The Shroud of Turin: A Mystery Across the Ages
Fr. Alexey Young
On this day, the Church celebrates the icon of the Savior "Made Without Hands"—the prototype of which is believed to be an image of Jesus Christ's holy face, left on a cloth used to cover His face at burial after the crucifixion. An exhaustively researched and highly interesting article by Fr. Alexy Young, Nun Michaila, and Mary Mansur was published a number of years ago in the periodical, "Orthodox America" on the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Napkin. We present it today in the spirit of the present feast.
The truth of God has to be comprehended not by the mind alone but with all one's strength; by the mind and the will and the heart; one has to live according to the truth in order to come to know the truth. Blessed Archbishop John (Maximovitch)
Science, although not incompatible with faith when properly understood, has more often served to reduce the wonders of nature to molecular conglomerates than to awaken man to the infinite wisdom and power of God as reflected in His creation. Because it acts to unlock the mysteries of nature, science has long been cast in the role of a protagonist by those seeking to destroy the stronghold of faith. Historian Lewis Spitz writes:
"The scientific revolution, which made its first giant strides in the 17th century, has won such a total victory through its apparent domination of nature that the Western mind has virtually capitulated to its truth."
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1)
If scientists are gradually losing their position as high priests of society, generations educated in a system governed by the scientific method still carry the burden of doubting Thomas. Although faith does not rest on scientific evidence, unbelievers continue to clamor "Show me," "Prove it." Ultimately the case rests on the question of Christ's Resurrection. While there is not, and can never be, a scientific test for the resurrection of Christ, skeptics have used the lack of material evidence in their favor. Is it not providential that today, in this age of science's hegemony, they are being challenged by a mysterious piece of cloth, the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ?
To say that the Shroud is a challenge to hard-line materialists is not to say that the debate over its authenticity is neatly divided between believers and unbelievers. Not at all. In fact, until quite recently, most people-even Christians-have readily dismissed it as a fake. But over the past two decades the debate has sharpened as proponents of the Shroud's authenticity have been joined by number of eminent scientists, This has brought considerable publicity, to the subject, and understandably so, for science has not generally been kind to religion, and most scientists have a reputation for regarding relics of this nature as so much "flummery from the Dark Ages."
A Wonder of Our Scientific Age
Today's advanced scientific techniques have made possible an in-depth study and analysis of the Shroud which is unique among religious artifacts in having captured the attention not only of scientists but also of scholars from many different fields. The results of their multidisciplinary work comprises a sizeable body of research which has opened a special field of study devoted to the Turin Shroud, called sindonology, from the Greek word sindon meaning burial cloth.
Articles on the Shroud have appeared in professional scientific journals and in the popular press, where virtually every aspect of the Shroud has been hotly disputed atone time or another. The research reflects the work of both proponents and opponents, critics as well as those convinced of the relic's authenticity. It includes those who have come to the subject with total objectivity and those who have had a predisposed opinion; those who have converted to Christianity as a result and those whose agnostic views remained unchanged.
In view of the Shroud's possible significance, it is rather surprising that there has been very little of substance offered from an Orthodox Christian point of view. In the '60's a Russian emigre scholar, N. Boutakov, undertook a thorough investigation of the Shroud. Unfortunately, his manuscript, which was to have been published by Holy Trinity Monastery, was misplaced when its author died, and has never been found. The results of his research appeared in a condensed form, but this gives only fleeting reference to some of his more interesting observations from an Orthodox perspective. The second edition (1973) of The Law of God (in Russian) by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy contains a brief chapter titled "The Holy Shroud of Christ," based on an article by Bishop V. Grigorenko, which looks very positively at the Turin relic. In more recent years, a short series called "The New Testament and the Shroud of Turin" by Bishop John of Atlanta has appeared in The Orthodox Observer, and an article by Bishop Chrysostomos of Orei (Greece) and Mieromonk Auxentius, "The Holy Shroud: the Controversy in Perspective" in Diaconia (see Bibliography), whose purpose is not so much to evaluate the Shroud as to caution against hastily dismissing it as a fraud--as some Orthodox do--on the basis of certain objections which will be discussed below. This sparse treatment is regrettable since Orthodoxy has a rather unique vantage point from which to understand the Turin Shroud and all of its pro and con arguments, Of course, it must be stated quite clearly here that the Orthodox Church has no official opinion or view of this relic, and any article written by an Orthodox --however well informed--simply carries the opinion of its author(s), which may or may not be shared with other Orthodox who have given thought to the subject. Some years ago Archbishop Antony of Western America and San Francisco (Russian Church Abroad) said, in response to a question about the Shroud, that many Orthodox Christians, including some prominent bishops and clergy, accept the authenticity of the Shroud, "but," he added, "since the Turin relic does not touch upon the dogmatic teachings of the Church, no 'official' view is possible." Even the Roman Catholic Church remains reserved on this matter.
A Penetrating examination of this subject was launched before his death by Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), then editor of "The Orthodox Word" and respected author and translator of numerous Orthodox texts. Fr. Seraphim had prepared a detailed outline of Orthodox arguments for and against the Shroud. We have tried in this article to reflect Fr. Seraphim's work on this subject, while further taking into consideration the proliferation of studies and important new research, which have been conducted in the four years since his untimely death. Although we do not pretend to provide a scholarly article, we have consulted a wide variety of sources, both pro and con, in an effort to be as objective as possible. Those wanting to simplify the task of learning about the Shroud, but interested in an honest overall look at the arguments, are referred especially to Ian Wilson's recent book, The Mysterious Shroud, and 'Dr, Heller's eminently readable report on the Shroud of Turin. It is hoped that the present article will stimulate a more serious and widespread interest in the Shroud, and will bring to light some new perspectives--particularly scholarly research--from Orthodox sources in other languages, on a subject which even the "New York Times" has conceded i s indeed "a wonder of our scientific age."
The Evidence
A brief summary of the Shroud of Turin's documented history begins with a letter written by a French bishop in 1389. Its owner at that time was a French knight, Geoffrey de Charny. His childless daughter Margaret kept it after her father's death until 1453. when she gave it to her close friend Ann de Lusignan, wife of Duke Louis of Savoy whose family built a special chapel to house it in Chambery, France. In 1532, a fire in the chapel caused damage to the silver reliquary containing the folded linen, as well as some water and heat damage to the relic itself. In 1578 the Shroud was brought to Turin, the capital of the Houseof Savoy. There, in the cathedral of St. John the Baptist, it has remained to this day, periodically exhibited to the faithful.
While many devout people venerated the Turin relic as the genuine burial cloth of the Lord, a majority were unimpressed by the faint image on the flaxen cloth and were inclined to dismiss it as simply another clever medieval forgery. This consensus was unsettled when in 1898 the Italian photographer Secondo Pla was given permission to take photographs of the Shroud. "To his astonishment, Pla discovered that the image on the Shroud is actually a negative. Its dim and blurred features sprang to life when 'printed' on the film in Pia's camera." [1]. The significance of this discovery intrigued scientists and prompted a series of scientific investigations, culminating in the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project, henceforth referred to by its acronym STURP.
It has not been the purpose of recent scientific studies to determine whether or not the Turin cloth is in fact the burial shroud ii of Jesus Christ--this would be virtually impossible for science to prove. The two questions which the STURP team sought to answer were l)What were the "bloodstains" and body images made of? and 2) How were they formed?
For five days, in a royal suite adjacent to the Turin cathedral, 24 American scientific and technical personnel, as well as a number of Italians and a Swiss criminologist, using six tons of sophisticated scientific equipment, subjected the Shroud to the most intense scientific and photographic scrutiny possible short of damaging the cloth. Data and samples, collected for later examination and analysis in the laboratories, provided materials for study which is still incomplete. No one who reads about the STURP study can fail to be impressed by the high leveler scientific professionalism among the team members. Whatever their religious affiliations (or lack thereof), it is apparent that they approached their task from an objectively scientific point of view, and their results should satisfy the most severe critic.
To the naked eye, even at the optimum viewing distance of about 15 feet, the Shroud imprint is seen as a rather mysterious straw colored image dominated by several distinct water stains. A scientific reading, however, presents an astonishing, detailed picture of the naked and unwashed body of a bearded, long-haired male who appears to have suffered terrible torture (by scourging and other sources of trauma); bloody wounds on the wrists and feet, as well as the angle of blood flow along the arms, suggest crucifixion,' which is supported by the fact that the man died from asphyxiation, as established by forensic specialists; peculiar wounds to head and side indicate strong parallels to a crown of thorns and piercing with a Roman lance; the nose, appears to be broken, the left cheek is swollen, and the shoulders are bruised. So complete is the information "coded" on the Shroud that scientists have even been able to reconstruct the scourge or whip used to inflict the particular wounds in the back and chest. Significantly, this reconstruction was found to be congruent with first century Roman scourges discovered by modern archaeologists and unknown before this century.
In short, Dr. Robert Bucklin, STURP member and forensic pathologist of Los Angeles County, has stated: "The pathology and physiology are unquestionable and represent medical knowledge unknown 150 years ago." [2] And Ian Wilson writes: "If the Shroud is the work of an artist, his archaeology was faultless ." [3]
In spite of the vastly increased knowledge concerning the man on the Shroud, the actual image formation process remains an enigma. While none of the STURP findings served to disauthenticate the Shroud, the question remains: Is it, or is it not, the burial shroud of Jesus Christ?
The Objections
The very fact that science is unable to definitively prove the Shroud's authenticity leaves room for skepticism. The objections raised by some Orthodox Christians and other critics are weighty and deserve discussion. The most salient may be listed as follows.
A. Iconographic depictions show that Christ was not buried in the manner indicated by the Turin Shroud. Furthermore, the Gospels specifically refer to burial cloths, in the plural. Therefore the Shroud of Turin cannot be the actual burial sheet of the Lord.
B, There is no Orthodox history for the Shroud prior to its first ,known appearance in the West. If it is authentic, surly it would have been known in the Orthodox East at some point in its history.
C. The presence of artists' pigments on the cloth unquestionably points to its being a forgery, and it should be considered in the same category as certain other manufactured relics of medieval times.
Is It a Fake?
The question of authenticity must be considered first, for if the Shroud of Turin is a forgery, all other objections are secondary or of no import, And indeed, STURP member Kenneth Stevenson writes: "The Shroud image seems so incredible that one might say the burden of proof rests on those who think it is a forgery. " [4]
The charge of fraud stems from four main sources.
First, the famous memorandum of Bishop Pierre d'Arcis in 1389. In this letter, adressed to Pope Clement VII at Avignon, he mentions that in 1357 his predecessor as Bishop of Troyes, Henri of Poitiers, had prohibited the exhibition of the Shroud, and that according to this same Bishop Henri an artist had confessed to having painted the cloth: "to wit that it was a work of human skill and not miraculously wrought or bestowed." [5] On this basis D'Arcis asked that the Pope put a stop to these exhibitions, which were drawing hundreds of pilgrims to Lirey, and ban them once and for all.
For centuries, many routinely accepted this memo as conclusive, But even the most severe critics of the Shroud have had to admit that D'Arcis gives no evidence whatever of either an investigation or the alleged confession given to his predecessor a whole generation before. He does not even give the name of the supposed artist. Nor does any mention of the proceedings appear in any of the history annals of that period. This is most unusual, considering the medieval preoccupation with documentation and detail.
And when one considers that ,D'Arci’s successor in the See of Troyes, Bishop Louis Ragon, believed the Shroud to be genuine and permitted its open veneration, one wonders if D'Arcis was even describing the same object. In fact, there is reason to suspect that the memo may have referred to a mere copy of the real relic.
However, there is a more obvious possibility: It is true that D'Arcis claimed the image had been "cunningly painted." But it is also true that he was locked in mortal confrontation with the owners of the Shroud--the de Charny family--who were at that very moment successfully challenging D'Arcis' authority in the diocese. Motives come in to play here which should not be dismissed.
"Taken on its own merits, the memorial of Pierre D'Arcis is untrustworthy, because it was written in anger and betrays a strong bias against de Charny and the Dean of Lirey. [Clement VIII himself, in his rescript to de Charny and in his final decree, declares that Pierre D'Arcis was angry with his opponents for obtaining an indult to exhibit the Shroud without his permission. He was still more angry with them when they ignored his command to withdraw the Shroud from public veneration, and invoked the intervention of the king to prevent him from taking action against them. And he was hurt and humiliated when [Clement VII] upheld his opponents and put him under silence in the rescript to the layman de Charny, leaving the outraged bishop to learn of this censure from common report. Pierre D'Arcis' memorial is a violent outburst over his grievances and a piece of special pleading in his own defense. He is so intemperate in his language, so bitter in his animus against those whom he accuses, so reckless in imputing to them the basest motives, that we cannot rely on his unsupported statement that they were guilty of the meanest kind of fraud." [6]
Clearly, the D'Arcis memo-by itself-gives insufficient grounds for proof of forgery. On the other hand, someone might well object that it is hardly scientific to discredit the memo on the basis of its emotional tone. Opponents of the Shroud's authenticity claim that science supports the D'Arcis accusation. Does it?
Is It Blood?
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