Since I was a boy, I’ve been fascinated by the Shroud of Turin. I followed it from a significant article in “Our Sunday Visitor” to the 1988 STRP results – which pointed to a clever hoax from the middle ages or early renaissance period. Yet scientists have failed time and again to explain how the image of the crucified man whose image is borne by the surface threads of the cloth got on the cloth itself. Indeed, modern science cannot duplicate the image nor its effects without highly sophisticated equipment and a lot of mustache-chewing explanations. From acid-based applications to radiation, nothing has come close to replicating the multi-dimensional qualities of the Shroud.
Still, the Shroud of Turin, for me, is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. To me, it is just like God to give us this relic to confound modernity while using that same science to prove its authenticity. That said, should the Shroud prove to be other than the actual burial cloth of Jesus, its image has influenced my thinking about the passion and resurrection of Jesus – since the man on the cloth clearly experienced a similar fate. So if the Shroud is eventually disproven to be the burial cloth, my faith is firm. Father Robert Spitzer does an exceptional job in laying all the science and phenomena in this youtube (among others):
Here is a summary of the latest discovery, based on a 2022 methodology using Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) to inspect the structural degradation of the linen’s cellulose fibers. The results showed that the natural aging of the Shroud’s cellulose fibers was consistent with an object that is approximately 2,000 years old.
The study, conducted by the Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council in Italy and published in the journal Heritage in 2022. This new dating aligns with the Christian belief that the Shroud could indeed be the burial cloth of Jesus, contrasting with previous research that suggested a much younger age.
In 1988, radiocarbon dating by three laboratories concluded that the Shroud was from around 1325 AD, which led many to believe it was a medieval forgery. Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) was used to inspect the structural degradation of the linen’s cellulose fibers. The results showed that the natural aging of the Shroud’s cellulose fibers was consistent with an object that is approximately 2,000 years old. This new method focuses on the breakdown of cellulose chains, a process that accelerates with time and environmental conditions, making it a potentially more accurate dating method than radiocarbon dating for ancient textiles.
The researchers pointed out that the 1988 radiocarbon dating had procedural and statistical flaws, including issues of carbon contamination and questionable sample measurements. According to the new study, the degradation observed in the Shroud’s fibers suggests it is far older than the results of the radiocarbon tests indicated. The research hypothesized that if the Shroud were only seven centuries old, it would have required consistent exposure to temperatures far higher than those found in its known history to reach the observed state of cellulose degradation.
While the new findings do not definitively prove that the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus, they challenge the long-held skepticism based on the 1988 radiocarbon dating results. The study suggests that the Shroud’s true age might align with the timeline of Jesus’ crucifixion, a conclusion that could hold significant implications for both scientific inquiry and religious belief. Further studies and analysis, especially those utilizing modern technologies that minimize damage to the Shroud, are necessary to continue unraveling the mysteries of this ancient relic.
This breakthrough has reignited discussions around the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin and offers a fascinating intersection of faith, history, and science. Whether or not it can be proven beyond doubt that the Shroud wrapped the body of Jesus Christ, the research has undeniably added a new chapter to the ongoing story of this enigmatic artifact.
The Burial Cloth of Christ