by Lane Rogers
The
Shroud of Turin, Italy, is a linen cloth measuring 14'3" long by
3'7" wide. Historically proclaimed to be the actual burial
garment of Jesus, the linen contains a double head-to-head image of a
crucified man reposed in death, that reveals both the obverse and
reverse of the body.
With known history stretching back to at least the fourteenth century, there are a number of important factors that indicate that the shroud is much more ancient including a number of historical references that extend back several centuries. In the definitive work on the possible history the shroud, Ian Wilson postulates that the cloth left Palestine about AD 30 and proceeded to the ancient kingdom of Edessa, to Constantinople, to France, to Switerzerland, and finally to Italy.
In addition to the historical data, there are also a number of scientific reasons indicating that the shroud could be dated very early. Samples of pollen discovered on the cloth point to an origin in Palestine possibly as far back as the first century, while analysis of the cloth and weave discovered that the shroud is compatible with first century cloth.
However, more important indicators of the age of the shroud have also emerged. Some researchers have asserted that sophisticated methods such as photographic enhancement and computer analysis are able to identify one of the coins placed over the man's eye which reveals the lepton of Pontius Pilate, minted between AD 29-32. Such an identification might be critical in determining the age.
Biblical questions concerning the type of burial depicted on the shroud have failed to discover any discrepancies with the New Testament texts. Wrapping a body lengthwise and positioning it as shown on the shroud is corroborated by both recently discovered Qumran burial practices and The Code of Jewish Law (The Laws of Mourning). Further studies have reported that the head napkin was first rolled up and then wrapped around the head, as reported by the Gospel of John (11:44; 20:5-7), the Jewish Mishnah (Sabbath 23:5) and the "Laws of Mourning."
From Shabbath 23:5_________Read at your own risk_________
How to prepare a corpse________
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23:4 A. They wait at the Sabbath limit at twilight to attend to the business of a bride, B. and the affairs of a
corpse, C. to bring it a coffin and wrappings. D. A gentile who brought wailing pipes on the Sabbath— an Israelite should not make a lament with them, E. unless they came from a nearby place, F. [If] they made for him [a gentile] a coffin and dug a grave for him, anIsraelite may be buried therein. G. But if this was done for an Israelite, he may not ever be buried therein. I.1 A. What is the definition of a nearby place? B. Rab said, “Literally, from a nearby place.” C. And Samuel said, “We take account of the possibility that the reeds were located outside the city wall during the night [even though they weren’t in his house, and so we impose a lenient ruling here].” D. A close reading of the Mishnah wording yields that same result: [If] they made for him [a gentile] a coffin and dug a grave for him, an Israelite may be buried therein. Therefore, if it is subject to doubt, it is permitted to use them for an Israelite. Here, too, if it is subject to doubt, it is permitted. E. But it has also been taught on Tannaite authority in accord with the position of Rab: is a small C. Said Ulla, “We deal with a case of a grave that is standing in an army camp [where Jews would not ordinarily be buried].” D. Well, that would solve the problem of the grave, but as to the bier, what is to be said? E. Said R. Abbahu, “It refers to a bier that is lying on a gentile’s grave.” 23:5A-J A. They prepare all that is needed for a corpse. B. They anoint and rinse it, C. on condition that they not move any limb of the corpse. D. They remove the mattress from under it. E. And they put it on [cool] sand so that [151B] it will keep. F. They tie the chin, G. not so that it will go up, but so that it will not droop [further]. H. And so in the case of a beam which broke — I. they support it with a bench or the beams of a bed, J. not so that it will go up, but so that it will not droop further. I.1 A. But didn’t R. Judah say Samuel said, “There was the case of a disciple of R. Meir who followed him into the bathhouse and wanted to swill the ground for him, but he told him, ‘They don’t swill the ground.’ He wanted to oil the ground for him, but he said to him, ‘They don’t oil the ground’”? B. Well, you could well confuse ground with ground, but you couldn’t confuse a corpse with the ground [Freedman: the reason is not that handling is forbidden but that he not make ruts, and no one will think that if a corpse may be oiled, the ground may be oiled too]. I.2 A. They prepare all that is needed for a corpse: B. What does the word all encompass? C. It is to encompass that which our rabbis have taught on Tannaite authority: D. They may bring cooling utensils and metal utensils and put them on the corpse’s belly so that it not swell, and they may stop up his holes, so that air shouldn’t get in. And this is what Solomon, too, said in his wisdom, “‘Or ever the silver cord be snapped asunder’ (Qoh. 12: 7)– this refers to the spinal cord; ‘and the golden bowl be broken’ — this refers to the penis; ‘and the pitcher be broken at the fountain’ — this refers to the belly; ‘and the wheel be broken at the cistern’— this refers to the excrement.” I.3 A. And so Scripture states, “And I will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts” (Mal. 2: 3) — B. Said R. Huna, and some say, said R. Haga, “This refers to people who abandon teachings of the Torah and treat all their days as festivals.” I.4 A. Said R. Levi said R. Pappi said R. Joshua, “After three days the belly bursts and the contents are cast before his face and say, ‘Take back what you put in me.’” 23:5K-M K. They do not close the eyes of a corpse on the Sabbath, L. nor on an ordinary day at the moment the soul goes forth. M. And he who closes the eyes of a corpse at the moment the soul goes forth, lo, this one sheds blood. I.1 A. Our rabbis have taught on Tannaite authority: B. He who closes the eyes of a dying man as the soul goes forth— lo, such a one sheds blood. The matter may be compared to a flame that is flickering out; if someone put his finger on it, it goes out at once. I.2 A. It has been taught on Tannaite authority: B. Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel says, “He who wants the eyes of a corpse to be closed — let him blow wine into his nostrils and put oil between the two eyelids and hold the two big toes, and they will close on their own. |
While some believe that the body of the man wrapped in the shroud was not washed, the "Laws of Mourning" point out that there are conditions when washing is not appropriate, such as when a person has suffered capital punishment or a violent death. The use of several strips of linen in John is also confirmed on the shroud, since pieces of linen were apparently used there as well.
One additional point concerns Jesus' burial, as it is recorded in the Gospels. Since it is related that Jesus underwent a hasty burial with the women planning to return later to finish the process (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42; 16:1-3), we have another explanation in the "oddities" of the burial procedure.
One characteristic of the Shroud of Turin that separates it from other such religious remains is that it was the subject and still is, the subject of intense scientific investigation. There three most important issues to be answered concerned the nature of the apparent bloodstains, the composition of the image, and its cause. In particular, it was determined that the bloodstains were real blood and that the shroud was probably not a fake. The image was not caused by paint, dye, powder, or any other foreign substance being added to the cloth. The image on the shroud is composed of oxidized, dehydrated, and conjugated fibrils of cloth, similar to the effects of a scorch, but an exact cause of the image is not proven. Additional characteristics of the image such as its three dimensional, superficial and non-directional nature have become an enigma to scientist.1
The description of the man who was apparently buried in the shroud has also been enlightening. The scientific team pathologist and other medical doctors determined that the man was crucified and w as dead, with his body in a state of rigor mortis. The man's injuries were the same as the Gospel reports of Jesus' crucifixion. The most interesting facet of this study is that many unnatural things were done to Jesus and those things show up on the shroud.
Both men suffered a series of punctures throughout the scalp from many sharp objects, a seriously bruised face, a horrible whipping (over 100 wounds from this beating have been counted on the shroud), abrasions on both shoulders from a rough, heavy object, and contusions on both knees. Both men had the more normal wounds associated with crucifixion; namely punctured feet and wrists. Strangely both men escaped having their ankles broken, as was normal, but both had post-mortem chest wounds, instead from which blood and water fluid flowed. Both men were buried hastily in fine linen and were buried individually.
Indications that the man buried in the shroud could be Jesus come from the correspondence between the two. They agree even down to the small details in about one dozen areas that were not normal crucifixion procedures. The chances are seemingly minimal that the two men would have so many agreements, especially in the points of abnormal circumstances. Tradition also has a role here. The Shroud has been kept for hundreds of years as the actual burial garment of Jesus so there is reason to look at it.
The Shroud has been tested several times by Carbon dating and other aging test with different results. At this moment, it is going through more test.
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Big News: A team of nine scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has also concluded that the carbon dating of the Shroud of Turin is wrong. See Fact Check tab at Shroud of Turin Blog Evangelical scholar, Gary Habermas, Ph.D. -- Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia -- one of the fourteen scholars interviewed by Lee Strobel for The Case for Christ -- author of 25 books including the The Resurrection of Jesus: An Apologetic and The Risen Jesus & Future Hope, While the literary sources provide excellent historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, there is a less apparent, but still significant pathway from the non-literary artifact known as the Shroud of Turin to Jesus. Yet, the shadow of the 1988 carbon-14 testing remains a sufficient roadblock that we must answer decisively before we can do much more than talk to ourselves in the “shroud community.” Now the carbon-14 issue has been resolved. And new startling discoveries since 2004 make the Shroud of Turin seem very real. Please read The Sugar Coated Shroud of Turin and the Resurrection of Jesus or jump to a topic: Go to http://www.shroudforum.com/ for the latest. |
1See Stevenson and Habermas, Verdict