Apologetics

The Evidence for the Turin Shroud

The Evidence for the Turin Shroud.
Jesus was buried in a linen shroud (Luke 23:53). An ancient burial cloth has been in the possession of the Church for hundreds of years which has the clear image of a crucified man upon it. Recent scientific knowledge has been made to bear upon this Shroud with amazing results.

The forensic details are such that only one Man in history had the combination of injuries that are revealed on the Shroud and that Man is Jesus Christ.

1. The result of the Crown of Thorns can be seen upon the skull.
2. There is evidence of scourging upon the back and also all over the body.
3. There is clear evidence of the nail wounds through the hands and feet. The nails are correctly place through the wrists, not in the palms of the hands (as all the old paintings show). It was only recently discovered that this is the only way a man’s body weight could be supported. Only 4 fingers can be seen, because with the nail placed as it was, the thumb would go behind by a reflex action.
4. The arms are 9 inches too long as a result of the dislocation of bones when hanging on the Cross.
5. The cartilege in the nose was bruised, from falling forward under the weight of the cross-piece.
6. The face shows bruising from being struck.
7. There is clear evidence of the spear thrust through the ribs into the heart, to make sure He was dead.

So is it the burial cloth of Jesus or medieval forgery from 1300 AD?
One problem with the forgery theory is that it required detailed anatomical knowledge of
crucifixion, that was hundreds of years ahead of the time (see above, especially point 3).
Moreover, the forger would have to have scientific knowledge only acquired recently.
1. The detailed image on the Shroud is not painted on with pigments, but is the result of a radiation effect. It is photonegative, yet the blood (which was applied first, before the image was produced)
is photopositive. The science of photography was not known by Da Vinci or any such forger.
2. The image has 3 Dimensional properties encoded in it (discovered by a VP8 Nasa 3D Analyser), confirming a radiation effect (the parts of the Shroud closest to the body received more radiation).Normal 2D pictures just come out as a blur under the analyser; the Shroud is unique.

Other details detected by modern science, that no forger would ever imagine would be found also confirm its authenticity:
1. The coins laid over the eyes on the Shroud were found to be minted by Pontius Pilate (28-32 AD).
2. The Pollen on the Shroud shows it came from Jerusalem.
3. The dirt on the heels and left knee (from when He fell under the Cross) comes from Jerusalem.

However the radiocarbon tests made on the Shroud, dated it to 1300AD, and so this caused many to dismiss it. But, even this is more evidence for the Shroud when we realise that the image was formed by a transient burst of radiation at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! C14 dating really only measures the amount of the radioactive isotope C14 in the linen, and from that deduces the age.

But the dating is inaccurate. Recently it has been found that bacteria lay down a cystoplastic coating on such materials that can throw off the dating significantly.

More importantly, the way the image was produced greatly affects its apparent age. When Jesus was resurrected there was a release of spiritual and physical energy to bring His body back to life. Thus, the linen of the Shroud was not just radiated by the sun as all materials are, as the tests assumed, and but also received a radiation-burst through the Resurrection, which would cause a greater amount of the isotope C14 in the linen, resulting in the C14 tests, giving a significantly younger age for the Shroud. Thus the C14 results are exactly what we would expect, confirming the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ after 3 days, according to the scriptures.

Home

Books

About Us

Events

Teachings

Bible Commentary

Media

Shop

Donate

Contact

OBC Office

363 Banbury Road
Oxford - England - UK
OX2 7PL
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 515086
Fax: +44 (0) 8721 107068
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sunday Services

Sundays at 11am and 6pm
Cheney School Hall
Cheney Lane - Headington
Oxford - England - UK
OX3 7QH