April 22, 2011. (Romereports.com) The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that supposedly covered the body of
Jesus after his death on the cross, which Christians commemorate on
Good Friday. In the book length interview with Benedict XVI “Light of
the World,” a pope calls the item a “relic” for the first time.
It's kept in the cathedral of Turin and is shown only when the pope gives authorization. The last time was in April of last year when more than two million people came to visit.
It's the oldest known relic but its origin and authenticity are still a great mystery.
Andrea Tornielli
Author, “The Shroud: An investigation of the mystery”“Science will continue to study the Shroud, because today we have many scientific instruments such as high-definition pictures that can provide new data.”Although there is no definitive answer, the traces of the Shroud only give hints to the Passion of Christ. It is the linen which according to the Gospel Joseph of Arimathea covered the body of Jesus. According to the bloodstains, the fabric was in contact with the body for 36 hours, the same amount of time that passed between the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In the relic, particles of aloe, myrrh and 70 types of pollen were discovered. Seventy-five percent of these plants only grow in the Middle East.
The linen fabric also helps to understand how the crucifixion of Jesus took place. There are traces of sand in the area where the nose would have been, confirming he fell several times. There are also traces of blood and water on the side, the same place where a soldier pierced Jesus with a spear.
Andrea Tornielli
Author, 'Shroud, Inchiesta sul mistero'“The large amount of bilirubin in the blood indicates a violent death, as if sweating blood as described in the Gospels and that he suffered in an indescribable way, really, incredible.”Emanuela Marinelli
Shroud of Turin expert“According to the Shroud, he received 120 lashes with the whip, which had three strings, and each one had two pieces of sharpened bone, which tore the skin. Therefore, every blow caused six injuries. 120 strikes equals 720 separate wounds.”
Authentic or not, for many the Shroud of Turin is a unique testimony from the last moments of the life of Jesus.
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