The Shroud of Turin - The Fabric Of Time

The Shroud of Turin has been in the possession of the Roman Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, and its purported history traces back to the time of Christ. It is believed by many to be the burial cloth of Christ.

The latest facts and theories about the Shroud are presented in a DVD entitled The Fabric of Time.

Here are some of the things we know about the Shroud.

The Shroud shows the full-body, front and back images of a crucified man with rich, anatomically correct details.

Since the 19th cc., the following facts regarding this image have emerged:

- the image behaves as a photographic negative

- the image contains 3D information

- the image contains holographic information (the DVD comes with 3D glasses -- the effect is stunning)

Since the mid-20th cc., these additional facts about the Shroud have emerge:

- the cloth is of a type and weave associated with 1st cc. Israel

- it contains images of flowers associated with the 1st cc. Jerusalem area

- pollen samples extracted from the Shroud have been traced to 1st cc. Israel

- it contains images of coins on the eyes of the crucified man. The coins have been identified as coins minted in the period 29 AD - 33 AD, in Israel, including a mis-spelling of a name -- coins have been found with this mis-spelling

- the image is that of a 5' 11" caucasian, semitic male

- the nail wounds pierce the man's wrists, rather than the palms as commonly depicted in Christian artwork

- the image contains evidence of Roman scourging using a Roman whip

- the artifacts of scourging and crucifixion contained in the shroud image are anatomically, medically, and scientifically correct

- the facial image on the shroud matches the blood stains on another artifact in the possession of the Roman Catholic Church, the Sudarium of Oveido, purported to be a cloth which covered Christ's crucified face; the blood-type of both is identical, ie., AB. The Sudarium's known history is traced back much earlier to the 6th cc.

Is the Shroud Genuine?

In the Middle Ages, the shroud was purportedly exposed as "a cunning forgery". However, the astonishing amount of anatomically correct information and the creation of the image on the shroud is beyond the technical capabilities of a Middle Ages forger. In fact, it is beyond 21st cc. technology as well.

More recently, the Shroud was exposed as a fake by Carbon-14 dating. Science killed the Shroud. Or did it? In the face of other overwhelming evidence that points to the genuineness of the Shroud, researchers plowed on. It was hypothesized that the tiny piece of cloth used for C-14 dating was a piece of cloth from the Middle Ages added through invisible mending to fix a damaged area. When compared with other tiny pieces of cloth available, it was found that the C-14 dated piece was different.

A scientist named Walter McCrone examined the Shroud in the 1980s and dismissed it as a medieval painting. His evidence should be weighed against the seemingly overwhelming evidence in support of the Shroud's authenticity -- much of which has emerged since he did his work.

What Do We Conclude?

The Shroud can reasonably be concluded to be the burial cloth of Christ. If so, it provides physical evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ. Of course, almost nobody today denies that Jesus Christ existed as an historical person and was crucified -- only Muslims because the historical facts concerning the crucifixion contradict their ahistorical Koran, and hard-core atheist skeptics.

Some go so far as to suggest the Shroud also provides evidence for Christ's resurrection. Although the evidence for this is not as strong, and less developed, here it is: The first reason for this is the nature of the faint image created on the Shroud fibers. The discoloration which creates the image does not penetrate the fibers as it would if they were caused by paint; it is extremely superficial. It resembles superficial scorch marks. The second reason for saying this is because, apparently, the backside view of the man of the Shroud is not flattened, as it ought to be if a man was lying on a stone slab with a piece of cloth between his body and the slab. This lack of compression creates an intriguing dilemma. It is almost as if the body were somehow suspended between the back side of the cloth and its front.

Of course, the Christian's faith does not rest upon the Shroud of Turin, it rests upon the word of God. If the Shroud of Turin was found to be a fake, the Christian's faith would be disturbed not one whit. Christians are free to follow the evidence wherever it leads confident in their belief that Christ did indeed die for our sins and God did indeed raise him from the dead.

Still, the Shroud of Turin makes for a fascinating study. And has resulted in more than one curious individual embracing the Christian faith, saying as did Thomas one evening many years ago, "My Lord and My God".

And that's the way Ball bounces.

The Fabric of Time www.grizzlyadams.com

The Discovery Channel is planning an update on the latest Shroud evidence on December 14th, 2008.