Hello Internet - and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions.
The channel where we prod a finger at the universe and contemplate our own reality.
My name’s Jack Finch, and today I’ll be your host - as we ask the question, and it’s
quite a big one:
Is The Shroud Of Turin Authentic?
Now, here’s one for the history books.
Well - the Bible technically.
Because if you didn’t know - the Shroud of Turin is a Holy Christian relic that is
considered by some to be definitive proof of the existence of Jesus Christ - AKA Jesus
of Nazareth - AKA Young Jeezy.
The Shroud - is a supposed burial cloth that is marked with the face of Jesus after the
Biblical description of his death on the cross in the Roman province of Judaea.
Described as the Man of the Shroud - the image shows a human male who resembles Jesus, with
a beard - moustache, and shoulder length hair parted in the middle.
For some - the shroud symbolises the historical divinity of Christianity - for others, it
appears to be a hoax propagated by Medieval members of the Church.
The answer - well, who knows - there’s some stark claims on either side of the cloth.
Well, let’s prop up the facts, the fiction - and the fabrications - and see which one
cracks first.
Before we begin - if you could be so kind to leave a thumbs up and a quaint little comment
in the box down below - then you’ll have made this whole thing worthwhile.
SO, without further delay - let’s get started, shall we?
The Shroud of Turin - in its simplest form - is a length of linen cloth that bears the
negative image of a man who some people believe to be Jesus Christ.
It is kept under lock and key at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Northern
Italy.
It is pretty important to note that there is no, hard historical evidence of the Shroud
until 1390.
So, you know, that would mean that the Shroud just floated around in obscurity for some
1400 years.
The first verified written account comes from Bishop Pierre d’Arcis - who wrote in an
official claim that the Shroud of Turin was a straight up forgery - even he didn’t believe
it, back in a time where people still believed the Earth was flat.
Erm, sorry Flat Earthers.
Contrary to that though, we’ve got the Order of the Knights Templar.
You know those guys - that secret and mysterious order who roamed the Earth collecting relics
and grails, stuff like that.
Well, between 1353 and 1357 - historical records seem to indicate that a similar Shroud was
in possession of a Geoffrey de Charny - a Templar who lived in the small town of Lirey,
France.
Was it the Turin Shroud?
The mystery continues.
From the 15th Century onwards, records of the Shroud are more common than smallpox.
In 1532 the shroud came under threat, after a fire in the chapel it was stored caused
a drop of molten silver to damage the cloth.
Later, a group of Nuns tried to repair the damage - but, you know - have you ever gotten
molten silver on your shoes?
That stuff stains.
In 1578, the royal Italian House of Savoy took ownership of the Shroud, and from the
17th Century onwards, it would be proudly displayed in its namesake of Turin.
One particular fan of the Shroud, Guarino Guarini - loved it so much, that he built
an entire cathedral for the sole purpose of displaying it to the world - and soon after
that, the legacy of the Shroud would begin.
The Shroud would remain in the hands of the House of Savoy until 1983 - when they kindly
handed ownership over to the Pope and his Catholic Church - because, you know, they
needed to update their ancient relic library.
Gotta catch em all.
The Pope moved heaven and earth to get the Shroud fully repaired, making it possible
to photograph and scan the supposed image that had been hidden for centuries.
They then took it on tour - had scientists and researchers poke and prod it - and let
the world look upon the final moments of Jesus’ life on earth in all it’s sweaty glory.
Supposedly.
Although - it is important to note that the Catholic Church has neither endorsed nor rejected
authenticity of the Shroud.
Pope John Paul the 2nd called it “a mirror of the gospel” - but for the most part,
they sit firmly on the fence, neither accepting or denying the claim that it is indeed Jesus’
face on the cloth.
So then - if the evidence doesn’t pop up until the late 1300’s, and the Church are
keeping pretty schtum - why do so many people claim it to be an authentic, ancient relic?
Well - of course, it all goes back to the Bible - and the gospels of Matthew, Mark and
Luke.
Here it says that Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus in a piece of linen cloth,
placing them in a new tomb - where later, the Apostle Peter found multiple pieces of
burial cloth after the tomb was reopened.
All according to the Gospel of John.
One of them was a separate cloth for the head - AKA - the supposed Shroud of Turin.
But in 1543 - theologist John Calvin asked why would the Gospel of John fail to mention
the fact that a piece of burial cloth had the image of Jesus’ face marked into it?
He then said that either St. John was a liar, or whoever promoted the Shroud was convicted
of falsehood and deceit.
Pretty serious stuff.
Further scrutiny of the Shroud continued, and made real ground in the early 20th century,
when scientists could obtain black and white photographs, and negative images of the cloth.
The Shroud underwent radiocarbon dating - which concluded with 95% confidence that it’s
material was dated to between 1260 - 1390 AD.
Much too recent for the Jesus of Nazareth claims.
Unless he was a time-traveller - which, you know, could be true.
However - in 2013, an Italian historian performed three different tests on the material and
his study concluded that the shroud originated between 300 BC and 400 AD.
/However/ - double however - the archbishop of Turin /himself/, publicly refuted these
claims - saying that the analysed material wasn’t even taken from the Shroud, and he’d
just made the whole thing up.
Interesting - right?
Because, now - I think here’s the thing, the conclusion to our question,
Some people /want/ the Shroud of Turin to be authentic.
They want to believe that there’s real, physical evidence to the existence of their
faith.
They want to believe that there’s a note somewhere in a history book that says - yep
- this guy was alive, and he died here, and here’s proof.
We can step back, and take a look at the scientific evidence - and there’s some pretty undeniable
facts that relate to the Shroud’s authenticity.
And, from a factual basis - it’s important to note that - no - the likelihood of the
Shroud of Turin dating back to Jesus’ death is highly unlikely.
But religion is rife with broad claims, and arguments on either side - and sometimes it’s
just easier to suspend your disbeliefs.
Because maybe one day - you’ll dry your sweaty face on a t-shirt - leave it hanging
on a fence - and someone will pick it up, look at it,
and see exactly what they want to see.
Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got time for today folks - thanks for hanging about.
Let us know what you think of the Turin Shroud, as well as any other ancient relics, in the
comment box down below.
Leave a thumbs up - cos you know we appreciate it.
This has been Life’s Biggest Questions, I’ve been your host Jack Finch - and until
next time, take it easy.