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Turin Shroud Study Claims Artifact Dates to Time of Jesus
The famous linen shroud, in which the body of Jesus Christ was supposedly wrapped after his death—known as the Shroud of Turin—appears to be a genuine artifact.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the Shroud of Turin was repeatedly studied and researched, including by scientific methods, but the results were ambiguous. It was either declared a fake, or facts were revealed indicating its authenticity.
In 1988, a small piece was cut from the Shroud of Turin and carbon dated. It showed that the fabric was created in the 13th–14th centuries AD, and it was announced worldwide that the Shroud of Turin was a medieval fake.
However, radiocarbon dating is a controversial method because various substances accumulate on tissue over time, which can significantly affect the analysis results.
A new study, conducted by scientists from the Italian Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council, employed a novel method of dating the Shroud of Turin using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS).
This technique measures the natural aging of flax pulp and translates it into the time elapsed since production. The team examined eight small samples of fabric from the Shroud of Turin, X-raying them to reveal minute details of the fabric’s structure and cellulose pattern.
The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth.
To determine the date of manufacture of the Shroud of Turin, scientists used several aging parameters, including temperature and humidity, which cause significant degradation of cellulose.
They found that before reaching Europe (believed to have occurred in the 14th century), the fabric was stored in stable conditions for about 13 centuries—at a temperature of approximately 22.5°C and a humidity of about 55%. If it were stored under different conditions, the cellulose would change differently.
They then compared the aging state of the cellulose on the shroud pieces with a piece of another fabric found in Israel dating back to the 1st century AD, and found that the samples were very similar.
“The data profiles were completely consistent with similar measurements obtained from a flax sample historically dated to 55–74 AD found at Masada, Israel [Herod’s famous fortress built on limestone bedrock overlooking the Dead Sea],” says a study published in the journal Heritage.
To summarize their results, the scientists also compared, using the same method, pieces from the shroud with samples of linen fabric created in the 13th–14th centuries AD. To check the conclusion that was made by other scientists in 1988, they didn’t find a single match.
“For the current result to be consistent with the 1988 radiocarbon dating, the shroud would have needed to be preserved during its hypothetical seven centuries of existence at a room temperature very close to the maximum values recorded on Earth,” the study notes.
Additionally, the lead author of the new study, Dr. Liberato De Caro, explicitly stated that the 1988 radiocarbon dating should be considered unreliable: “Because tissue samples are typically subject to all sorts of contaminants that cannot be completely removed from a dated sample… Unless the sample cleaning procedure is followed carefully, carbon-14 dating is unreliable.”
The Shroud of Turin measures 4.37 by 1.11 meters. There are two full-length prints of a human body on it, from the back and from the front, as if the human body was carefully wrapped in this fabric. The exact method by which the prints appeared on the fabric remains a highly controversial topic.
This is not paint, but more like a mark from a strong heat source. Careful examination of the body image reveals that it is anatomically flawless, and the wounds on the body align with descriptions of the injuries Jesus sustained before and during the crucifixion, including marks from thorns on the head, lacerations on the back, and bruises on the shoulders.
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