The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is an ancient linen
cloth measuring 14’ 3” x 3’ 7” (8 x 2 cubits) which bears
the front and back image of a bearded bloody crucified man.
It is currently housed in a Catholic Church in Turin, Italy.
It is by far the most studied and controversial artifact in
human history because it is held by many to be the burial
shroud of Christ. National Geographic called it "one of the
most perplexing enigmas of modern times". Time Magazine
called it "The Riddle of the Ages".
Modern investigation has not ceased since 1898, when Italian
photographer Secundo Pia, the first to photograph the
shroud, discovered in his darkroom that his negative plate
contained a perfect positive image, and therefore, the faded
yellowish shroud image itself was a perfect photo negative.
A century of scientific research hours have been invested
since that time, yet the basic questions remain, “Why is
there an image of a crucified man on this ancient linen
cloth and how did it get there?” Is this Jesus of Nazareth?
Scientific testing by the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP)
has made one thing certain, which has not been disproven;
the image is not formed by any known process, including the
application of paints, inks, dyes, stains, or chemicals. All
attempts to duplicate it have failed to this day. In
1988 the shroud was carbon dated to the 14th century, yet
peer review has overturned that verdict due to the
interwoven patch from which the sample was taken.
This cloth has captivated the interest of scientist and layman alike. The question: Is it the burial cloth of Christ which captured the moment of resurrection? Can you leave this question unanswered?
- First photo of Shroud in 1898 by Italian photographer Secundo Pia revealed that the straw yellow image is actually a photographic negative. (light and dark colors inverted) Pia's negative plate was a shocking positive. Pia earned many accusations of fraud for this photo.
- Second photos by Giuseppe Enrie in 1931 confirmed Pia's photos were not fake.
- 1972 VP8 Image Analyzer revealed linen to body three dimensional information within the Shroud image. This characteristic revealed that the Shroud image was unique in the world. No attempt at duplication has been able to create an image with this property. This revelation prompted world-wide interest.
- Blood on cloth is real type AB
- Post-mortem blood was found by detecting serum halos under ultraviolet photography, invisible to human eye.
- No image below blood. The blood was on the cloth first. All image formation theories must account for this.
- Image is a faint straw yellow color penetrating 1 fibril deep. 1/500 of an inch. Only select fibrils have color.
- 1978 - 24
Scientists of the Shroud of Turin Research Project formed in
1977 (STRP) were allowed to examine cloth for 5 days around the
clock.
Conclusion published in 1981: "There are no chemical or physical methods known which can account for the totality of the image, nor can any combination of physical, chemical, biological or medical circumstances explain the image adequately. Thus, the answer to the question of how the image was produced or what produced the image remains, now, as it has in the past, a mystery." “We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The blood stains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin.” A discussion on the Image Formation problem. All attempts to duplicate shroud must account for all Shroud Properties. Paper by Adler - Visit the Shroud Exhibit and Museum for additional presentations by Pete Schumacher, VP8 Image Analyzer Engineer. See interview with Pete here.