 The Shroud of Turin
Over the last 6 weeks, millions of people have streamed into the city of Turin (Torino) in northern Italy to catch a glimpse of the famous Shroud of Turin. This brief, much anticipated occasion, was only the sixth time in the last hundred years that the shroud has been available for pilgrims to view.
As Pope Benedict said during his visit to Turin on May 2nd, the shroud "is a burial cloth that wrapped the body of a man who was crucified in a way corresponding completely to what the Gospels tell us of Jesus."
While the Catholic Church does not have an official position on whether or not the shroud belonged to Jesus, the Pope continued by saying, "The shroud is an icon written with blood: the blood of a man flagellated, crowned with thorns, crucified and wounded on his right side."
The face that looks out at us could be the face of Christ. It is an awe-inspiring and humbling thought.
Scientists and researchers continue to reveal fascinating new discoveries with each passing year. Here are some intriguing details you may have missed hearing about!
The Shroud in Artwork
 The writers of Holy Scripture never gave us any hints as to how Christ looked, how tall he was, or what color his eyes and hair were. While Christians today are used to seeing images of Him with long hair and a beard, this style of artwork did not become popular until the 6th century. A burial cloth which may have been the Shroud of Turin, was discovered in the city of Edessa (Mesopotamia) in the year 544. Immediately, artists began depicting Jesus with facial features similar to the shroud. A striking example of this is the Pantocrator Icon.
When the Pantocrator Icon is overlaid on the face from the Shroud of Turin, the dimensions of the two images are similar and the facial features line up. Each image has large eyes and long hair parted down the center. The artists used what they had learned from observing the shroud to create more realistic and life-like images of Our Lord in their icons. Shop our collection of Icons
Christ Pantocrator -
11.5 x 13
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Christ Pantocrator
Gold Leaf Icon - 5x4
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The Shroud of Turin w/ Cherry Frame
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Restoration and Studies
In 2002, the shroud underwent a restoration process in order to help preserve the image. Burned pieces from a fire in 1532 were removed, patches done in the past to repair holes were also removed. A lining placed on the back of the shroud in 1534 was replaced. The shroud is no longer kept rolled up, but spread flat in a specially designed computerized case to ensure a stable environment around the shroud.
Many studies have been conducted on the shroud to determine its authenticity, who it belonged to, how it was made, and when it was made. As technology has improved, more and more information has been extracted from this mesmerizing image. While the shroud was being restored, the cloth was digitally scanned and high definition pictures were taken to aid researchers.
A study completed last year by Vatican researcher Barbara Frale, used computer-enhanced images of the shroud to study the area around the face. She was taking a closer look at letters originally discovered on the shroud in1978. Her analysis pieced together letters and words in Greek, Latin and Aramaic that told a story. In the time of Jesus, the bodies of those Jews who were executed were usually held for one year in common graves before being given back to the families. Frale believes the words around the face are the contents of the death certificate that would have been glued onto the shroud to help identify the body. She translated the words to say, "In the year 16 of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Jesus the Nazarene, taken down in the early evening after having been condemned to death by a Roman judge because he was found guilty by a Hebrew authority, is hereby sent for burial with the obligation of being consigned to his family only after one full year" (originally reported by Ariel David, Associated Press). |
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The Truth About the Shroud of Turin -
Solving the Mystery
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Is the shroud of Turin the ingenious work of an artist, or the true shroud of Christ? For centuries, this question has perplexed and enticed the most brilliant minds. Now, in The Truth about the Shroud of Turin: Solving the Mystery, journalist Robert K. Wilcox investigates every aspect of the shroud's history, from the ancient Egyptian weave of the cloth to the possible role of radiation in forming the image on its surface. Drawing on evidence collected over thirty years of travel, interviews with experts, and painstaking research, Wilcox presents the full story of the shroud in astonishing detail. The shroud of Turin - a clever hoax or the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ? Read this reporter's journey and discover the truth.
This completely updated version of the best selling title features new evidence and new chapters, The Truth About the Shroud of Turin offers new insight into this baffling mystery and offers compelling evidence that the shroud is the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ. |
The Debate
Skeptics of the shroud have many theories to say that it is a forgery. Some say it was painted in the medieval times. Some say it was created by Leonardo da Vinci and is a self portrait, or that it was an early form of photography. However, it was Carbon-14 tests conducted in 1988 that created the greatest cry that the shroud must be a fake. Three tests from three laboratories each concluded that the material of the shroud dated between 1260 and 1390.
Supporters of the authenticity of the shroud point to numerous tests by scientists and experts which seem to prove that it is real. Over the years studies have found samples to contain real human blood, real human muscle tissue, and injuries that are completely in line with those recorded in the Bible during Christ's crucifixion. The debate, and the studies, continues as each side continues to search for a definitive answer. |
 The Shroud Codex
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The priest... Brought back to life on an operating room table after a horrific car crash, Father Paul Bartholomew is haunted by frightening visions - especially the moments when he seems to inhabit the body of Christ at Golgotha.
The skeptics... Dr. Stephen Castle, a New York City psychiatrist and renowned atheist, has built an international reputation for his book arguing that religion is a figment of human imagination. Professor Marco Gabrielli, an Italian religious researcher and chemist, has made a career of debunking supposed miracles, of explaining the unexplainable.
The miracle...For centuries, however, the Shroud of Turin has defied scientific explanation. Is this ancient remnant truly the burial cloth that wrapped Christ after he was taken down from the cross? Or is it the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the Christian community?
Click here to read a sample chapter of The Shroud Codex. (PDF) |
Discover More About the Shroud of Turin
Jesus and the
Shroud of Turin (DVD)
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| A historical look at the Shroud of Turin, it's remarkable survival story, and some of the controversy surrounding it. |
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Holy Face Prayer
(Pack of 100)
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| This prayer card can be folded to show the image of Christ's face on the cover and the devotion to the Holy Face inside. |
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The Shroud of Turin -
A Case for Authenticity
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| A fast-paced book that is easy to read. Contains 32 pictures of the shroud, studies, documentation, and even the 1997 fire. |
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Not Made
by Hands
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| An excellent resource book covering the two most controversial images in existence: the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma of Juan Diego and the image of the crucified Christ on the Shroud of Turin. |
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Shroud
(DVD)
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| The DVD features the Official Documentary of the 1998 Holy Shroud Exposition Committee. It is shot in High Definition (HDTV) and explores the many scientific investigations that have been conducted on the shroud. |
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Sacred Blood, Sacred Image - The Sudarium of Oviedo
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| This is the story of the Sudarium of Oviedo, an ancient, bloodstained cloth believed to have covered the head of Jesus after his crucifixion. The book explains the cloth and its comparison with the Shroud of Turin. 20 pages of photos! |
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