The Shroud Of Turin

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Christine Russell Religion 1 9-10-01 Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the actual burial cloth of Jesus. Some people think that an artist painted the image in the Middle Ages. Others believe that it was a random fluke of nature. No one has been able to prove that the Shroud of Turin contains the image of Jesus himself through history or through science. However, there is a lot of scientific proof that leads us to believe the image is of Jesus.

In 1977 forty scientists studied the Shroud of Turin for over ninety-six hours as part of a scientific research group called Shroud of Turin Research Corporation (STURP). They decided that the Shroud was not fake and that the image was made by a chemical reaction of the burial cloth linen. They also discovered that the ancient blood on the shroud was real and existed on the cloth before the image of Jesus was formed.

Dirt found on the cloth was also traced to Jerusalem. Other evidence shows that the man's image on the cloth is so anatomically correct that no medieval artist could have painted it.

Dr. Max Frei, a member of the STURP group, took samples of the matter on the surface of the linen with scotch tape. When he viewed the samples under a microscope he found and identified spores of fifty-eight different plants. Many were plants that grow only in and around Jerusalem. Researchers have even said they believe that a type of pollen from a thistle near to Jesus' shoulder came from the same plant used for Jesus' crown of thorns.

When Secundo Pia was photographing the Shroud of Turin in 1898 he realized that the image on the shroud was a negative. It is impossible for any artist, no matter how talented to create a true negative image. For this reason the tip of the nose on the image appear darker than the eyes. Also, scientists used an image analyzer called the VP-8.

When a painting, photograph, or something similar goes into a VP-8 the image comes out inaccurate because the VP-8 misreads the shadows used in the paintings and photographs. However a photograph of the Shroud of Turin was placed in the VP-8 the image was perfect.

Other evidence is that the image of the shroud shows Roman coins over the eyes.

It was a common practice to put coins over the eyes of the deceased in Jesus' time. Also inscriptions on the coins have been deciphered showing that they were rare and dated to around thirty CE. Some researchers do not agree. They say the image does not show for sure the coins placed over the man's eye have inscriptions on them. They say that the inscriptions are too hard to read so they cannot be deciphered correctly. However they do agree that there were coins over the man's eye.

While science and history does not absolutely prove that the image on the Shroud of Turin is Jesus; the evidence makes it very likely. However it has not been declared an official relic of the church yet. Many people believe the Shroud is a hoax, while others believe that it is holy and sacred. What is really needed to believe in the Shroud of Turin is faith.

------Bibliography------- Bibliography · http://shroudstory.com · http://freespace.virgin.net/crc.english/shroud.htm · http://ctct.essortment.com/shroudturinhol_rdbs.htm