching over

a period of time. (Dan Porter 2009) Moreover, another argument put forth by skeptics is the fact

that the figure is naked and features hands neatly folded across the figures pelvis. However, a

body lying limp can not physically attain this posture, for it is not possible for someone to hold

their arms over their pelvis while keeping shoulders on the floor. (Antonio Lombatti, 2015) An

understandable reasoning for this position is the possibility of the artist who created the Shroud,

knew the image would be displayed and was concerned with artistic modesty for an intention to

display. On the other hand, believers state that this is due to the possibility of the individual

possibly suffering from rigour mortis and the angle the figure was laid upon (with head slightly

elevated and knees pulled up, not lying flat). (Izabella Piczek, 1996) This can explain the reason

for the hand positioning near the pelvic area and a reason for a false height. Furthermore, there

are smaller details upon inspection which provide questioning to the legitimacy of the Shroud. It

has been noted that the head of the figure is far too small for the body, the back of the head

does not match up to its front, especially in comparison to the arms and fingers which are

unnaturally thin and elongated (National Geographic, year unknown). There is no navel, no

buttocks and in relation to facial features, the eyes have been deemed as too high, and the facial

features do not represent that of a man of middle eastern descent. It should also be noted that

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the thumb is no where to be seen and the fingers on the hands appear to be too long. The main

argument in relation to body characteristics and the inauthenticity is the fact that there is no

approved recorded image of Christ and thus there is no way of visually identifying the face of the

shroud. (John L. Ateo, 2014) In order to refute this, Isabella Piczek an anatomical artist, pointed

out that The head is not too small as some claim. Some measurements of the cheeks,

forehead to chin ratio and head showcase that the head is in fact correctly proportioned

compared to the body type. It has also been stated that the figure, in the negative images

showcases hair and beard styles which were common among ancient Jews. (Robert Perry, year

unknown) The exclusive thumb on the figures hand can be explained through the anatomical

explanation of when nails go into a wrist, the median nerve will fault and thumbs will collapse in

the palm of the hand (Dave Glander, 2014). Reasoning for the extended finger length include

the theory that the shroud is an X-ray image (which was formed upon generation) and thus the

audience is viewing the X-ray of an individuals fingers and this provides reasoning to the

extended length. (Dave Glander, 2014) Therefore, it is reasonably evident that the anatomical

abnormalities evident throughout the Shroud of Turin are of the cause of immense debate in

relation to its authenticity.

Futhermore, It is undoubtable that the AMS Carbon 14 (C14) Dating results undertaken by the
Shroud Of Turin Research Project, (STURP) in conjunction with the Vatican is the most debated

factor relating to the Shrouds authenticity. In 1988, a piece from the Shroud of Turin was

carefully selected after much debate (John L. Ateo, 2014) and sent to 3 labs for testing in order

to gain an origin year for a date. The results were in close agreement and were given added

credibility by the use of control samples of known dates. (Russ Breault, 2008) After testing, the

controversial results of the testing dated the Shroud around 1260 and 1390 AD with a 97%

confidence (H E Grove, 1990). These results were the catalyst for further arguments from both

sides of the authenticity spectrum. Supporters began to disprove the results based on theories

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which were not physically nor scientifically possible. Along this path were allegations of

contamination over the many years, or the samples not being cleaned enough (Joe Nickell Novel

2013) and contained bacteria which was alive and skewed the results (Dr. Garza-Valdes - in-

McIntosh. K, 2006) Once again, this was disproved by opposing scientists, stating that there

would of had to be twice as much contamination, by weight as the weight of the cloth itself,

(National Geographic, year unkown) which is clearly absurd, and the samples were tirelessly

cleaned. However, besides these claims, the most compelling one made by advocates of the

Shroud is the fact that the piece of the cloth that was removed for testing was, in fact a piece

repaired through a technique called french weaving (Dave Glander, 2014) during the 13th

century, and coloured with a pigment in order to match the original linen. This therefore caused

the carbon dating to result in a later date and does not reflect the correct date of the shroud. On

the other hand, the main disproved argument put forth from doubters of the Shroud is simply that

the C14 testing was not flawed, for believers of the Shroud only stated the repair patched in

fear of questioning from the Christian community. (John L. Ateo, 2014) It is strongly believed that

the Vatican's scientists would have never permitted a doubtful sample to be taken for testing.

Skeptics strongly claim that the pieces for testings were responsibly chosen (Wenner Gren,

1983) and the dates speak clearly of the truth of the Shroud, for the years provided correspond

with the years of the relic craze when fake Christian artefacts were being forged. (Joe Nickell

Novel, 2013) Thus, it is undoubtably conspicuous that the Carbon 14 dates have caused a

further arguments towards the authenticity of the Shroud and continues to provide questioning

as the Vatican does not permit further testing.

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Additionally, a prime discussion undertaken upon study of the Shroud is the visible blood and
reasoning for its form and characteristics. An exceptional factor in relation to the blood on the

shroud is the fact that it has not blackened over time like usual blood, nor has it smeared, or the

reality that there are no sodium, chlorine or potassium species located within the blood stains.

(miraclesceptic, 2009). However, there is a controversial debate over the blood stains due to

scientists either faking information or undertaking tests in secrecy. Supporting scientists of the

Shroud have stated that there were no pigments or pants on the blood (Barry Schwortz -In Jim

Graves Article - , 2015) and have tested the alleged blood upon the shroud and have returned

with results of an AB blood type. (Myra Adams, 2016) A questioning argument of the blood never

blackening has been refuted by believers with the alleged results of a substance called bilirubin

found around the blood stains. This substance is pumped through the body of torture victims and

keeps allows blood to retain its red colour. However, Joe Nickell and many other serologists (not

from STURP) undoubtably refute these points for the reasons that The STURP team was not

specialised in pigments and that a secret commission was appointed to examine the shroud.

Eventually, results leaked that all chemical, microscopic, biological and instrumental tests came

back negative. (Joe Nickell Novel, 2013) It had also come to conclude that the reddish granules

would not even dissolve in substances that dissolve blood and there simply would not be enough

bilirubin to keep the blood red. The alleged blood stains are unnaturally picture like and does not

act like true blood, especially considering the lack of smudging and the fact that the blood in the

hair of the figure should've matted into the hair, not run in rivulets (Rachel C, 2014), for the blood

has not blacked over age like genuine blood. Walter Mcrone has identified the blood as tempera

paint, containing red ocher and pigments which would have been available to a medieval artist of

the time, thus showcasing the reality of the possibility of the Shroud being formed of the time

during medieval ages. All empirical evidence concerning the shroud of Turin will lead to the firm

conclusion that the shroud is an artefact created by an artist, and it is obvious the blood was

painted onto the linen before the body image. (Steven D. Schafersman, unknown) Concluding,

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there have been many corruptions in scientific analysis of the blood stains and it is difficult to

understand which factors of the blood dispute is not completely biased.

B ased on the strongest factors associated with the Shroud of Turin, there is no definitive
decision as to whether the Shroud is the burial shroud of Jesus Christ following his death. The

similarities and vast differences in biblical accounts leave both supporters and skeptics

constantly refuting points, for most Christian groups avoid the questioning of the Holy Bible and

faith in order to authenticate the Shroud. The body characteristics of the figure evident within the

Shroud provide mass contradictory in relation to anatomical features, however there are many

refutable factors to explain these abnormalities. The controversial Carbon 14 dating once again

has been a foundation of immense discussion and reasoning for and against the Shroud. This

also goes for the blood which is hard to explain and has been the subject for very biased results.

The physical object itself challenges scientists and theologians with unusual properties

(McIntosh. K, 2006), however, based on immense discussing, scientific and logical evidence,

there is no definitive answer to the complexity of the Shroud of Turins authenticity.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, M. (2017). The Shroud of Turin, Authenticated Again. [online] National Review.
Available at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/434153/shroud-turin-jesus-
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AllAboutArchaeology.org. (2002). Shroud Of Turin. [online] Available at: http://

www.allaboutarchaeology.org/shroud-of-turin.htm [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017].

Aleteia.org Worldwide Catholic Network Sharing Faith Resources for those seeking
Truth Aleteia.org. (2016). New Study: The Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of
Oviedo Covered the Same Person. [online] Available at: https://aleteia.org/
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Ateo, J. (2014). Silly Beliefs - The Shroud of Turin Scam. [online] Sillybeliefs.com.
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Berry, C. (n.d.). Hungarian Pray Manuscript | Let's take a closer look at those straws
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GIBSON, M., et al. (2004). The Passion of the Christ.

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Holy Bible (n.d.). pp.John 19:40, Matthew 27:59-60, John 11:44, John 20:7, Luke
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Image Characteristics Found on the Shroud Image" (1991). [online]
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