The Shroud of Turin:

A Brief Introduction

Jesus’ physical suffering                                                        

The Bible offers an understated description of how Jesus physically suffered on that Holy Weekend 2,000 years ago. (The complete accounts of the Passion and Crucifixion are contained in Matthew 26:36 – Chapter 27; Mark 14:32 – Chapter 15; Luke 22:39 – Chapter 23; and John Chapters 17 – 19. See also John 20:24-29.) It merely summarizes his passion in a series of one word descriptions or terse phrases; he was seized, bound, spat upon, beaten, blindfolded, mocked, reviled, contemptuously treated, crowned with thorns, a reed placed in his right hand, stripped, arrayed in a purple robe, falsely accused, scourged, forced to drag his own cross to the hill where he would be taunted and crucified. Finally, a spear was run through his side to confirm he was in fact dead.

But did all of this really happen? It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If only we had a picture!

We do.

Introducing the Shroud of Turin

There is overwhelming evidence, which by any objective standard should be considered conclusive, that the Shroud of Turin is this sacred picture. If it is, we are looking at the image of Jesus Christ at the instant of his resurrection. The Shroud provides us not only with a photographic-like image of the Savior’s face, but a full front and rear bodily picture as well. The negative of the image is incredibly detailed. It shows a man severely abused and scourged with the distinctive markings of a Roman whip. It depicts bodily wounds that correlate with the biblical accounts of the crucifixion. The man on the bloodied Shroud was whipped, nails were driven into the base of his hands (exiting through his wrists) and into his feet, and he suffered a wound the size of a Roman spearhead in his side. The man suffered lacerations, contusions and scalp punctures. His face shows that he was beaten, there is swelling under the eye, and parts of his beard appear to have been ripped from his face. Medical technology and our understanding of Roman crucifixion techniques and Jewish burial traditions all conform 100% to the man on the Shroud.

A dramatic and unanticipated revelation

Since 1578 the Shroud of Turin has been kept in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin. It is approximately 14 feet long and 4 feet wide. Look at this photograph of the full Shroud as it appears to the naked eye. You can see it bears the faint, almost indistinguishable, front and back image of a nude man, joined at the crown of the head. Interestingly, the more you concentrate on the image, the clearer it becomes. Its appearance is otherwise quite unremarkable and is dominated by intense repaired burn marks from a 1532 fire. To the naked eye the image is almost non-existent, particularly as you draw close. Nevertheless, the Shroud has always been venerated as the burial shroud of Jesus, and until 1898 the Shroud appeared only as a vague shadowy image.

In 1898 this all changed. It was photographed for the first time, and a completely unexpected negative plate revealed a stunning positive image. For the first time, crucifixion details were dramatically revealed, and we see the positive image of a man brutally tortured and crucified.

Alternative explanations

If the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus, we have been granted the grace of seeing the Second Person of the Trinity. If it is a medieval fake, it is the most incredible forgery of all time – a forgery that no one, including the most fervent atheist, can explain how it was done. If it were a forgery, the perpetrator never cashed in on his creation. We don’t know who he is and he never produced anything else.

STURP

In 1978 a team of scientists was granted special permission and spent 120 consecutive hours (five days) analyzing and testing the Shroud using the latest scientific and technological equipment and taking sticky tape samples. This was the first time such in-depth access and analysis had been permitted and is known as the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP). In October 1981 STURP issued its final report on their investigation, entitled, “The Shroud of Turin: A Critical Summary of Observations, Data and Hypotheses,” (the “Critical Summary”) and concluded (pages 43-44):

“We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The bloodstains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin. The image is an ongoing mystery and until further chemical studies are made, perhaps by this group of scientists, or perhaps by some scientists in the future, the problem remains unsolved.”

Except for the now discredited 1988 carbon 14 dating (see Shroud of Turin: Evidence against the Shroud’s Authenticity), nothing has changed since then which would undermine this essential conclusion. In fact, all the evidence has solidified the conclusion that this must be Jesus’s burial cloth at the instant of his resurrection (See Shroud of Turin: Facts that Compel Belief and Shroud of Turin: Historical Documentation; see also Shroud of Turin: Proving the Supernatural). Still, we can never prove that the image is that of a resurrected man because to do so would take the inquiry out of the current definition of science. Nevertheless, the evidence powerfully demands that it is, but our belief in the Passion and Resurrection comes to us by faith and prayer.

Reversing the evidence

If the amount and credence of the evidence were reversed the Shroud of Turin would have long ago been dismissed as the burial shroud of Christ. But because science is proving that the Shroud is in fact the burial cloth of a man crucified in Palestine 2,000 years ago and that his image precisely matches the biblical accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, those who wish not to believe have recourse only to speculative and disproven arguments.

God’s eternal love

Think of God’s mercy and love which he has preserved for us for 2,000 years so that we can put our fingers in the Lord’s wounds just as Thomas did. The Shroud dismantles the argument that God doesn’t exist because he never shows himself. Nevertheless, if the unbeliever doesn’t want to believe, the Shroud will never persuade. Hopefully, however, it will help break down some barriers to permit the entrance of grace, even for the most ardent skeptic.

Some websites and references

Because science does not concern itself with spiritual and supernatural matters, it is scientifically impossible to prove the Shroud as being the burial cloth of Christ. Nevertheless, we can come pretty darn close. In addition to the above cited pages, be sure to read:

Last modified September 9, 2019