Heaven help us.
A holy war is brewing after an Italian scientist published new research claiming that the fabled Shroud of Turin proves that Jesus Christ sustained wounds during the crucifixion, but some of his colleagues say the story is a fabrication.
The discoveries come after the controversy surrounding the piece of cloth – rumored to have been buried with the Messiah – recently flared up again.
In July, Giulio Fanti, a professor at the University of Padua, published a study of bloodstains and “scourge marks” on the Shroud, which refer to Christ’s execution by nailing to a cross – a common Roman method of execution in his time in 33 AD.
Fanti theorized that “the different directions of blood flow from the side wound, the probable presence of lung fluid” and “some blood stains” indicate trauma suffered by the Savior.
The professor, who reportedly devoted a quarter of a century to his research, told the Daily Mail he was not the first to make this connection.
“Geologist Amir Sandler of the Geological Survey of Jerusalem identified, among other things, smectite and illite, which are typical of Jerusalem’s soil, as well as other material originating from the Saharan winds,” Fanti told the outlet.
Other experts, however, describe the study as a crucifixion fiction and claim that the researcher is acting hypocritically.
The controversial cloth first appeared during the Renaissance and is believed by some to be a fake because the highly precise facial impression for which the Shroud is known appears a little too perfect.
“If you wrapped the shroud (three-dimensionally) around a body, it would leave a distorted image,” Dr David Johnson, professor of philosophy at King’s College, told the Daily Mail.
“Not a nice, clean, two-dimensional ‘picture’, as if the shroud had lifted itself up and hovered over Jesus and ‘taken a picture.'”
A 2018 study also supports the allegations of forgery after simulated tests showed that the position of Christ’s wounds did not match the bloodstains on the tapestry.
However, a 2022 study that took X-rays of the Shroud was recently widely circulated.
The Italian scientist Liberato de Caro is said to have proven the similarity with a similar material from Masada in Israel, which was used 20 years after the alleged death of Christ.
“The experimental results are compatible with the hypothesis that the Shroud of Turin is a 2,000-year-old relic,” the study says.
Until more is achieved, this mystery of faith is our cross to bear.
