The Shroud Of Turin

History Says...


History plays an important role in our present lives.  What happened in the past - the events which occurred in the past, the decisions mankind made in the past - is what got us to where we are today.  But if we don't know how we got here - if we don't know the facts from the past - how can we POSSIBLY make smart, sound decisions here in the present?  

The answer is - we can't.  But there's hope.  We can do more than just understand the history - we can compare what history tells us with what science tells us, and have a much stronger understanding of both.  Let's see what history tells us about The Shroud Of Turin.

"I recognize Christ as a historical personage and I see no reason why anyone should be scandalized that there still exist material traces of his earthly life."
 

Yves Delage, professor of comparative anatomy at The Sorbonne, and self-professed agnostic

Sourced from John E. Walsh, "The Shroud?" New York, 1963.

...still exist...traces of his earthly life.
"...fitting only a coin issued by Pontius Pilate between 29 and 32 A.D."
 

Francis Filas, professor at Loyola University in Chicago

J.Jackson and E. Jumper (STURP members who discovered the 3-dimansional characteristic of the Shroud image) noted objects (coins) placed over the eyes of the man buried in the Shroud (part of the Jewish burial custom).  Professor Filas identified the coins as one minted only during the era during Jesus' crucifixion.

Sourced from Francis L. Filas, "The Dating of the Shroud of Turin from Coins of Pontius Pilate," private monograph, 1980.

...coin issued by Pontius Pilate...
"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference.  Scores of archaeoligical findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible."
 

Nelson Glueck, renowned archaeologist who worked extensively in the Middle East

Nelson Glueck, Rivers In The Desert, New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1959, p.31.

...findings...confirm...the Bible.
"On the whole, however, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record."
 

Nelson Glueck, renowned archaeologist who worked extensively in the Middle East

Millar Burrows, What Mean These Stones?, New Haven: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1941, p.1.

...strengthened confidence... reliability of the scriptural record.
"There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."
 

William F. Albright, renowned archaeologist

William Foxworth Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1953, p.176.

...confirmed the Old Testament.
"Historical-critical studies conclude that the teaching about the resurrection dates virtually from the time of the eyewitness experiences themselves.  Thus, it was not a later legend added to the Christian message."
 

Reginald Fuller, The Formation Of The Resurrection Narratives, New York: Macmillan, 1971, pp.9ff.

...teaching about the resurrection



"We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man.  It is not the product of an artist.  The bloodstains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin."



- Summary of Official Statement
   issued by
   The Shroud Of Turin Research Project
   (STURP)







About This Section

Looking to the past can give us such an accurate picture of our present.  But for the wise, that past information applied to our present circumstance can literally change our future completely.  

But in order to have an accurate picture of past events, we must first take the time to ensure we understand them.

The information shared on this page provides an understanding of several historical facts, and correlates them directly to various scientific and biblical points concerning the Shroud of Turin.  Notice how they all fit neatly together...

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