X-Ray Dating Creates More Excitement About the Shroud of Turin

The mystery of the Shroud of Turin continues; a piece of cloth that’s got scientists, historians, and believers scratching their heads for centuries. Recently, a team of Italian researchers decided to stir the pot by taking another look at this ancient relic, which some claim is the very burial shroud of Jesus Christ himself. Their research has added more fuel to the fire, claiming that this piece of linen is actually 2,000 years old, dating back to the time of Jesus.

Their findings, published in the journal Heritage in 2022, doesn’t confirm whether this is the burial shroud of Jesus, but it does suggest that its age could align with the era when he walked the Earth.

The Shroud of Turin: Contaminated by the Annals of History

The Shroud of Turin has been the subject of intense scrutiny for ages, and while some researchers have dared to claim it might be authentic, the scientific consensus still leans toward it being a medieval creation, likely a clever forgery. Even back in 1389, the Bishop of Troyes, Pierre d’Arcis, was pretty sure it was a fake and even claimed to know the artist behind it!

Most of the skepticism stems from a pivotal radiocarbon dating study conducted in the late 1980s. The results of that study pegged the Shroud’s origin somewhere between 1260 AD and 1390 AD, right around the time it made its first documented appearance in France during the 1350s.

The conclusion? The Shroud wasn’t the burial cloth of Jesus, but a medieval artifact, possibly crafted to boost faith, or cash flow. However, not everyone is convinced by these findings. Some, like the authors of this study, argue that those tests might have been flawed due to contamination. But, spoiler alert: even the contamination theory has faced some pushback, reports Newsweek.

X-raying the Ancient Cloth

The study, led by Liberato De Caro from Italy’s Institute of Crystallography, had researchers employing a cutting-edge method for dating ancient linen threads. The debate was re-initiated by the Institute as they employed a technique called Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering to inspect the structural degradations in a tiny sample from the Shroud. And guess what? Their results suggested that this piece of fabric might actually date back to 55-74 AD, which, if true, would make it around 2,000 years old!

Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering results, showing the Shroud fragment to be around the 2000 year age. (De Caro, L., et al. 2024/Heritage)

The catch? These results only hold if the Shroud was kept in near-perfect conditions for a mind-boggling 13 centuries of its unknown history, and then another seven centuries in Europe. We’re talking about consistent temperatures of around 68-72.5 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity of 55-75 percent. That’s a huge ask!

Since these findings don’t concur with previous radiocarbon dating, the researchers themselves admit that more work needs to be done. They’re calling for a more thorough and systematic X-ray investigation of additional samples from the Shroud to really nail down the truth. So, while this study adds an exciting twist to the tale, it’s clear that the mystery of the Shroud of Turin isn’t going to be solved just yet.

The full length of the Shroud of Turin. Scientists and scholars cannot resolve the mystery of the shroud. (Public Domain)

What’s the Shroud of Turin?

The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that bears the image of a man who appears to have been crucified, widely believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the Bible, after Jesus was crucified by the Romans, his body was wrapped in a linen shroud and laid in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.

Measuring approximately 14 feet (14 meters) long and 3.5 feet (1 meter) wide, the shroud is characterized by its faint, reddish-brown image, which seems to show details of the man’s face and body, including wounds consistent with crucifixion. The shroud has been housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, since the 16th century, after having traveled through various locations in Europe.

However, some researchers contest these findings, arguing that the presence of contaminants or the shroud’s exposure to fire and repairs may have skewed the results. Other studies, including pollen analysis and forensic examinations, suggest a connection to the time of Jesus, though these claims remain contentious within the scientific community, reports The Daily Mail.

The image on the shroud remains a mystery, with various hypotheses proposed regarding its formation. Some suggest that it resulted from a chemical reaction involving the body of Jesus, while others theorize that it may have been created through art or photographic techniques, which has been ruled out by many scientists. The Shroud’s significance is further amplified by its status as a relic in Christian tradition, drawing millions of pilgrims and tourists to Turin every year.

Top image: The Shroud of Turin: modern, digitally processed image of the face on the cloth. Source: Dianelos Georgoudis/CC BY-SA 3.0

By Sahir Pandey