Abe Thomas has a bachelors degree in Linguistics from the University of Illinois and a masters degree in English from the University of Tennessee. He worked as a composition instructor and tutor for two years as part of his masters program, and then worked at a nature center, where his responsibilities included creating educational materials and communicating with the public about scientific topics.
Shroud of Turin | History, Significance & Testing
Table of Contents
- What is the Shroud of Turin?
- Religious Significance
- Scientific Testing
- Current Theories
- Lesson Summary
The Shroud of Turin is a length of cloth that is imprinted with the negative image of a man. Some people believe that the man depicted is Jesus Christ and that the fabric served as his burial shroud.
The shroud is of the right size to have been an adult man's burial shroud, at 14 feet 5 inches (4.4 meters) long by 3 feet 7 inches (1.1 meters) wide. It is made of linen, a fabric made from flax fibers, and woven in a pattern called twill, distinguished by diagonal parallel lines. The material itself is of a pale, off-white color.
The Shroud of Turin image shows an adult man with a beard, mustache, long hair, and closed eyes. He appears to be naked and has his hands folded over his groin. He would have been between 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 meters) and 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall. The shroud has both a front and back view image of his body. The image becomes much clearer in black and white negative photographs.
The Shroud of Turin was first referenced in 1354, when it was recorded as being in possession of the French knight Geoffroi de Charnay (c. 1306–1356). In 1453, his granddaughter gave the shroud to the House of Savoy, a royal dynasty whose territory encompassed parts of France, Switzerland, and Italy. It was kept in the city of Chambéry in eastern France until 1578, when it was relocated to Turin in northwestern Italy. The shroud has remained in Turin ever since. It has only occasionally been put on public exhibition and is placed in an airtight, climate-controlled case. It is kept in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, a purpose-built structure adjacent to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
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Each of the four Gospels describes how after the death of Jesus on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his body in linen and laid it in a tomb. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark do not describe the linen in any detail. Still, the Gospels of Luke and John both describe it as being in ''strips.'' Because the man whose image is visible on it bears a strong resemblance to many depictions of Jesus, many Christians have believed and continue to believe that it is his burial shroud. As such, these believers consider it a sacred relic.
The authenticity of the shroud has long been debated, including among Christians. When it was first put on public display in France in 1389, the bishop of Troyes denounced it as a forgery. Learning of this, Clement VII, the France-based antipope (a kind of alternative claimant or pretender to the papacy), permitted the shroud to be an object of devotion. Clement specified that it should be seen not as the genuine burial shroud of Jesus, but as a representation or replica of it. However, a later pope, Julius II (reigned 1503–1513), declared the shroud was authentic and permitted public veneration of it as a genuine relic of Jesus.
In his 1543 work Treatise on Relics, which criticized the concept of veneration of relics, the Protestant theologian John Calvin (1509–1564) argued that the shroud could not be authentic because it did not resemble the body wrappings used in Jewish burials in Jesus's time. In such burials, the body and head were wrapped separately, rather than with a single piece of cloth wrapping the entire body and head, as the Shroud of Turin shows.
The Roman Catholic Church's position on the shroud has changed slightly over time. The Church itself no longer formally confirms nor denies that it is authentic. In 1998, Pope John Paul II (reigned 1978–2005) commented,
- "Since the question of whether the shroud is authentic is not a matter of faith, the Church has no specific competence to pronounce on these questions. She entrusts to scientists the task of continuing to investigate, so that satisfactory answers may be found to the questions connected with this Sheet."
However, recent popes have made individual statements affirming the shroud's relevance as a Christian icon without necessarily confirming its authenticity as the burial shroud of Jesus.
- Pius XII (reigned 1939–1958) described it as "a holy thing perhaps like nothing else."
- John Paul II called it "a distinguished relic" and "a mirror of the Gospel."
- Benedict XVI (reigned 2005–2013) described it as "an icon written with the blood of a whipped man, crowned with thorns, crucified and pierced on his right side."
- Francis (reigned 2013– ) called it "an icon of a man scourged and crucified."
The last three statements, in particular, affirm that even if the shroud is not authentic, Christians may still interpret it as a representation of, and an invitation to contemplate, Jesus and his suffering.
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The Shroud of Turin was first scientifically examined in the 1970s. In 1978, the Italian scientist Giovanni Tamburelli and his colleagues created high-resolution 3D imaging of the shroud. This Shroud of Turin 3D imaging revealed additional details about the image that was not apparent in its 2D form. It also made it possible to remove the blood and wounds from the image of the face in order to better understand its natural appearance.
In 1988, the shroud was the subject of three independent radiocarbon dating tests conducted at the following universities:
- University of Oxford
- University of Arizona
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
These tests all concluded with 95% certainty that the shroud was made between 1260 and 1390. These dates indicate that it was much too late to have been the burial shroud of Jesus. There have been hypotheses to challenge the dating, including that the tested samples represented a later repair job on the shroud or that they may have been contaminated with later organic matter. All of these hypotheses have been scientifically refuted.
The shroud has also been tested for DNA. A study in 2015 revealed that the Shroud of Turin DNA reflected 19 different plant types, including species found in the Mediterranean, Central Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, China, and the Americas. Human DNA from populations distributed across a similarly broad area was also found, as was the DNA of several types of birds and a marine worm from the Pacific coast of Canada. The scientists noted that this did not rule out the possibility that the shroud was created in the Near East around 2,000 years ago. It also did not rule out that it was created in Europe in the 13th or 14th centuries. It was likely to have traveled a long way in its lifetime.
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Since there is little evidence for the possibility that the Shroud of Turin really is Jesus's burial shroud and strong evidence against it, other theories have been advanced regarding how the image was created.
- One possibility is that it was painted. A 14th-century (or about the time the shroud was likely created) painting technique involved the application of tempera paint to linen. This application could produce unusually transparent images similar to what is seen on the shroud.
- The image may have been created with acid pigmentation. In 2009, the Italian chemist Luigi Garlaschelli tested this hypothesis by placing a linen sheet over a volunteer, rubbing it with an acidic pigment, and subjecting it to various stresses similar to those shown by the actual shroud. The result was similar to the shroud but lacked detail and symmetry. Other scientists doubt whether this could have been how the shroud was created.
- A hypothesis by the art historian Nicholas Allen is that the image was created with a lens type and could thus be regarded as an early form of photography. This hypothesis has been challenged because medieval lensing technology would not have been capable of producing such an image and would have required an exposure that would have lasted months.
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The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen cloth imprinted with the full-length image of a man. The image is widely believed to be that of Jesus Christ, and some believe the shroud to have been his burial shroud. It was first recorded in the mid-14th century. It has been kept at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, since 1578. The shroud is only occasionally put on public display.
The authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, i.e., whether it truly is Jesus's burial shroud, has long been debated. The Roman Catholic Church does not take an official position on the matter one way or the other because the question is not one of faith and, thus, not one that the Church has jurisdiction over. However, several popes, including John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, have described it as an icon worthy of veneration representing Jesus and his suffering. Challenges to the shroud's authenticity include noting that it is not similar to the types of burial shroud that would historically have been used to wrap the body of Jesus and that it has been radiocarbon-dated to have been made between 1260 and 1390, ,long after Jesus's burial. An abundance of human, animal, and plant DNA on the shroud has further complicated the issue. Alternate hypotheses for how the image was created include painting, acid pigmentation, and a type of early photography, although these have been challenged as well.
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Where is Shroud of Turin now?
The Shroud of Turin has been kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, since 1578. It is housed in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud and kept in a sealed, climate-controlled container.
What caused the image on the Shroud of Turin?
It is uncertain exactly how the image was created. Many Christians have believed, and still believe, that it was Jesus's burial shroud and that the image is the imprint of his body. Other hypotheses include that it was painted, that it was created with acid pigmentation, or that it was created with a type of primitive photography.
What DNA was found on the Shroud of Turin?
Many types of DNA have been discovered on the shroud. These include DNA from several widely dispersed human populations, 19 similarly widely-distributed plants, various kinds of birds, and even a marine worm found off the west coast of Canada. These discoveries made it uncertain where, when, and why the shroud was created.
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