Historians: So-Called ‘Shroud of Turin’ a 14th Century Prop

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There are all sorts of “holy relics” out there.  Everything from the nails used to crucify a Jewish fella named Jesus, to splinters of wood alleged to have made up the “sacred” cross itself.  In addition, there are thorns from the so-called crown of thorns ostensibly worn by Jesus before and during his ordeal, as well as bits of clothing and even entirely preserved bodies of saints. Then there’s the infamous “Shroud of Turin.”

The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin

Contrary to popular religious views the Shroud of Turin dates only to medieval times. According to British historian Charles Freeman, Jesus’ supposed burial cloth, believed by many to show his image after crucifixion, is nothing more than a 14th-century prop that was likely used during an Easter-morning re-enactment of the resurrection.

Freeman says his analysis of historical texts and illustrations has found no mention of the cloth before its first documented appearance in France in 1355, the Guardian reports. “Astonishingly, few researchers appear to have grasped that the shroud looked very different in the 16th and 17th centuries from the object we see today,” Freeman writes in History Today, where he examines “early depictions and descriptions of the Shroud that illustrate features now lost.”

Among them, Antonio Tempesta’s 1613 engraving of the cloth and writings on it: a description by a Benedictine monk in 1449, another by Pope Sixtus in 1474, and an entry in the Travel Journal of Antonio de Beatis, which records a 1517 viewing. They depict or reference a shroud in which blood and scourge marks are prominent. In Freeman’s view, this syncs with a “change in iconography:” The depictions of Christ’s burial from the 1100s and 1200s are largely free of blood; the emphasis on a bloodied Christ came into play in the 14th century.

In Freeman’s view, the Shroud of Turin was not a forgery intended to deceive but a prop used during the Easter Quem quaeritis (“whom do you seek?”) ceremony, and he points to the 1988 radiocarbon-dating of the shroud that dated it to the 14th century as further proof. (A February study, however, asserted the image on the shroud was created by an earthquake in 33 AD.)

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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9 years ago

I once had a potato that had Jesus’s face in it. I can’t prove it as I made mashed potato out of it so you’ll have to take my word for it.

Tasted strangely ‘fishy’ for potato…. 😉

Marsha Woerner
Reply to  Norman Rampart
9 years ago

🙂

Joe Hagstrom
9 years ago

I thought it was proved to be a 14th century creation back in the 80’s. If one needs this stuff to validate one’s faith perhaps his faith wasn’t that strong to begin with.

Marsha Woerner
9 years ago

My impression is that it has been long disproved that the “shroud of Turin” had anything to do with Jesus whatsoever…
My general attitude on any of this is, unless I find or see anything proving otherwise, it’s all a crock – usually meant to enrich someone, or sometimes managed to strengthen the proof (I use the word “proof” quite loosely) of some religion. It’s a lot easier to just assume that it’s not true that to try holding your breath for proof – it ain’t comin’…

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