The Shroud of Turin: A Mystery or Miracle

It is an ancient linen cloth that lengths approximately 14 by 3 feet. There is the presence of faint markings and bloodstains indicating the impression of a human body.  The Jewish Custom speaks about Christ's body that would have been placed on a long piece of linen, folded lengthwise over his body. This is what triggers more interest to researchers, historians and the faithful pilgrims.

Shroud of Turin

Image Credit

Tradition had it that the apostle (one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ) Jude carried a cloth that bore the image of  Christ in the city of Edessa that was named as the cloth of Edessa, which is counted to be the same with the Shroud of Turin. In A.D. 57 persecution was afflicted on the Christians. So the cloth was safely hidden only to be found after an earthquake that damaged the walls of the city. After many twists and turn it somehow made its way to the city of Turin, Italy. Since then, it has remained as one of most studied artifacts in history and catered the interest of many scientists.

This is what an examination of the shroud reveals:

The image of a man who had been beaten about the face, scourged by two men, one taller than the other, crowned with thorns in the form of a cap, had a lance driven through his heart which emitted blood and water, nailed in the wrists and through the feet, and had a large abrasion upon one shoulder. The image shows the man had been crucified, attested to by the differing patterns of blood flow caused by the crucified man’s raising and lowering of the body in order to breathe. It was also discovered in the later years that two coins which were minted by Pontius Pilate in Judea in 29 A.D. were placed over the eyes of the crucified man.

The carbon testing carried on the cloth in 1988, scientifically proved that the image could never be produced by a paint, not with a dye, powder and there was definitely no brush strokes. The image bears the trademark of showing perfect photo negativity and three dimensionality. There seems to be no way of how it could be a medieval forgery because the technique is unknown to modern science.

This probably is another feather in the cap for the Christians to reassess the existence of Jesus. If the image  on the cloth can't be produced any other means, it is the image of the resurrected Savior.

Post Written by -  Adap Immanuel Teron