Turin Shroud Study Claims Controversial Cloth Does Date to Time of Jesus
NewsweekAug 19
Study: Shroud of Turin Samples 'Consistent With the Tortures of Jesus Christ'
Above: Pilgrims visit the Shroud of Turin in 2015. Image copyright: Stefano Guidi/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Italian researchers who analyzed samples from the Shroud of Turin — linen cloth some believe to be the burial shroud of Jesus — said they found small blood particles showing signs of organ failure, trauma and other injuries, arguing this supported the notion that the crucifixion of Christ was a real historical event.
The study, published in July in the journal of Hematology Case Reports and Reviews by Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua, concluded that materials found in the cloth "are consistent with the tortures of Jesus Christ described in the Holy Bible."
The Spin
Narrative A
The scientific community has for years dismissed that the Shroud of Turin is the genuine article in which Jesus Christ was buried before his resurrection. However, these latest developments may just overturn that and contribute to the evidence that Jesus Christ was in fact a real human being.
Narrative B
While the new studies suggest that the Shroud of Turin could in fact be much older than previously thought, the scientists who carried out the research warned that a number of assumptions were necessary to reach their conclusions and that much more testing needs to be carried out to confirm the provenance of this alleged relic.