Few antiquities have undergone so thorough analysis. None of the Christian artifacts caused such hot discussions in the scientific world. None is as unusual as Shroud of Turin.
A photo from open sources
According to legend, it was she who Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body Jesus Christ after his painful death on the cross – and on it imprinted traces belonging to the Christian messiah. But maybe Is the sacred shroud just a medieval fake?
Shroud History
Shroud of Turin – a canvas a little more than 4 m in length and a meter in width. Allegedly, the head, arms and legs of Jesus “imprinted” on her: you can see the features of a pacified person who has kept calm and serene expression. Judging by the prints, part of the funerary a shroud was laid under the body of the deceased, and another wrapped the body with side of the head.
After the death of Christ, the shroud disappeared for more than 13 centuries – continues the tradition. They first talked about her in 1353, when a certain French crusader brought a shroud from his distant wanderings. It is believed that before the looting by Europeans The shroud of Constantinople was stored there, although reliable There is no evidence for this.
Later, the knight’s family handed over the artifact to the church of the city of Lirei, and from this moment another story of the relic begins: to a small the town stretched a string of pilgrims. Interest in the shroud began was fading away when the church declared it a fake, which at that time was great.
However, after almost a century, in 1452, the Duke of Savoy Louis I bought a shroud, and she moved to the city of Chambery. In 1578 her transported to the Cathedral of John the Baptist in Turin in northern Italy. Here she “settled”, having received its usual name.
A photo from open sources
However, the real glory came to her many centuries later – in end of the 19th century. In 1898, Italian lawyer Secondo Pia photographed the shroud and, working on new pictures, noticed one very strange detail. The films showed that light and shadow on them as if swapped: the Shroud of Turin was like negative. Consequently, in the hands of the photographer Secondo Pia photos in positive.
This unusual phenomenon attracted a lot of enthusiasts, but scientific no one began to conduct experiments with the shroud at that time. Church not She wanted to give the relic to strangers, although she did not confirm it authenticity formally. However, the technology of the end of the XIX century is not could give answers to all the questions of the curious. Seriously for scientists took artifact research only in the second half XX.
There are no exact dates for the birth and death of Christ. It is assumed that he was born between 12 and 4 years before n e. His death is usually dated 26-36 years. n e. If you believe to some scholars who advocate the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, she was made at the beginning of the 1st century BC. e. – during the period of life and death Of Christ.
Was Christ an Albino?
The main question can be formulated as follows – why Turinsky Is the shroud considered genuine? The fact that you can not see on it only body prints, but also traces of wounds. Scary evidence crucifixes, numerous whips, finally, bruises on the site of the strike of the Roman legionnaire’s spear – all this was “imprinted” on relics.
There is one interesting point about which it is not always mention. In the Christian tradition, it is customary to depict the crucified Christ with nails hammered in the palm of his hand. In the present Ancient Rome nails nailed wrists. On the Shroud of Turin distinctly it can be seen that the nails were hammered precisely on the wrists.
Does this prove its authenticity? Do not rush to conclusions because the shroud could fake a skillful hoaxer – a master who was familiar with ancient Roman customs much better than usual priest of the Middle Ages.
A photo from open sources
Is it possible to analyze the remnants of blood on the shroud? Alas, even in our century it is impossible to say with certainty whether there is blood on it – studies cannot confirm either its presence or its absence.
Scientists are more likely to believe that the spots on the shroud are only dyes, mercury sulfide and ocher. It would seem that the question is possible close, however, artists tried to copy more than 50 times image of the shroud, including using new methods – but they failed to achieve the same result.
As we already mentioned, the attention of the public was attracted by the fact that the image of Jesus is preserved in negativity. Some explain it. “effect of illumination of fabric” of the canvas. There is a hypothesis about primitive camera that could be used to making fakes.
However, if the image on the shroud is really negative, then Jesus Christ will be … an albino with white hair and a beard the same color. Many researchers, however, do not consider version of the negative image on the shroud. They believe that part of the fabric just underwent a stronger sunny exposure, so this effect.
There is one solid evidence of the authenticity of the shroud. IN 1976 scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory placed her image in a VP-8 computer capable of interpret the optical density of the image and turn flat picture in relief. The results were unexpected: on the screen showed a three-dimensional image of a person.
Believers received a serious trump card, but skeptics did not back down: even if the shroud is not a simple image, it is still it doesn’t mean at all that the body of the messiah was wrapped in it. For making a shroud, the hoaxer could use a certain layout, and perhaps the real human body.
A photo from open sources
Late dating
The easiest way to dispel the myths about the authenticity of the shroud – prove that it was made in the Middle Ages. But it’s not that simple as supporters of the fake thought. Back in the 1950s, scientists drew attention to the fact that the primitive structure of the fabric cloth speaks of its early origin. According to the conclusions of those times, the shroud could be made back in the 1st century AD – just then Christ lived.
The most famous experiments with the shroud were carried out in 1988. Three independent laboratories at once – Oxford and Arizona universities as well as the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich – received samples of the shroud in order to establish its age by radiocarbon analysis.
To the dismay of many believers, all three laboratories provided similar results – the shroud was not made earlier than the XIII century. About any ancient origin of the canvas could not out of the question.
Needless to say, the story did not end there. Lovers mystics and just believers insisted that the shroud was exposed to third parties, which distorted the test results. Indeed, in 1532, the shroud was burned in a fire in Chambery, and the shroud was patched. Could scientists have done the wrong conclusion, having on hand later fabric?
A photo from open sources
It is unlikely to distinguish the original weaving from Medieval patches are very simple. Hardly on the results other external effects, for example, staining. If the shroud were contaminated with something, then it could to play a role, but not enough to make a thousand mistakes years. In any case, most scientists consider it
In 2001, an article was published in Vestnik RAN specialists from the Institute of Forensics of the FSB of Russia, the Center Shroud of Turin and the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. It stated that the radiocarbon test could give incorrect results, since the shroud contained medieval oils. Thus, the age of the canvas “accidentally” moved by 1300 years. After other researchers published a number of new publications analyzes. It turned out that the oil content in the canvas could make an error of 276 years, but not in the thirteen centuries. We also note that the authors of the above article never had real samples, all their conclusions are based on photographs shroud.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, where the shroud is located
A photo from open sources
“The Conspiracy Around Jesus”
Very strange theories exist. There is a version of German writer Holger Kersten, in whose opinion the results of the 1988 experiments were correct, only the samples themselves … replaced. In defense of this “hypothesis” says that from the laboratory records recording everything that’s happening, really, mysteriously, half an hour of shooting disappeared. Fabric during this time the shroud could well be replaced.
The writer is not limited to the story of the theft of the canvas, exposing questioned even the official position of the church regarding Christ. Exactly the church, according to Kersten’s version, is behind falsification of experiments, and her reasons are most compelling.
Allegedly, the Shroud of Turin contains evidence that that at the time of the removal from the cross, Christ was not dead at all. By Kersten’s opinion, the wounds of a dead man simply couldn’t bleed and would not leave such marks on the canvas.
But how could Jesus Christ survive the execution? According to the German version writers, followers of Christ initially had clear plans to save his messiah. He was removed from the cross three hours after crucifixion. Indeed, many prisoners hung on the cross more than five days, and some of them even survived. Christ lost consciousness after a wet sponge was brought to his face, which could contain some soporific substance. Thus, overseers may have been misled by adherents of Jesus Of Christ.
Theoretically, at the time of removal from the cross, he could still remain alive, but that’s just a hunch. The main and, in fact, the only evidence of Kersten’s version is the gospel. In the morning they found the tomb empty – scripture affirms.
Kersten’s theory may explain the appearance of body prints on the shroud. Followers of Christ could heal wounds use aloe and miro oils, and they became the cause the appearance of spots on the canvas. All this and much more has been described in the book of Holger Kersten and Elmar Gruber “Conspiracy around Of Jesus. ”
However, the founder of this conspiracy theory is hardly possible call a scientist. Known that he worked at Sunday school Freiburg, after which he decided to devote himself to travel and writing career. Besides The Conspiracy Around Jesus book by Kersten published another work with a screaming headline – “Jesus lived in Of India. “Names alone are enough to make certain conclusions about the level of these works.
The radiocarbon dating method is based on measurement ratios of the 14C isotope to stable carbon isotopes. The radiocarbon method is very complex and requires the highest qualifications – there are cases when the results of experiments were turned upside down. However, almost always such an analysis allows you to get very accurate and reasonable results.
In pursuit of a sensation
Years go by, but interest in the Shroud of Turin does not fade away. And although access to relics is limited, after 1988, scientists were able to some more experiments.
A photo from open sources
Last year, the scientific world was shocked by the results of new research. University of Padua Professor Giulio Fanti (Julio Fanti) decided to refute research findings of the late 1980s years. Original samples of the Shroud of Turin were exposed infrared spectroscopy, as well as mechanical analyzes. The research results completely contradicted the results radiocarbon dating: according to Giulio Fanti, Turin the shroud may be three centuries older than Christ himself!
Criticizing the results of previous experiments, the professor did not say nothing new. Fire and oil use allegedly played with scientists a cruel joke, making them go wrong with dating for a thousand years. This the version is set out in detail in Fanti’s book “Secrets of the Shroud,” co-written by journalist Saverio Gaeta. As in case with Kersten, here is a classic pattern “incredible discovery.” All this is very similar to cheap sensation.
One of the latest research has been the study of Italian physicists Giuseppe Lacidogna, Alberto Carpintieri (Alberto Carpinteri) and Oscar Borla (Oscar Borla) from Turin Polytechnic Institute, the results of which published in 2013. Like Giulio Fanti, scientists subjected criticized the conclusions of the 1988 experiment, only now the emphasis was made not in a fire or flood, but in an earthquake. Supposedly shortly before Christ was executed in Judea, there was an earthquake, which changed the properties and orientation of the particles on the canvas.
Naturally, this version also has no scientific evidence. No, and they are unlikely to appear. There are many seismically active places, but such phenomena were not observed there.
The Shroud of Turin is a solid canvas, but the ancient Jews, as far as one can judge, they used in ritual rites not whole shrouds, and a few pieces of fabric. One of these panels for example, they covered the head of the deceased. It turns out that the version is about the authenticity of the shroud is contrary to ancient Jewish customs.
Fake?
So, among all the experiments conducted, the most authoritative can be considered a 1988 study. His results are distinctly showed that the Shroud of Turin, most likely, is only medieval fake.
However, is it really about dating?
What can give us the exact age of the shroud? Nothing that proves its authenticity. Even the shroud and was made in the I century, this does not mean that that the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped in it.
It is already strange that after the execution the shroud is without a trace disappeared for thirteen centuries. But she was a valuable Christian a relic.
A facial imprint is another interesting point that is not always pay attention. Assuming that on the shroud the face of the messiah was imprinted, why is this trace so similar to artistic portrait? Indeed, if the fabric touched with the body of a person, and on it remained his tracks, then with a U-turn the canvases of this face would have distorted forms. True, according to Kersten’s face, Christ’s face was imprinted on the canvas not due to direct contact, but due to heat and various oils emanating from the body.
It turns out that no real evidence of authenticity the shroud does not exist. Even the church does not undertake to confirm the version apologists of the shroud. And if there is no evidence, then why invent superfluous reasons for new experiments? ..
An article from the journal Naked Science (No. 13, May-June 2014).
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