By Greg Holt

Despite all of the “evidence” that seemed to point to the Shroud of Turin being authentic, meaning that it actually was the object used to wrap Jesus’s body in, I’ve never been convinced that it was real.

For one thing, if Jesus was only “buried” for three days approximately, then how did a detailed image of Jesus’s body get transferred onto this piece of cloth?  That doesn’t seem possible to me.  Yes, God could have caused this to happen with ease, I personally however, do not see that as having happened.

The accounts of Jesus burial in the Bible also contradict the idea that Jesus was wrapped in a single cloth.  In the use of the Shroud of Turin, the cloth would have been laid down, and then Jesus body would have laid on top of it, and finally, the cloth would have been laid over top of His body, head to toe.

This idea violates the Jewish burial customs of that time, and further, it does not line up with the Scriptural accounts of Jesus burial.

In the gospel of John, it is stated that Jesus body was wrapped in cloths, plural, not singular.

“Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.” John 19:40

The majority of all Bible translations use the plural – cloths, wrappings, or strips.  This was the Jewish burial custom in that day, not a single piece of cloth.

Tom Terry, of Guy With a Bible has this to say:

“A shroud, in New Testament times, was not a single item (though it begins that way). A single piece of cloth was often called a “shroud.” However, that single piece of cloth was ripped to create strips of cloth with which to wrap the deceased. The wrappings, which we might in modern times, refer to as multiple were referred to in the singular. Multiple wrappings were referred to in the singular as a “shroud.” Remember, according to John everything was done according to the burial customs of the time. We know from archeology and history that the practice of the Jews was to wrap a body in strips of cloth, mixing the cloth with spices in layers of the cloth. The legs and arms of Jesus would have been wrapped individually, then the upper body, with strips wrapping him from feet to neck. Then a separate cloth would be placed over the face as we see in John 20:7. Biblical scholars and commentators agree with this assessment.”  (Source)

There is also another set of key passages of Scripture that invalidate the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, which is a single piece of cloth remember.

“⁵ And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, ⁷ and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” John 20:5-7

Note the use of the plural form, “clothes.”  Note also that the “napkin” that was around Jesus’s head was still together, meaning it was never undone!

“Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.” Luke 24:12

Once again, plural, not singular, more than one single piece of cloth.

There is no physical evidence that Jesus Christ ever existed, anything that has been “found,” is fake, and in my mind, so is the Shroud of Turin.  Do not mistake what I’m saying here – there is plenty of evidence for the earthly existence of Jesus, it’s simply not of the physical variety.  It is my personal opinion that this is by design, God’s design.  What kind of faith would we have if it was based upon physical evidence, vs. faith based upon the Bible and what it tells us about Jesus Christ?  We are saved by faith, not by evidence.

New research now shows that based on scientific research, that the Shroud of Turn is indeed a fake, and quite possibly a work of art, not an actual burial shroud.

“In a new study published in the journal Archaeometry, Brazilian 3D designer Cicero Moraes lends credence to the theory that the shroud was a work of art rather than a genuine death shroud — and per the new paper, it may not have laid atop a human at all.

“Using three types of 3D modeling tools — MakeHuman, Blender, and CloudCompare — Moraes found that the contours of any “body” that would have imprinted upon the shroud is very unlikely to have been human. Instead, he believes, more likely it would have belonged to a statue.”  (Source)

The shroud was likely laid over a statue and not a body, interesting. 

Scientists can’t seem to agree on the age of the Shroud of Turin either.  Also, the blood spatters on the shroud do not seem to be authentic either.

Do you think the Shroud of Turin is authentic?