A new study of the Shroud of Turin is claiming that the previous radio-carbon dating efforts conducted in the early 1980s were incorrect.
The study will be available in a new book published by Giulio Fanti, associate professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at Padua University
The Shroud of Turin, for those unfamiliar with it, is burial cloth that bears the image of a man that apparently died from crucifixion. The remarkable image has been revered for centuries as relic with many believing it to be the shroud used in the burial of Jesus Christ.
The previous radio-carbon dating efforts put to rest this belief when researchers dated the shroud to the Middle Ages – long after the death of Christ. Many of the faithful raised credible concerns over the validity of those tests , and now a new study seems to give credence by pushing back the shroud’s origins to the 1st century.
There have been scholarly articles expressing doubts over the samples used for carbon dating in the 1980s. The former magazine editor of Nature, Philip Ball, offered his opinion on the 1980s tests saying “the status of the Shroud of Turin is murkier than ever. Not least, the nature of the image and how it was fixed on the cloth remain deeply puzzling”.
Coming on Easter weekend, this new study offers validation for those residents of Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff who continue to believe the shroud to bear the image of a crucified Jesus; but, the shroud’s trial will most likely continue as ‘expert witnesses’ provide further insights on what all agree is an amazing looking shroud.
If it were not for claims that the image on the shroud is that of Christ, it is most likely the debate over the shroud’s dating would be isolated to academics and historians. But with 4 billion people who consider themselves adherents to an Abrahamic religion – Jews, Christians and Muslims – Christ is still making news thousands of years later.
As to the existence of Christ, no one debates it – but the shroud is a mystery that can be debated, a mystery to be enjoyed, or both.
The Shroud of Turin will be shown on television this Easter weekend for the first time in decades.
Links:
http://www.livescience.com/28276-shroud-of-turin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/28/turin-shroud-tv-pope-francis