Church Hopping

I don’t doubt the existence of George Washington because I’ve touched his bed. I don’t doubt the existence of Elvis because I’ve been to Graceland. I don’t doubt the existence of Tupac because he’s still alive. But there are many who doubt the existence of Jesus because we don’t have His toothbrush displayed in a museum somewhere. Wouldn’t it be great if we could say, “Of course Jesus existed, here are His sandals.” Too bad for us, things like that do not generally last for 2,000 years. Or do they?

The Shroud of Turin is a 14.25 foot long and 3.5 foot wide piece of cloth. The Shroud is speculated to be the burial cloth laid over Jesus after he was crucified. The part that you are really going to like is that there is faint image of a man on the cloth that a whole lot of people think is the image of Jesus. The image is difficult to see at first, but it is similar to a photographic negative and in the right light, the full body of a man can be seen. The theory of the Shroud is that it was placed on Jesus when he was buried and his image was somehow transferred to the cloth. The way it occurred is unknown. Those who believe it to be a fake think it is a clever painting done in the 1300s. Supporters of the Shroud think that the image occurred naturally due to contact with the skin, similar to a former roommate’s bed sheets after six months without washing. Some believe there is a more supernatural explanation and that the image is the result of a burst of energy that may have occurred at the resurrection. Each of these views has its own strengths and weaknesses.

The image has both the back side and the front of the man and the man seems to have injuries consistent with those Jesus received when crucified. There even appears to be blood stains on the cloth in all the areas where Jesus was wounded (i.e. side, feet, hands, head). There is a large wound to the side consistent with John 19:34 and the legs are not broken. Over the whole body, there are approximately 135 marks that could be from scourging. There are also blood stains around the wrists, which would support the theory that Jesus was actually pierced through the wrists, not the hands, in order to support the weight of the body. The man in the image was probably somewhere between 5′11″ and 6′1″ taking into account the stretching of the cloth over time. Since the wounds line up pretty closely with Scripture, if this really was Jesus’ burial cloth, we could have a good idea of what Jesus looked like. But if it is real, where did the Shroud come from?

The first available written history of the Shroud dates around 1355. It was displayed at the church in Lirey, France where huge crowds gathered to see it. Eventually, the Shroud becomes the property of the Catholic Church who have kept it at Turin, Italy since 1578. There is no earlier reference to the Shroud in any ancient documents that we now know of, which leads to skepticism of its authenticity. Pro-Shroud folk claim that the Shroud is referenced earlier just with a different name.

Abgar V was the ruler of Edessa in the 1^st century and he sent for Jesus to heal him from leprosy. Unfortunately for Edessa, Jesus died, resurrected and ascended before the correspondence could reach Him (no Fed-Ex in the 1^st century). The legend says that a disciple of Jesus came to Edessa with a cloth and on it the imprinted image of the face of Christ. Upon seeing the cloth, Abgar was not only healed, but the entire city turned to Christianity as a result. This cloth is known as the Mandylion and it appears a few more times in ancient writings, but has never been found. There is a thought that the Shroud and the Mandylion are the same cloth, since the Shroud has fold marks that could indicate it was folded to only show the face.

The Anti-Shroud crew has some very convincing evidence that points to the Shroud being a fake. Carbon 14 dating places the date of the cloth around 1325, only a few years before it first shows up in ancient literature. Although carbon 14 dating is not 100% accurate and was subject to possible human error in this instance, it is enough evidence for a majority of the scientific community to write it off. Another argument wonders why we have not found similar burial cloths of other men whose image was left imprinted. Many chemists have studied the “blood stains” on the Shroud under a microscope and some believe its consistency is like that of a red paint, while others insist it is definitely blood. There is trouble with the idea that the image was painted, since there are no brushstrokes or indication of an artist’s hand movement.

It seemed odd to me that a cloth that could be a direct link to Christ is so relatively unknown, especially in the Christian community, but there are quite a few reasons why the Church at Turin keeps a tight lock on the Shroud. The Shroud has a history of barely escaping destruction, including a fire in 1532 that scorched the edges. There was a fire in the Chapel in April 1997 that many believe was intentionally set to wipe out the Shroud. Also keep in mind that this cloth is at least 700 years old and possibly 2000, so exposure to harsh light and air expedites deterioration. Another reason, the Shroud is rarely seen is simply crowd control. When it was publicly displayed in 1978, around 3.5 million people came to see it.

The Shroud of Turin is a highly debated artifact and both sides have fairly convincing arguments. While it does not affect the other evidence of the historicity of Jesus, it would be really cool to have such a remarkable link. To decide whether or not you believe the Shroud is authentic, check out the references for this article or just go see it yourself at the next public viewing. It is scheduled for 2025. Hope to see you there.

References:

• Probing the Shroud of Turin
• The Shroud of Turin Website
• Examine the Shroud Yourself
• Various Shroud of Turin Links