In theory, it was the sheet used to cover the body of Jesus for His burial. It is the most studied piece of fabric in human history. However, a new study now seems to suggest quite the opposite.
ALFONSO SÁNCHEZ HERMOSILLA
Vice President, Spanish Center for Sindonology
Anything said about the Shroud of Turin or the Sudarium of Oviedo interests us greatly—even if it’s mistaken.
This study revives a line of research that had already been discarded in the 1970s and 1980s. It claims that the image on the Shroud was created using a low-relief statue in the Middle Ages and not through contact with a human body.
ALFONSO SÁNCHEZ HERMOSILLA
Vice President, Spanish Center for Sindonology
To produce the image using that method presents a serious problem. First, what temperature would you have to heat the statue to in order to superficially scorch four and a half meters of fabric evenly—without burning some parts too much or others too little—and still produce a coherent image?
The Shroud doesn’t just have an image; it also has stains from bodily fluids—especially blood. And the problem with blood is that when it’s exposed to temperatures over 50°C (122°F), it degrades.
The issue is that the blood on the Shroud appears unnaturally red. According to the Spanish Center for Sindonology, this study lacks scientific validity, and is based only on technology, not science.
In fact, it’s scientifically impossible to prove that this burial cloth was the one used to wrap Jesus Christ.
ALFONSO SÁNCHEZ HERMOSILLA
Vice President, Spanish Center for Sindonology
We can’t say with absolute certainty “this person,” but we can say that the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo meet all the criteria for being funeral cloths used in the 1st century of our era, in the Roman province of Judea, to bury a Jewish man.
We can’t affirm that it was Jesus of Nazareth, because as scientists we can’t prove it, but we can say He is our number one candidate.
In response to the controversy, the center has released a statement offering scientific arguments that demonstrate the study discrediting the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin has no scientific validity.
AM
