The Controversies of the Shroud of Turin: Is it the Real Jesus's Burial Clothes?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Jesus Christ is one of the most important figures in history. However, what we knew about his life is mostly from the Holy Bible. To this day, people still looking for any historical objects related to his life. And one of the object, which some people believe related to him, is the Shroud of Turin. But what is the Shroud of Turin and why is it so controversial?

The Shroud of Turin is a 14 foot long linen cloth that is centuries years old. It's believed to have been used to wrap the Jesus's body after he was taken down from the cross. Miraculously, Jesus's face and body image was imprinted to the clothes.

The shroud first came into public in 1354. It was owned by a famous French knight, Geoffrey de Charny. In 1389, the shroud was exhibited to the public. However, a local bishop claim it as a fake. As quoted from Britannica, the bishop said that it was skillfully painted and it has been confirmed with the artist. And in 1578, the shroud was moved to Turin Cathedral in 1578, where it lived to this day.

2 of 2 pages

Is the Shroud of Turin Real?

Many people still debating whether the Shroud of Turin is real or not. And there has been many researches to prove its originality. In 1898, one of the earliest study on the Shroud found that the image appears to be a photographic negative.

In 1978, a group of researchers named STURP has given an access to the Shroud of Turin to do a research to prove the originality. Based on their website, the research concluded that the image on the shroud is a real human form of a crucified man. It's not a fake painting made by an artist. However, their research still can not found how the image was imprinted to the cloth is remain a mystery.

In 1988, another research has done under the permission from the Holy See. In this research, they sent three sample of the clothes to three different laboratories. This time, they try to learn the age of the Shroud of Turin by using a method named radiocarbon dating. The research found that the shroud dated to 1260–1390 AD, which is far after Jesus died. This founding hint that the Shroud is a fake.

However, some researchers still questioning the method used by this research. They claimed that the shroud was repaired a couple of times in its history, which can cause the inaccurate result.

In 2017, another research about the Shroud is done. The research found that the clothes is stained with the blood of a torture victim. The research also confirm that the shroud was indeed used as a burial cloth for a tortured victim.

So, is the Shroud of Turin real or fake? The Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council just released their newest research result. In this research, they use X-ray techniques to determine the date of the Shroud. They found that the shroud is indeed 2000 years old.

As quoting from New York post, the research found that it match a fabric from Masada, Israel that was used around 20 years after the death of Jesus Christ. While this result take us an inch closer to the truth, the originality of the Shroud of Turin is remain a mystery.

Bimo Bagas Basworo
Author