Shroud of Turin Facts

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Iconography of the Jesus Nailed to the Cross Through His Palms

It is very interesting is that the man of the Shroud was crucified with large spikes driven through his wrists and not through the palms of his hands. It is significant because it contradicts all iconography of medieval and pre-medieval periods. This is evidenced by both the image and the bloodstains.

Nailing through the wrists is more historically and medically plausible. It was not before the first part of the 20th century, that medical experts first realized that nails driven through a man’s palms would not support a his weight (even if his feet were nailed or supported) and that the nails would tear out. The Romans crucified victims by driving nails through the wrist area of the forearm.

If indeed the Shroud is a medieval forged relic, the craftsman who produced it knew how to do it right even if the nailing defied sensibilities of the time.



  The scientific study of the Turin shroud is like a microcosm of the scientific search for God: it does more to inflame any debate than settle it.”

  And yet, the shroud is a remarkable artefact, one of the few religious relics to have a justifiably mythical status.

  It is simply not known how the ghostly image of a serene, bearded man was made.”

Scientist-Journalist Philip Ball
Nature, January 2005

Nature, that most prestigious of scientific journals, that once had bragging rights to claim that the Shroud was fake, responding to new, peer-reviewed studies that discredit the carbon 14 dating and show that the Shroud could be authentic.


WHAT  WE KNOW IN 2005

  1. The Shroud of Turin is certainly much older than the now discredited radiocarbon date of 1260-1390. It is at least twice as old and it could be 2000 years old.  FACTS
     
  2. Though no one knows how it was made, the image is a selective caramel-like darkening of an otherwise clear coating of starch fractions and various saccharides.  FACTS
     
  3. The blood is real blood.  FACTS
     
  4. Much of what we think we see in the image is an optical illusion FACTS

Shroud of Turin Facts Check: 2005 Facts