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The
Turin Shroud
The
Greek word SINDON means fine linen fabric,
especially that in which the bodies of the dead were wrapped.
And a linen cloth is what the Catholic Church has now in custody
and many faithful enshrine as the shroud used to wrap Christ.
Christians do not have to accept the authenticity
of the relic and, in fact, the Catholic Church has not yet
made a final statement about it. The Christian faith
is based in the resurrection of a Jewish man of humble origin
called Jesus, from whom it was said to be the Son of God.
Christian faith is not based in a piece of cloth even if it
was the very one used in his burial. We think, therefore,
that so inappropriate is to use the Shroud of Turin to attack
Christianity as to use it as a Crusade weapon in its defence.
One could be a very good Christian without accepting the authenticity
of the Shroud.
Having
clarified this point, we want to show you the most important
data about this famous relic, one of the most studied historical
objects. To start, a brief analysis of the history of the
Shroud, next we will show you the data that made this object
to be considered one of the most amazing mysteries and an
unique object of study and finally, we will guide you into
the analysis of the image on the linen. After that, it will
be up to you, using a mind that we hope free of prejudices,
to draw some conclusions.
A
bit of history
1350.
From this date on, it is undoubtedly known the historical
trajectory of the relic and on this there is general agreement
among scholars. The lack of data before the 1350s it is often
used as an argument against authenticity. For many, the chronology
of the Shroud of Turin could have started in the city of Edesa
(the actual Urfa in Turkey) where a relic that could very
well be the Shroud, was found during the reparation of a wall
between 525 and 544. To
get more data about this hypothesis, see the writings of Ian
Wilson. Next, we show you some of the arguments that many
use to follow the history of the Shroud before 1350. We
insist that there is only undisputed agreement among scholars
about the history of the Shroud from 1350 on.
In
944, the Shroud was taken from Edesa to Constantinople.
There is a Greek manuscript about a sermon from the Archdeacon
Gregorio from Saint Sofia the day that the relic arrived to
the city. (16th August 944) (Vatican archives).
A
miniature from 1081 (Skylitres Miniature (1081-1118)) shows
the imperator Lecapeno (920-944) kissing
the Shroud when it arrived from Edesa. In the scene, the Shroud
is stretched and the imperator kiss the part of the head while
another person holds the cloth. (Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid,
vitrina 26, 2, folio 131, r).
The cloth is in the catalogue about relics from the Imperial
Palace of Constantinople made by the monk of Thingeyrar in
1157. It is also in a list of 1201
made by Nicolas Mesarites.
It is thought that the Shroud disappeared from Constantinople
during the crusades. There is a letter from the 1st of August
of 1205, written by Teodoro Angel Comneno,
grandson of Isaac II, imperator from Constantinople, and it
is addressed to the Pope Innocent III, organizer of the IV
Crusade. In the letter, he complains about the theft of the
relic during the Crusade and asks for its devolution to Constantinople.
In the Centro di Sindonologia (Turin) there are letters of
the Binet and Mathieu, Archbishops of Besançon, confirming
the presence of the relic in the city the first days of the
XIII century.
Year 1355, the Shroud appears again after
1.5 centuries. It is exhibited in the church of Lirey, 150
kilometres from Paris and it is owned by Godofredo de Charny,
a French knight that could have acquired the relic in Constantinople.
From this year on we know for sure the historical
trajectory of the Shroud.
Year 1532. December 3rd, a fire in the French
church of Chambéry damaged the relic. The Chambéry's
Poor Clare nuns repaired the Shroud two years later.
Year 1578. The Shroud is at this time already
owned by the Savoys. It is transferred from Chambéry,
old capital of Savoy´s Dukedom, to Turin.
Year 1694. The Italian architect Guarini
builds for the relic an especial chapel adjacent to the Turin
Cathedral.
Year 1983. Pope John Paul II inherits the
Shroud from Umberto II of Savoy.
Year
1997. April 11th, shortly before midnight, a new
fire endangered the relic. But this time, the Shroud was not
affected.
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