No Shroud in the Tomb

Once more the Shroud of Turin is being questioned regarding its authenticity. The origin and history of the Shroud are complex and deeply intertwined with religious tradition, scientific inquiry, and historical debate.

The earliest undisputed historical reference to the Shroud dates back to the 14th century in France. Around 1354, the cloth was displayed in a church in Lirey by the French knight Geoffroi de Charny. It was initially met with skepticism, even from the bishop of the region, who claimed it was a forgery.

Despite early doubts, the relic gained popularity and was transferred over the centuries through various hands, eventually coming under the ownership of the House of Savoy. In 1578, it was moved to Turin, Italy, where it has remained ever since, housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. 

Scientific examination of the Shroud began in earnest in the 20th century. In 1978, a team of scientists under the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) conducted an extensive examination. They concluded that the image was not painted, burned, or otherwise manually created by known artistic methods. However, the mystery deepened in 1988 when radiocarbon dating tests performed by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich, and Arizona dated the cloth to between 1260 and 1390 AD, suggesting it was a medieval forgery.

Martin Luther who was highly skeptical of relics in general said, “If they had all the pieces of the True Cross that they claim to have, they could build a whole forest.”

An unresolved question is where was the Shroud prior to 1578 and how was it originally concluded to be authentic. Consider the biblical accounts regarding the original cloth in reaching your conclusion.

MATTHEW 27: 59 (NKJV)   “When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.”  Wrapped =   entyliss?

MARK 15: 46 “Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. Wrapped = eneile?

LUKE 23: 53 “Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen,” Wrapped = entyliss?

JOHN 19: 40 “Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” Bound = de?

Notice it was “strips of linen,” plural.

JOHN 20: 6, 7 “Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.” Peter’s perusal of the tomb included seeing the “handkerchief” and “the linen cloths” which earlier John described as “strips of linen.” If there had been a shroud he surely would have included what he saw. There was no shroud. Case closed.