DOES THE SHROUD OF TURIN PROVE THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS?

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most famous relics of history because this is a burial shroud of a man who suffered from crucifixion and who appeared to be Jesus Christ. According to St. John Paul II,

“The Shroud shows us Jesus at the moment of His greatest helplessness and reminds us that in the abasement of that death lies the salvation of the whole world [1].”

Many people were converted and become devoted to our Lord because of this while many skeptics provided reasons opposing the authenticity of the shroud. They will usually cite the controversial Carbon 14 test done in 1988 which reported that the shroud was made during the 15th century. This is why most skeptics would claim it’s a medieval forgery. However, what was tested was not part of the original shroud. According to Fr. Spitzer,

“However, there was one major problem with the strand of cloth used in the 1988 study—was not only defective, but taken from a corner of the cloth that had been visibly patched (with thread from the 15th century) [2]”

Also, there are some external evidence that indicates that the shroud originated in 1st century. There were pollen grains that were discovered on the shroud which were unique to Judea, and there were Roman coins on the eyes of the image which were made during the time of Pontius Pilate in 29 A.D [2]. This proves that the shroud of turin and the image are not medieval forgery, and they are dated at the time of His death.

We also have an evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. What made this shroud famous is its image of what seems to be Jesus. But, what caused the image? According to Di Lizarro and other researchers, an ultraviolet radiation of several billion watts are needed to replicate such image. Just as this cannot be done in medieval times, even in the modern times, no one can replicate the image of the Shroud of Turin. In an interview by National Geographic, we can find:

“The ultraviolet light necessary to do so “exceeds the maximum power released by all ultraviolet light sources available today,” says Di Lazzaro. It would require “pulses having durations shorter than one forty-billionth of a second, and intensities on the order of several billion watts [4].”

What explains the image on the shroud is that inside the shroud, there is a dead crucified Man who emitted, in a duration shorter than one-forty billionth of a second, a light that has the intensity of BILLION WATTS, which according to Fr. Spitzer is equivalent of 14,000 LASERS [5]. There is no natural explanation for this. What can only explain this is a supernatural explanation, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps, the light from the resurrected body of Christ that made the image on the Shroud points to us that He is the light of the world. By His resurrection, He takes away all the darkness of sins and doubts in Him. Let us share His light to many people by being a firm witness of our faith.

May God bless us and bestow on us His light. May He grant us eternal life and hope in our resurrection. Amen +

Reference:

[1]https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_24051998_sindone.html

[2]https://blog.magiscenter.com/blog/why-is-the-shroud-of-turin-still-a-mystery

[3]https://blog.magiscenter.com/blog/how-did-shroud-turin-get-image

[4]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150417-shroud-turin-relics-jesus-catholic-church-religion-science

[5]https://magiscenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Science_and_the_Shroud_of_Turin.pdf