The Shroud of Turin
From the ‘Homework Sharks’ banner page of 28 August 2020.
“HISTORY or HOAX ? Shroud of Turin – The image of Christ on his death bed*** ASSIGNMENT *** Research and write a 700 word paper on the Artifact that was assigned to you. Include this in the proper formating [sic!]. MLA / 3 sources Explain the background of the artifact. – What it is / Where it was found, etc. Explain why the artifact is controversial? Include at least 3 images which help illustrate the artifact in your paper – pictures/paintings etc. In the final paragraph – explain if you think the artifact is History or a Hoax. You have to decide one way or the other (History or Hoax); you can’t say it’s both.”
ANSWER
History or Hoax: The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is also referred to as Turin Shroud and refers to a piece of linen bearing the negative image of a man said to be Jesus of Nazareth. Some historians have claimed that the linen is was the burial shroud of Jesus after the crucifixion. The shroud first came up in 1389 and is currently stored in the Cathedral of Turin in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin, Italy. Various theorists, historians and scientists have come up to challenge the authenticity of the shroud and to date, it is a constant debate. The Catholic Church has neither endorsed the shroud formally nor rejected it. However, Pope Pius XII endorsed the association of the shroud with the face of Jesus in 1958 and Pope John Paul II referred to it as “a mirror of the Gospel” (Damon 1989). Other denominations of the Christian faith such as the Anglicans and Methodists have since then shown devotion to the cloth. This essay examines the Shroud of Turin using all methods used to analyse it to make an ultimate conclusion whether the shroud is history or hoax.
The shroud itself is a rectangular piece of linen 4.4 by 1.1 meters. It is woven in a three to one herringbone twill consisting of flax fibrils (Damon 1989). The most distinctive feature is a faint brownish image both front and back of a naked man with hands folded across his groin. The image of the man that people have claimed to be Jesus has a beard, a moustache and his hair run to his shoulders. His height is about 1.7 to 1.8 meters. The first photograph was taken by Secondo Pia is 1898, the second image was by Giuseppe Enrie in 1931 and lastly, 1978 ultraviolet images were taken of the shroud will be the three images analysed in this essay to point to its viability.
Secondo Pia
Secondo Pia was an Italian photographer who took the image (above) and developed it in 1898. He noticed that the photographs in their negatives showed clearer renditions of the image. The image he took was the one approved by the Roman Catholic Church through Pope Pius XII as the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus (Pia 1989). After taking the photo, the Vatican Newspaper covered the story on 15th June 1898 but avoided commenting any further about it beyond that for half a century. Sister Maria Pierina requested the use of the image on the church’s medal which was granted by Pope Pius XII (Damon 1989). Later the medal became the Holy Face Medal worn by many Catholics today and during the World Wars as some form of religious protection.
Giuseppe Enrie
Giuseppe Enrie was commissioned to photograph the Shroud in May 1931. The resulting images were almost as similar as the one before them. The image was reproduced from negative. Studies analysing the image found alterations and effect on the texture which is attributed to Enrie’s development where there were protuberances in the yarn (Damon 1989).
UV Photographs
UV images of the Turin showed the full length of the linen and formed the basis for the most scientific studies of the shroud. An analysis by McAvoy (2019) observed that the shroud exhibits “very unique UV florescence propertied and fluoresces more on the right than the left with the most fluorescence being at the middle. Several religious theorists have based the fluorescence on the resurrection of Christ saying that light emanated from the body when he rose on the third day. However, criticism of this claim by scientists has followed sharply claiming the theory to be utterly ridiculous.
Beyond all this evidence, a huge part of information appears to miss which the status of the shroud is before discovery in 1389. It makes the shroud capable of any number of corruption before being taken into custody by the Catholic Church. Many theorists after examining both the chemistry and physics of the shroud conclude that there is so much unknown to specifically link the shroud to Jesus of Nazareth. However, the importance of cultural and religious artefacts are not on their authenticity but on their ability to command faith and spirituality. That said, there is no doubt that the Shroud of Turin is a hoax.
References
Damon, P. E., Donahue, D. J., Gore, B. H., Hatheway, A. L., Jull, A. T., Linick, T. W., … & Hedges, R. E. M. (1989). Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin. Nature, 337(6208), 611-615.
Jumper, E. J., Adler, A. D., Jackson, J. P., Pellicori, S. F., Heller, J. H., & Druzik, J. R. (1984). A comprehensive examination of the various stains and images on the Shroud of Turin.
McAvoy, Thomas. (2019). Analysis of UV photographs of the Shroud of Turin. Applied Optics. 58. 6958. 10.1364/AO.58.006958.
Pia, Secondo, Amanzio Borio, and Michele Falzone del Barbarò. Secondo Pia: photographs 1886-1927: [catalogue of the exhibition in Turin, National Cinema Museum, 1989]. Allemandi, 1989.
