The shroud of Turin is probably my favorite artifact and I’ve written about it repeatedly.  Also my favorite “picture” of Jesus is that of the face seen on the shroud.

Ever since I can remember, the Shroud of Turin—speculated to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ—has been a great source of mystery, inspiration and controversy.

The same is still true, as the Shroud has once again been in the news—a research team, last week, using carbon dating found that it actually did date back to a period that includes the time Jesus walked this earth.

According to the Christian Postreport, the team from Padua University said the cloth dated back to sometime between 280 BC and 220 AD.

In light of the finding, newly installed Pope Francis commented on the Shroud of Turin, saying, “This image, impressed upon the cloth, speaks to our heart.”

The Pontiff added that the “disfigured face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life which does not respect their dignity, by war and violence which afflict the weakest… And yet, at the same time, the face in the Shroud conveys a great peace; this tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty.”

Giulio Fanti, one of those testing the ancient cloth, and an associate professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at Padua University, told CNN, “We carried out three alternative dating tests on the shroud, two chemical and one mechanical, and they all gave the same result and they all traced back to the date of Jesus, with a possible margin of error of 250 years.”

Of course, it is still not known for certain whether the image impressed on the Shroud is actually that of the Lord Jesus, and frankly, I’m not sure how one could ever go about proving that.

Still, it IS fascinating to consider.

And the rest of the time, “blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Source: Stoyan Zaimov – Christian Post

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Of all the pictures I’ve seen of Jesus, this is my favorite. It is not only a picture, but I think it is a portrait. Jesus must have had a superb photographer who knew how to produce a photographic negative on the superificial fibers of a linen cloth centuries ago. This is the face of the crucified man depicted on the Shroud of Turin.

There are people who actually do not think there ever was a historical person in the first century A.D. called Jesus. They can accept Plato. Aristotle. Caesar. But not Jesus.  What are they afraid of?  That he might speak to their hearts?

I’ve written about the Shroud before – here and here.

A new study of the Shroud of Turin has led to the suggestion that it was created by a huge burst of energy accompanying the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That research was disputed, however, because there was a possibility of contamination from patches of cloth that had been sewn on following a fire in Chambery, France, in 1532

The Resurrection of Christ, 1463-65, fresco by Piero della Francesca: The Vatican – which owns the Turin shroud – shies away from statements over whether it is real or fake, but says it helps to explore the ‘darkest mysteries of faith’

Carbon dating tests carried out in 1988 in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona suggested that the shroud was created some time between 1260 and 1390

Here is a link to  site which purports to show that Michaelangelo, unknowingly, imbedded in the Sistine Chapel frescoes an encoded image of Jesus which is the same as the one on the shroud.

I think God knew that we modern folk would have trouble believing those old stories about Jesus and would doubt that God really became man, lived on earth, died and rose again …. so He left the Shroud of Turin, an inexplicable linen cloth that was used as a shroud for a crucified man, perhaps 2000 years ago. Check it out – see what you think.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris exults!

Because I have been fascinated by the Shroud of Turin for at least 50 years  (my first book on the subject was A Doctor at Calvary by Dr. Pierre Barbet – 1953)  I felt I should make note of the recently publicized 3D picture of the man on the shroud as shown on the History Channel in The Real Face of Jesus? The computer graphics expert, Ray Downing, who produced the image stated: “I have a lot of information about that face and my estimation is we’re pretty darn close to what this man looked like.”

The shroud is going on display this month for 40 days (April 10 to May 23) in St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin. The last time it was displayed was in 2000 for the Jubilee Year. Please see my previous post for further information about the shroud.

The Catholic church has not taken a position on the authenticity of the shroud.  Here is a video clip from the discussion about this new image of the man on the shroud from ABC news.

The entire documentary,  The Real Face of Jesus,  can be viewed on You Tube in nine segments.  This is a remarkably comprehensive overview of the known history of the shroud and all the scientific studies that have been done on it to date.    HE IS RISEN!

Link to PDF (May, 2011): The Face of the God-Man

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Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. — Isaiah 52:14

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.  — John 20:8,9

And there He was
Splendid as the morning sun and fair
As only God is fair.
And they, confused with joy,
Knelt to adore
Seeing that He wore
Five crimson stars
He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung
None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song,
A silent man alone
Of all that throng
Found tongue –
Not any other.
Close to His heart
When the embrace was done,
Old Joseph said,
“How is Your Mother,
How is Your Mother, Son?”
[Part of a poem by Sister Mary Ada, posted on Historical Christian]

When John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who is to come or shall we look for another?”  And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see, the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”  Matthew 11: 2-5

I doubt very much if the message of Jesus would have caught on like it did were it not for the signs and wonders that he performed. To this day the signs and wonders that accompany the “good news” (or gospel) give witness to the divinity of the Christ. For example, since Mary appeared to Bernadette in 1858 and the spring sprang up where none had been before, millions have visited the Grotto in Lourdes, France, to bathe in the healing waters. Many have claimed healings of one sort or another and the Lourdes Medical Bureau of doctors was formed to investigate claims of miracles. Only 68 so far have been called medically inexplicable. Because of the difficulty of proving a healing of any sort, healings are not my favorite sort of miracle. Real though they may be, they require testimonies and medical documents, and there always remains the question of mind over matter — a psychosomatic healing that can be labeled natural rather than supernatural.

In his book Miracles C. S. Lewis writes: “I use the word Miracle to mean an interference with Nature by Read the rest of this entry »