In the 14th century, the shroud was brought to Italy, where it has remained ever since. It is believed to have been in possession of the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople in the 12th century, and was later brought to France by the Knights Templar. No information exists on how de Charny came into possession of the shroud or its whereabouts throughout the 1300 years that have passed since Christ was laid to rest outside of Jerusalem. It is said to have been handed to the dean of the church in Lirey by a French knight by the name of Geoffroi de Charny as the real burial shroud of Jesus. The Shroud of Turin was discovered near Lirey, France, in the 1350s, according to the earliest historical accounts. The shroud has a long and complex history. Full length negatives of the shroud of Turin (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Just before stepping aside as Pope a year ago, Benedict XVI authorize the broadcast of video of the shroud from Turin Cathedral, where the mysterious Christian relic is kept out of sight in a bulletproof, climate-controlled glass case. Its official stance is that, regardless of its veracity, the shroud is a crucial instrument for faith. Even the Roman Catholic Church does not assert that the corpse of Jesus was wrapped in a shroud. Numerous academics dispute the shroud’s historical accuracy, asserting that it was discovered in Europe during the Middle Ages, a time when many other biblical artifacts, including shards from Jesus’ crucifixion, emerged. The man depicted in the shroud appears to have been scourged, crucified, and stabbed in the side, all of which are consistent with the biblical accounts of Jesus’ death. The image appears to be a negative, with the darkest areas corresponding to the highest points on the cloth. The shroud is approximately 14 feet long and 3.5 feet wide, and bears the faint image of a man’s face and body. The shroud is located in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, and has been the subject of intense scientific and religious scrutiny for centuries. This article is translated and adapted from Aleteia’s Spanish edition.He Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that bears the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with the biblical account of the crucifixion of Jesus. You heard me tell you, “I am going away and I will come back to you.” (John 14:27-28) That morning, he repeated the promise, with the seemingly inconsequential, but very symbolic, gesture of leaving his face cloth rolled to the side, assuring us that he’d not left for good.ĭo not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Jesus had told them with his words that the Son of Man would return. This, then, is perhaps the reason for John’s attention to the detail of Our Lord’s face cloth. This was a message for the servant that he was not to disturb the table, given that the master had indicated: “I am returning.” If, however, for whatever reason, the master left the table with the intention of returning, then he would crease the napkin into folds and leave it beside his dishes. The wrinkled, discarded napkin indicated “I have finished.” When the master was finished, he would rise, clean his fingers, mouth, and beard, and leave the “napkin” crumpled in a ball on the table. He wouldn’t dare to return to the table until the master had finished his meal. It related to a common practice used by servants and masters of this era.Ī servant, after he had prepared the dining table for his master, would stand to the side, out of sight of the master, but attentive to the progression of the meal. Why would John have noted the placement of the burial cloths in light of the astonishing fact of the absence of Jesus’ body? And why would he have thought it important to include this detail in his telling of the events of that first Easter Sunday morning?Īccording to Father Chrystian Shankar, the rolling up and placement of this cloth hearkened to a Jewish custom of the time. When Simon Peter arrived after, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. John’s Gospel specifies a curious detail in its recounting of the Resurrection.
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