THE SHROUD OF TURIN AND ITS RADIOCARBON DATING
MARIA GRAZIA SILIATO
Historian and Archaeologist, Italy

 

We pointed out on other occasions that as Archaeologists and Historians, we were unable to indicate any object, in any museum or church, which from a scientific point of view, is comparable to the Shroud of Turin.
We know that radiocarbon dating carried out in 1988, which placed the origin of the Shroud in the Middle Ages between 1260 and 1390, is not consistent with the chemical, physical, historical and archaeological data resulting from this famous object.
The Shroud of Turin carries with it a centuries old dramatic story.
IT WAS MANIPULATED MANY TIMES FOR MENDING AND RESTORATION WORKS!

II/IX Century: Various vicissitudes, like escapes, sieges-Jerusalem, Pella, Edessa
944/1205 : Cuttings for relics and restoration works
13 ?? : Fire and repair works
1534 : Patching, fixing, covering by Poor Claires Sisters of Chambery
1694 : Various restoration works by Venerable Sebastiano Valfre
1858 : mending and lining by Giulia Savoya Bonaparte
1973 : mending by the sisters of St. Joseph, Turin

Photo 1. Reparation St. Claire nuns 1534

It seems that the only untreated part of the Shroud was the one bearing the facial imprint.
The quantity and variety of mending stitches observed on the Shroud from the Middle Ages to date, from Edessa to Constantinople, Lirey, Chambery and Turin, is impressive: tacking, hemming, whipping, stringing and mending stitches, and many others.
Add to this an amount of parts, invisible to the naked eye, which were reinforced and maybe remade with the invisible mending technique. The Shroud’s Mediterranean cloth,
because of its very ancient-handcrafted structure, the significant caliber and the thick weaving, perfectly absorbs an intervention of this kind.
In 1978, Mottern, London and Morris performed in Turin radiographic examinations on the region of the Shroud where, ten years afterwards, the sample for C-14 dating would be taken. What emerged was a considerable irregularity of the cloth, which showed low-density and very high-density areas.

The most external band of the cloth, albeit similar in structure, appears to be somewhat connected, or reinforced, to the Shroud’s cloth by restitching. It is a region which has been largely mishandled over the centuries. The cloth was held, exactly on these places according to “exhibiting” and “displaying” techniques. We have a visual, authentic documentation of what happened during these exhibitions, (See picture 1, 17th century
and picture 2, 19th century).
This is confirmed by the way the imprints are exhibited. The face is on the left side. This typical display was traditionally maintained and is still in use today.
These are spine-chilling documents and have certainly not been discovered today. They were universally known when it was decided to choose the part of the Shroud from which the sample had to be taken.
In fact, instead of removing fragments of yarn here and there in order to reach the necessary weight for each of the laboratories, it was decided to cut a piece of cloth. The upper corner, to the left of the person looking at it, was cut, that is, in the spot were RAES had already cut a sample. Therefore, the Shroud’s linen cloth was damaged again in a significant, irreparable way.

We have come to the core of the problem.
At that time, product analyses carried out by experts TIMOSSI and RAES calculated, with good accuracy, the MEDIUM WEIGHT PER SQUARE CENTIMETER OF THE SHROUD’S CLOTH: 1) A. TIMOSSI, expert in textiles 23 mg
2) Prof. G. RAES, Director of the Laboratory of Technology of Textiles, University of Gent
25 mg
It was also calculated with radiographs by MORRIS, LONDON and MOTTERN in 1978,
and the result was the same as the previous ones
3) R.A. Morris, National Laboratory of Los Alamos 25 mg
4) G. RIGGI 20 mg
The means of the four data is: 23.2 cm, and as upper threshold limit, the average weight of 23 mg per square cm can be assumed.
Considering the irregularities of an ancient, handcrafted cloth, and in order to move within safer margins, we have applied a prudential surplus tolerance to the measures indicated.
Let us therefore assume an average weight of 25.00 MILLIGRAMS PER SQUARE CENTIMETER of the SHROUD’S CLOTH.

SAMPLE TAKING FOR RADIOCARBON DATING:
1) According to the official operator in charge of taking the sample, the sample measures 8.1 x 1.6 cm which is 12.96 square cm.
2) In the video showing the taking of the sample, the weight measured on the scales is 478.1 mg.
3) Dividing the sample’s weight by its surface (478.1 mg: 12.96 cm2), we obtain a WEIGHT of approximately 36.89 mg per cm2. Therefore, the sample weighs 11.89 mg per cm2 MORE than the original cloth. (36.89 – 25= 11.89).
4) However, the operator in charge of taking the sample, says that he removed some irregularities and some “free” threads of the sample. The operator reduced the sample’s measures to 7.00 cm x 1.00, namely 7.00 cm2.
5) Then the operator reports the WEIGHT of the sample, “cleaned” and distributed to the 3 laboratories: 300 mg and that would translate in 300 mg:7 cm2= 42.85 mg per cm2, so the sample weighs 17.85 mg per cm MORE than the original cloth should, at most. (42.85 – 25= 17.85).
A few millimeters away, we find differences of nearly 6 mg per cm2 (42.85-36.89).
6) AS A RESULT, WHAT EMERGES, IS THE PROOF THAT THE SAMPLE WAS IRREGULARLY LOADED WITH FOREIGN, UNDETERMINED TEXTILE MATERIAL in other words, MANY THREADS WERE ADDED FOR ITS MENDING with various techniques IN DIFFERENT, MUCH LATER AGES.
7) The proportion of the “youngest” threads is 32.23 % -almost a third of the total- on the whole sample. In the case of the “cleaned”, radio dated sample, it increases to 41.65 %, approaching half of the sample to be radiocarbon dated.

These data, which are already striking per se, could be subject to further modifications and radiocarbon dating could be even more unreliable, if the average weight, was that declared by the operator, namely, just 20 milligrams.
If that were the case, the mixture of textile material in the taken sample would rise to 45.80 % and, in the “cleaned” sample delivered to the laboratories, will reach the striking percentage of 53.30 %.
Such a mixture of younger radiocarbon material–how much younger ?? twelve, fifteen, sixteen centuries ??—dramatically changes the amount of residual carbon 14.
It should be borne in mind that testing laboratories always carry out a rigorous cleaning procedure on samples to be radiocarbon dated and eliminate any impurities and foreign bodies. But they could not eliminate the YOUNGEST LINEN CLOTH, structurally consistent with the original.
Furthermore, the amount of “younger” threads varies depending on the parts of the Shroud and is documented by the weight differences observed even in contiguous parts. It is reflected in the examination’s results, probably astonishing the radiocarbon experts themselves, who consulted with one another, in an attempt, to come to a “common average dating”.
In fact, the three radiocarbon examinations show sharp differences. The resulting dates range from 1260 to 1390. Here too, it is possible to note the irregular mixture of original fibers with younger fibers. This completely changes the radiocarbon dating data, which appear unreliable.
Finally, it should be noted that such calculations start with the weight per cm2 of the “original” cloth in its entirety. It is clear, though, that there would have been no need to mend and restore an intact region. Therefore, we do not know “how much” of such mishandled corner of the original cloth has unraveled or got pulverized; in other words, HOW MUCH OF IT HAS BEEN LOST IN TERMS OF WEIGHT and by how much the percentage of the restoration increases as a result.
In light of the above really nobody knows on “what” the radiocarbon dating operation was carried out.
All of this, maybe, led to the contradictions, inaccuracies and accusations which surrounded the operation: the cutting of the samples, their delivery, their radiocarbon dating. We will not bring any arguments, suspicions, and more or less fictional reconstructions.
Perhaps the historical and archaeological tragedy which was the radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin, defined in the course of the heated arguments as a wild medieval trial by ordeal, was a scientific accident.
At this stage, we cannot fail to highlight, that according to very recent discoveries and experiments, there is an increasing, concrete need to review the parameters used until now for radiocarbon dating cloths, particularly those which may have been subjected to environmental aggressions or temperature leaps. Let us leave the development of this aspect to the experts in the field, as it totally upsets the results of the 1988 radiocarbon dating examination of the Shroud. As far as we are concerned, we are proud to have substantially collaborated to presenting here for the first time in this symposium in Rome and reporting to the international press this discovery, which is so closely related to the real, two-thousand-year-old age of the Shroud of Turin.
Those who, by virtue of well-founded archaeological, historical, medical-legal and scientific evidence, recognize in the Shroud the burial sheet used in the most famous trial of the Roman Empire, believe that this should open the way for a more free, concordant regular study on the subject.
“THE DATA INDICATED IN THIS REPORT WERE ALL GARNERED FROM OFFICIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT ARE THE VIDEORECORDINGS CARRIED OUT BY THE OPERATORS AND THE DATA APPEARING ON THE INSTRUMENTS SHOWN “.

 

THE SHROUD: New Investigations disavow the radiocarbon results
Shroud: Radiocarbon disqualified

 

The radiocarbon test applied to the Shroud in 1988 gave a surprising result: the famous sheet kept in Turin, which tradition attributes to the burial of Christ, dates back to the Middle Ages. The results of that analysis were published in the prestigious journal NATURE and the Sacred Linen was downgraded from an authentic relic to a work of art.

Photo 5. Place where the sample was taken

Photo 4. Taking of the sample, Turin, 1988 

Photo 1. Announcement result C14 dating

Photo 2A. Announcement result C14 dating

The academic world, however, has not remained silent in front of that verdict and over the years various scientific publications have provided chemical, physical, biological and statistical evidence contrary to the validity of that examination, conducted on a polluted and mended marginal strip. In particular, the statistical calculations, applied by M. RIANI, AC. ATKINSON, G. FANTI, and F. CROSILLA, to the data published in NATURE, revealed that these data show a “surprising heterogeneity” which strongly questions them.

The results from the statistical analysis of the raw data, i.e. the data derived from the single measurements of 1988, were published in an important article, which Emanuela MARINELLI wrote together with TRISTAN CASABIANCA, GIUSEPPE PERNAGALLO and BENEDETTO TORRISI which appeared in ARCHAEOMETRY in 2019.

This statistical analysis definitively demonstrates that the samples examined were not homogeneous, therefore they cannot be considered representative of the entire sheet. The result of that test, therefore, does not allow us to consider the medieval Shroud, as it was stated in 1988. Marinelli talked about it extensively on ABOUT ART ONLINE. The news was also spread by the International Center for Studies of the Shroud of Turin.
Recently, two other scientific articles have been published by P. Di LAZZARO, AC ATKINSON, P. IACOMUSSI, M. RIANI, M. RICCI and P. WADHAMS that deny the validity of the radiocarbon test conducted on the Shroud in 1988. They drafted a scientific review report which was subjected to peer review and then accepted and published in August 2020 in the International journal ENTROPY. The report is entitled: “ STATISTICAL AND PROACTIVE ANALYSIS OF AN INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISON: THE RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN” and can be consulted in open access mode on the web page: https://www.mdpi.com/ 1099-4300/ 22/9/926 In a press release, released by the International Center for Studies on the Shroud of Turin last 8 September (2020), the conclusions are summarized in five points:

1) The dating of the small subsamples of linen obtained by dividing each of the three samples taken in 1988 provides non-homogeneous results as if the samples came from fabrics of slightly different ages.

2) The age of each subsample systematically depends on its position in the fabric. This linear and systematic relationship between apparent age and position, is anomalous and unexpected.

3) Due to the anomalies 1) and 2) and in particular the linear relationship between the position of the sample and its age, it makes no sense to calculate the average age and it cannot be said that the average is representative of the whole sample. Consequently, the average age calculated by the laboratories of OXFORD, ZURICH and ARIZONA is meaningless, because the presence of a linear trend of the age with the position highlights a lack of homogeneity in the data of the Shroud that cannot be attributed just to the different protocols used by the three laboratories.

4) Two possible reasons for the inhomogeneity of the dating have been identified. The first reason is the presence of contaminants unevenly removed by the cleaning procedures. This hypothesis is reinforced by the different cleaning protocols adopted by the three laboratories. The second possible reason is, that the sampling site included a patch added in later centuries, a repair having been made to the corner as an attempt to reweave the portions historically removed from the Shroud by the SAVOY family over the centuries for various reasons. On the one hand, this hypothesis is rejected by the lack of visible signs of added tissues; on the other hand, it is reinforced by the different thickness of the fabric of the so-called RISERVA, compared to a piece not dated from the Arizona Laboratory. Spectroscopic results suggest that the threads of the area adjacent to the sampling area, have a different composition and chemical bonds vs. those of the main part of the Shroud and therefore are not fully representative of the Shroud cloth.
Finally, a series of measurements on Shroud samples already available were proposed, so as not to take material from the original Shroud cloth. These measures would make it possible to create an operational protocol and to establish whether and what contamination may have produced the non- homogeneous results. The results of these analysis could be of basic importance to assess the reliability of a new dating of the Shroud by the radiocarbon technique.

 

THE SHROUD OF TURIN AND ITS RADIOCARBON DATING
MARIA GRAZIA SILIATO
Historian and Archaeologist, Italy

We pointed out on other occasions that as Archaeologists and Historians, we were unable to indicate any object, in any museum or church, which from a scientific point of view, is comparable to the Shroud of Turin.
We know that radiocarbon dating carried out in 1988, which placed the origin of the Shroud in the Middle Ages between 1260 and 1390, is not consistent with the chemical, physical, historical and archaeological data resulting from this famous object.
The Shroud of Turin carries with it a centuries old dramatic story.
IT WAS MANIPULATED MANY TIMES FOR MENDING AND RESTORATION WORKS!

II/IX Century: Various vicissitudes, like escapes, sieges-Jerusalem, Pella, Edessa
944/1205 : Cuttings for relics and restoration works
13 ?? : Fire and repair works
1534 : Patching, fixing, covering by Poor Claires Sisters of Chambery
1694 : Various restoration works by Venerable Sebastiano Valfre
1858 : mending and lining by Giulia Savoya Bonaparte
1973 : mending by the sisters of St. Joseph, Turin

It seems that the only untreated part of the Shroud was the one bearing the facial imprint.
The quantity and variety of mending stitches observed on the Shroud from the Middle Ages to date, from Edessa to Constantinople, Lirey, Chambery and Turin, is impressive: tacking, hemming, whipping, stringing and mending stitches, and many others.
Add to this an amount of parts, invisible to the naked eye, which were reinforced and maybe remade with the invisible mending technique. The Shroud’s Mediterranean cloth,
because of its very ancient-handcrafted structure, the significant caliber and the thick weaving, perfectly absorbs an intervention of this kind.
In 1978, Mottern, London and Morris performed in Turin radiographic examinations on the region of the Shroud where, ten years afterwards, the sample for C-14 dating would be taken. What emerged was a considerable irregularity of the cloth, which showed low-density and very high-density areas.

The most external band of the cloth, albeit similar in structure, appears to be somewhat connected, or reinforced, to the Shroud’s cloth by restitching. It is a region which has been largely mishandled over the centuries. The cloth was held, exactly on these places according to “exhibiting” and “displaying” techniques. We have a visual, authentic documentation of what happened during these exhibitions, (See picture 1, 17th century and picture 2, 19th century).

Photo 1. Shroud held by Bishops during exposition Turin

Reparation of shroud 1534 after fire.

This is confirmed by the way the imprints are exhibited. The face is on the left side. This typical display was traditionally maintained and is still in use today.
These are spine-chilling documents and have certainly not been discovered today. They were universally known when it was decided to choose the part of the Shroud from which the sample had to be taken.
In fact, instead of removing fragments of yarn here and there in order to reach the necessary weight for each of the laboratories, it was decided to cut a piece of cloth. The upper corner, to the left of the person looking at it, was cut, that is, in the spot were RAES had already cut a sample. Therefore, the Shroud’s linen cloth was damaged again in a significant, irreparable way.

We have come to the core of the problem.
At that time, product analyses carried out by experts TIMOSSI and RAES calculated, with good accuracy, the MEDIUM WEIGHT PER SQUARE CENTIMETER OF THE SHROUD’S CLOTH: 1) A. TIMOSSI, expert in textiles 23 mg
2) Prof. G. RAES, Director of the Laboratory of Technology of Textiles, University of Gent
25 mg
It was also calculated with radiographs by MORRIS, LONDON and MOTTERN in 1978,
and the result was the same as the previous ones
3) R.A. Morris, National Laboratory of Los Alamos 25 mg
4) G. RIGGI 20 mg
The means of the four data is: 23.2 cm, and as upper threshold limit, the average weight of 23 mg per square cm can be assumed.
Considering the irregularities of an ancient, handcrafted cloth, and in order to move within safer margins, we have applied a prudential surplus tolerance to the measures indicated.
Let us therefore assume an average weight of 25.00 MILLIGRAMS PER SQUARE CENTIMETER of the SHROUD’S CLOTH.

SAMPLE TAKING FOR RADIOCARBON DATING:
1) According to the official operator in charge of taking the sample, the sample measures 8.1 x 1.6 cm which is 12.96 square cm.
2) In the video showing the taking of the sample, the weight measured on the scales is 478.1 mg.
3) Dividing the sample’s weight by its surface (478.1 mg: 12.96 cm2), we obtain a WEIGHT of approximately 36.89 mg per cm2. Therefore, the sample weighs 11.89 mg per cm2 MORE than the original cloth. (36.89 – 25= 11.89).
4) However, the operator in charge of taking the sample, says that he removed some irregularities and some “free” threads of the sample. The operator reduced the sample’s measures to 7.00 cm x 1.00, namely 7.00 cm2.
5) Then the operator reports the WEIGHT of the sample, “cleaned” and distributed to the 3 laboratories: 300 mg and that would translate in 300 mg:7 cm2= 42.85 mg per cm2, so the sample weighs 17.85 mg per cm MORE than the original cloth should, at most. (42.85 – 25= 17.85).
A few millimeters away, we find differences of nearly 6 mg per cm2 (42.85-36.89).
6) AS A RESULT, WHAT EMERGES, IS THE PROOF THAT THE SAMPLE WAS IRREGULARLY LOADED WITH FOREIGN, UNDETERMINED TEXTILE MATERIAL in other words, MANY THREADS WERE ADDED FOR ITS MENDING with various techniques IN DIFFERENT, MUCH LATER AGES.
7) The proportion of the “youngest” threads is 32.23 % -almost a third of the total- on the whole sample. In the case of the “cleaned”, radio dated sample, it increases to 41.65 %, approaching half of the sample to be radiocarbon dated.

Photo 4. Taking of the sample, Turin, 1988

Photo 1. Shroud held by Bishops during exposition Turin

Photo 5. Place on Shroud were sample was taken

Photo 2. Exposition Turin 19th century with Bishops holding Shroud

 

These data, which are already striking per se, could be subject to further modifications and radiocarbon dating could be even more unreliable, if the average weight, was that declared by the operator, namely, just 20 milligrams.
If that were the case, the mixture of textile material in the taken sample would rise to 45.80 % and, in the “cleaned” sample delivered to the laboratories, will reach the striking percentage of 53.30 %.
Such a mixture of younger radiocarbon material–how much younger ?? twelve, fifteen, sixteen centuries ??—dramatically changes the amount of residual carbon 14.
It should be borne in mind that testing laboratories always carry out a rigorous cleaning procedure on samples to be radiocarbon dated and eliminate any impurities and foreign bodies. But they could not eliminate the YOUNGEST LINEN CLOTH, structurally consistent with the original.
Furthermore, the amount of “younger” threads varies depending on the parts of the Shroud and is documented by the weight differences observed even in contiguous parts. It is reflected in the examination’s results, probably astonishing the radiocarbon experts themselves, who consulted with one another, in an attempt, to come to a “common average dating”.
In fact, the three radiocarbon examinations show sharp differences. The resulting dates range from 1260 to 1390. Here too, it is possible to note the irregular mixture of original fibers with younger fibers. This completely changes the radiocarbon dating data, which appear unreliable.
Finally, it should be noted that such calculations start with the weight per cm2 of the “original” cloth in its entirety. It is clear, though, that there would have been no need to mend and restore an intact region. Therefore, we do not know “how much” of such mishandled corner of the original cloth has unraveled or got pulverized; in other words, HOW MUCH OF IT HAS BEEN LOST IN TERMS OF WEIGHT and by how much the percentage of the restoration increases as a result.
In light of the above really nobody knows on “what” the radiocarbon dating operation was carried out.
All of this, maybe, led to the contradictions, inaccuracies and accusations which surrounded the operation: the cutting of the samples, their delivery, their radiocarbon dating. We will not bring any arguments, suspicions, and more or less fictional reconstructions.
Perhaps the historical and archaeological tragedy which was the radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin, defined in the course of the heated arguments as a wild medieval trial by ordeal, was a scientific accident.
At this stage, we cannot fail to highlight, that according to very recent discoveries and experiments, there is an increasing, concrete need to review the parameters used until now for radiocarbon dating cloths, particularly those which may have been subjected to environmental aggressions or temperature leaps. Let us leave the development of this aspect to the experts in the field, as it totally upsets the results of the 1988 radiocarbon dating examination of the Shroud. As far as we are concerned, we are proud to have substantially collaborated to presenting here for the first time in this symposium in Rome and reporting to the international press this discovery, which is so closely related to the real, two-thousand-year-old age of the Shroud of Turin.
Those who, by virtue of well-founded archaeological, historical, medical-legal and scientific evidence, recognize in the Shroud the burial sheet used in the most famous trial of the Roman Empire, believe that this should open the way for a more free, concordant regular study on the subject.
“THE DATA INDICATED IN THIS REPORT WERE ALL GARNERED FROM OFFICIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT ARE THE VIDEORECORDINGS CARRIED OUT BY THE OPERATORS AND THE DATA APPEARING ON THE INSTRUMENTS SHOWN “.

 

Shroud of Turin Research Project.

In 1976 John Jackson, an active duty United States Air Force Officer, and Bill Mottern, a scientist from the Sandia National Laboratory, worked to generate the first 3-dimensional map of the Shroud Image. Later in that same year Jackson, while teaching physics at the Air Force Academy, in partnership with Eric Jumper, another active duty Air Force Officer teaching science at the Air Force Academy, used a VP-8 analog image analyzing computer furnished by Pete Schumacher, an engineer with Interpretation Systems, Inc., to make a brightness map of the Shroud image. The resulting brightness map confirmed that 3-dimensional information was encoded in the Shroud image. Jackson and Jumper assembled a team of cadets to assist with model building based on the Shroud brightness map. Today a display exists in the lower level of the Air Force Academy Chapel (Colorado Springs, Colorado) that commemorates this pioneering work that directly led to the organization of the Shroud of Turin Research project (STURP), a project born at the USAF Academy.

Photo 1. US Air Force Academy Chapel

Photo 1. US Air Force Academy Chapel

Photo 2. John Jackson

Photo 2. John Jackson

Photo 3. Display of 3D model based on the Shroud brightness map

Photo 3. Display of 3D model based on the Shroud brightness map

The STURP research team was composed of a large group of outstanding American scientists and support personnel. In October of 1978, the STURP team traveled to Turin, Italy, to conduct an in-depth scientific examination of the Shroud.
This American expedition conducted, what is still the most extensive hands-on study of the Shroud ever undertaken. The STURP team spent over two years prior to embarking for Turin in planning dozens of specific data-gathering experiments, measurements and tests. To support their efforts, they carried to Turin several tons of equipment, including sophisticated scientific measuring and data-gathering instruments. The team arrived in Turin in early October 1978 following a public display of the Shroud commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Shroud’s arrival in that city. For five full days, starting on October 8th, the STURP team examined the Shroud around the clock in a large room at the Royal Palace adjoining the Turin Cathedral. Each 24-hour period was broken down into shifts that allowed the work to proceed uninterrupted while some STURP staff slept and others conducted research. Among the methods used to gather data were direct microscopy, infrared spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray radiography, thermography, and ultraviolet fluorescence spectrometry. In addition, a broad spectrum of photographic data was collected. Ultraviolet fluorescence photographs, raking-light photographs, normal front-lit photographs and back-lit photographs of the entire Shroud were taken, as well as dozens of micro-photographs of strategically selected areas of the Shroud. The STURP team also collected sticky tape samples from the surface of the Shroud cloth, as well as thread samples that were retained and returned to the United States for further studies. Subsequent studies of these samples were conducted using microscopy, pyrolysis-mass-spectrometry, laser-microbe Raman analysis and various methods of micro-chemical testing. The results of STURP research were published in twenty (20) peer-reviewed scientific journal articles over the four years following the team’s conclusion of work in Turin. In addition, numerous other papers have subsequently been published, elaborating on findings and data from the STURP expedition.
In October 1981, the final official report of the STURP team effort was issued. At a press conference to mark the occasion the following official summary of the STURP conclusions was handed to the press:

No pigments, paints dyes or stains have been found on the fibrils. X-ray, fluorescence and microchemistry on the fibrils preclude the possibility of paint being used as a method for creating the image. Ultraviolet and Infrared evaluation confirm these studies. Computer image enhancement and analysis by a device known as a VP-8 image analyzer show that the image has unique three-dimensional information encoded in it. Microchemical evaluation has indicated no evidence of any spices, oils, or any biochemicals known to be produced by the body in life or in death. It is clear, that there has been a direct contact of the Shroud with a body, which explains certain features such as scourge marks, as well as the blood. However, while this type of contact might explain some of the features of the torso, it is totally incapable of explaining the image of the face with the high resolution that has been amply demonstrated by photography. The basic problem from a scientific point of view is that some explanations, which might be tenable from a chemical point of view, are precluded by physics. Contrariwise, certain physical explanations which may be attractive are completely precluded by the chemistry. For an adequate explanation for the image of the Shroud, one must have an explanation which is scientifically sound, from a physical, chemical, biological and medical viewpoint. At the present, this type of solution does not appear to be obtainable by the best efforts of the members of the STURP team. Furthermore, experiments in physics and chemistry with old linen, have failed to reproduce adequately the phenomenon presented by the Shroud of Turin. The scientific consensus is that the image was produced by something which resulted in oxidation, dehydration and conjugation of the polysaccharide structure of the microfibrils of the linen itself. Such changes can be duplicated in the laboratory by certain chemical and physical processes. A similar type of change in linen can be obtained by sulfuric acid or heat. However, there are no chemical or physical methods known which can account for the totality of the image, nor can any combination of physical, chemical, biological or medical circumstances explain the image adequately.

Thus, the answer to the question of how the image was produced or what produced the image remains, now, as it has in the past, a mystery.

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. The image is an ongoing mystery and until further chemical studies are made, perhaps by this group of scientists, or perhaps by some scientists in the future, the problem remains unsolved.

The attached photographs show the STURP team at work in Turin.
An excellent book recently published and written by John Jackson PH.D., one of the founders of the STURP team, is “THE SHROUD OF TURIN, A Critical Summary of Observations, Data and Hypothesis” ISBN 978-0-692-88573-4
The Turin Shroud Center of Colorado.

Photo 1. Part of the STURP team

Photo 1. Part of the STURP team

Photo 2. Rogers Jackson during research Shroud

Photo 2. Rogers Jackson during research Shroud

 

THE VON ERLACH HOLY SHROUD PRAYER BOOK
Without the damage of the fire in Chambery in 1532

 

The VON ERLACH HOLY SHROUD PRAYER BOOK, in Latin and German, manuscript on vellum with illuminations by the Master of Claude de France (Tours and Switzerland, c.1520s and c.1540s)
A highly bespoken production containing perhaps one of the earliest surviving painted representation of the Shroud of Turin, before it suffered damage from a fire in Chambery in 1532. The prayerbook, with stunning, previously unrecorded work by the Master of Claude de France, belonged to Johannes von Erlach, Schultheiss of the city of Bern, and then to his son, Bernhard, members of one of the most fascinating families of the Swiss Reformation.
PROVENANCE:
The manuscript is in two parts: the first dates to the 1520s. The von Erlach coats of arms identify the owner as JOHANNES VON ERLACH, Schultheiss of the city of Bern, Swiss ambassador and military commander. The astonishing representation of the Turin Shroud helps situate the manuscript further within its historical context: Johannes traveled to Geneva in 1512 to meet Charles III, Duke of Savoy. The Shroud was then held at Chambery, capital of Savoy, and would, in 1532, be damaged by a fire. Could Johannes have been so inspired by a visit to the Holy Relic to have it included in his prayer book? A “terminus ante quem” for the production of the first part of the manuscript is provided by the fact that in 1528 Bern converted to Protestantism, and we know that Johannes led an army to put down a rebellion against the new faith—it is unlikely therefore that he would at this stage have commissioned such a “Catholic” manuscript. A devotion to Saint Bernhard suggests that the manuscript passed to Johannes’ son BERNHARD VON ERLACH (1518-1591).
ILLUMINATION:
The double-page miniature depiction of the Shroud of Turin in its undamaged state, held by three Bishops of Savoy, is perhaps the earliest explicit painted representation of the Holy Relic as we know it today. Visible in this painting are the so-called poker-holes, and that proves that the painter almost surely must have seen the original himself.

Photo 1. Prayer Book with Shroud

Photo 1. Prayer Book with Shroud

Photo 2. Prayer Book Shroud without fire damage 1532

Photo 2. Prayer Book Shroud without fire damage 1532

Photo 3. Prayer Book Shroud without fire damage 1532

Photo 3. Prayer Book Shroud without fire damage 1532

 

This technique was developed by Alan Whanger to compare areas of images, very detailed and superimposed.
This was done by using two slide projectors on top of each other and projecting two superimposed images on a lenticular screen (one with tiny vertical grooves; non-lenticular screens do not work with polarizing filters).
Whanger used then polarizing filters. These are crystalline filters that transmit light in a single plane only. If two of them are positioned so that their planes are in the same direction, you can see through them. But if one is positioned in the horizontal plane and the other in the vertical plane, light is blocked almost totally.
So, using two projectors and the lenticular screen you can, for example, project the Shroud face image through a polarizing filter in the horizontal plane and an Icon face image through a polarizing filter in the vertical plane. Then, using a third polarizing filter which can be rotated in front of your eyes, you will be able to observe the two images fade in and out of one another.
This technique has proven to be extremely useful, as it allows minute, exacting comparisons between the two images. These comparisons can be diagrammed and counted so that anyone who wishes can check them for accuracy and can repeat the same process and compare results. This was published in the peer-reviewed journal APPLIED OPTICS “Polarized Image Overlay Technique,” 766-72.
What you are looking for are points of congruence (PC). In a court of law, fourteen points of congruence (PC) are sufficient to determine the same source for simple images such as fingerprints; for more complicated images such as a face, forty-five to sixty PC are enough to declare the faces to be the same.

THE NEXT DVD SHOWS THE WHANGERS DEMONSTRATING THEIR POLAROID IMAGE OVERLAY TECHNIQUE.

THE WHANGERS CURRICULUM

Photo 1. Alan Whanger in office

Photo 1. Alan Whanger in office

Alan Whanger, a native of Detroit, Michigan, earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees at Duke University. His post-graduate training includes residencies in general surgery (Cleveland) and psychiatry (Duke), and additional work in tropical medicine and hygiene (London) and in geriatrics (Duke). He is the author of numerous professional articles and book chapters. He has been Professor Emeritus of Duke University Medical Center since 1993.

Mary Whanger was born and grew up near Brunswick, Georgia. She has an A.B. Degree in Religion and also training in elementary education from Duke University. She taught fourth grade before the birth of her first child and before she and her husband, Dr. Alan Whanger, served as missionaries in Zimbabwe from 1961 to 1965. Since then, she has been a stay-at-home Mom and active volunteer in various leadership roles in church and community activities.

Photo 2. Mary and Alan Whanger 2008, Ohio, Shroud Conference

Photo 2. Mary and Alan Whanger 2008, Ohio, Shroud Conference

The Whangers are internationally recognized Shroud researchers, having been actively involved since 1979. They developed the Polarized Image Overlay technique for doing exacting image comparisons. They are cofounders of the Council for Study of the Shroud of Turin (CSST), a non-profit organization whose mission is to do research on the Shroud of Turin and related Relics of the Passion, to publish the findings, and to establish a center for display, research and education. He is Chairman of the CSST Board of Directors. She is Secretary of the Board and editor of the newsletter CSST NEWS.

They have two daughters, Elisabeth and Ruth, and six grandchildren. They are active members of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham, North Carolina, where they reside.

Photo 3. Research Frei tapes technician, Alan Whanger, Father Hector Guerra

Photo 3. Research Frei tapes technician, Alan Whanger, Father Hector Guerra

(Alan Whanger passed away not long ago (R.I.P.), and we lost a good friend and Shroud scientist. Mary is at this moment in an assisted living home in Durham, N.C.)

The Polarized Image Overlay Technique
Articulo en Applied Optics, Vol 24 Issue 6 pages 722-766 (1985)

Excerpt:
” This paper describes a method of detailed analysis which we call the Polarized Image Overlay Technique. The two images for study are projected with two slide projectors onto a suitable screen through polarizing filters, and these superimposed images are then viewed through a third polarizing filter. This procedure allows a dynamic comparison of both large features and fine details. It was developed during the course of our studies of photographs of the Shroud of Turin, but is applicable to a variety of fields”

 

The Polaroid Image Overlay Technique

This technique was developed by Alan Whanger to compare areas of images, very detailed and superimposed.
This was done by using two slide projectors on top of each other and projecting two superimposed images on a lenticular screen (one with tiny vertical grooves; non-lenticular screens do not work with polarizing filters).
Whanger used then polarizing filters. These are crystalline filters that transmit light in a single plane only. If two of them are positioned so that their planes are in the same direction, you can see through them. But if one is positioned in the horizontal plane and the other in the vertical plane, light is blocked almost totally.
So, using two projectors and the lenticular screen you can, for example, project the Shroud face image through a polarizing filter in the horizontal plane and an Icon face image through a polarizing filter in the vertical plane. Then, using a third polarizing filter which can be rotated in front of your eyes, you will be able to observe the two images fade in and out of one another.
This technique has proven to be extremely useful, as it allows minute, exacting comparisons between the two images. These comparisons can be diagrammed and counted so that anyone who wishes can check them for accuracy and can repeat the same process and compare results. This was published in the peer-reviewed journal APPLIED OPTICS “Polarized Image Overlay Technique,” 766-72.
What you are looking for are points of congruence (PC). In a court of law, fourteen points of congruence (PC) are sufficient to determine the same source for simple images such as fingerprints; for more complicated images such as a face, forty-five to sixty PC are enough to declare the faces to be the same.

THE NEXT DVD SHOWS THE WHANGERS DEMONSTRATING THEIR POLAROID IMAGE OVERLAY TECHNIQUE.

 

THE TITULUS INRI

 

In the early fourth century A.D. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, visited Jerusalem after her baptism to Christianity.
Helena, so the story goes, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to search for the tomb of Jesus. When she found it, she found the title, part of the cross and several of the Instruments of the Crucifixion still there. She removed these items from the tomb and made various distributions of them. It is said that she divided the title into three sections, left one in Jerusalem, and took one to Constantinople and one to Rome. The section now in the Santa Croce de Jerusalema in Rome is not the original but is a copy (see photographs).
The letters are gouged out of the wood and painted red. The whereabouts of the original and the other two sections are not known, but a possible reconstruction of the entire title has been made. The plaque measures about thirteen and one-half by twenty-four inches (24 x 13.5 inches) or, sixty-one by thirty-four cm (61 x 34.29 cm).
I made a copy in wood, gouging out the letters (see photograph).

Now there is something special with the text on the titulus. In the King James version of the Bible, the book of the Gospel according to St. John, Chapter 19, verses 19 & 20 states:
Verse 19“ And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
VERSE 20: This title was read by many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin”.

In Latin it said: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum and the first letters form : INRI

In the Jewish language it said: Yeshua HaNotsri V’Melech HaYehudim and the first letters form YHVH which is the Holy Name of God in Hebrew.
Psalm 119, King James version of the Bible, the longest book of the Bible, has a language key. The language key was inserted by the command of King James of England. The language key denotes subtitles indicating the mini chapters in this Psalm. The language key is the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph to Tau.

The English language knows the Lords name as YHWH, W can be changed with V. King James pronounced the name YahWeh, some called the name JeHoVaH.
Jesus name in Hebrew is Yeshua. The word Yeshua in Hebrew means: salvation, God saves, God helps.

Let us look again at the scripture of John 19:19. Pontius Pilatus wrote, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews in 3 languages, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Greek was the official language of business and commerce. Latin was the language of the ruling Romans. Hebrew was the language of the governed country. Look at the words closely as the fonts of the first letters in Latin have been enlarged, INRI, this is a shortened version in Latin. It has been used by Christians for two millennia.

The deeper meaning of YHWH is understood in the Hebrew language. The High Priest and religious leaders (Sanhedrin) of the Jewish People were extremely upset with Pontius Pilate and told him to change the words, but according to the Gospels Pontius Pilate said:
“What I have written, I have written “, (“Quod scripsi, scripsi”), and refused to change it.

Pontius Pilate wrote the Hebrew name in description. Hebrew is written and read from right to left. So, the first letters formed the word YHVH, YaHWeH, YHWH meaning ADONAI (=GOD). The Priests and the religious leaders had crucified GOD.

Yeshua (God saves, God helps), the Son of God died at the exact time (3 P.M.) as the Pascal Lamb was offered by the High Priest and thousands of priests in the Temple, for the Feast of Passover. The blood offering for the emission of sins was satisfied with the death of God’s Son. That was God’s plan for His creation. The Christ came to satisfy God’s law, not to do away with it.
The new covenant of the Lord had started. Now all He had to do was raise His son from the dead to complete the covenant written in the Gospels John 3:16. The victory over death would satisfy the law, with Jesus as the first fruit of this victory.

“The spotless Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world”.

Now it is interesting to go back to the chapter 6.4: (Three Letters on the Oval Solid Object).
We have proven there the presence of the oval solid object under the beard of the Man on the Shroud, with on the surface in relief, the three Hebrew letters that form the word TS’ON which means: “herd of small animals like sheep and goats”, but like I explained in this chapter it was used as “SACRIFICIAL LAMB” in the Thorah, in Exodus 12:21, when Moises sends the elders back to their tribes and homes with the instructions of God to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on the doorpost.
From the first moment of Christianity, Jesus Christ was always known and mentioned as “The Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of this world”, so, “THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB”, like the three letters say on the solid oval object under the beard.
That, of course, is no coincidence.

Photo 1. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 1. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 2. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 2. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 3. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 3. Part of the Titulus in Iglesia della Croce Rome

Photo 4. Copy made by Dr. Petrus Soons

Photo 4. Copy made by Dr. Petrus Soons

 

PHOTOGRAPHS
Photographs were taken in 2000 and 2002 by the team of CARLOS GIAN DURANTE, consisting of Joseph Cavalli, Daniel Demonte, Tiziana Durante with the help of Nello Balossino. The photographs were taken with artificial lights and all kind of filters and lenses in normal, and also digital format.

SCANNING OF THE SHROUD
According to Barrie Schwortz this was also done in 2000 with the HAL-500 and according to the information that I have, this was a partial inspection. This was done by the CENTRO ELECTRONICO NATIONAL GALILEO FERRARI.
The scanning of 2002 was done by the team of the INSTITUTE OF PAUL SOARDO and the team consisted of: Joseph Rorsi, Paola Iacomussi, and Nataia Bo.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE RESTAURATION.
These were made by GIULIANO MARCHISCIANO and his helpers and VIDEOS were also made by the team of TELESUBALPINA consisting of Daniel D’Aria and Bittorio Villera.

MEASUREMENTS OF THE SHROUD
New measurements of the Shroud were done by Gian Maria Zaccone with the help of Bruno Barberis and that resulted in new measurements. Length of the Shroud: LEFT 442,5 cm and RIGHT 441,5 cm. The width: TOP 113,7 cm and BOTTOM 113 cm.

SOME TECHNICAL ANALYSIS (???) was also done by Peter Savarino the “Consejero Cientifico” of the Custodian. All the proceedings were noted down during the whole restauration by Sister M. Clara Antonini.

RECORDING OF THE SPECTRA, TAKING OF SAMPLES
On July 2, 2002, the work on recording the spectra and the taking of samples of minute particles from the surface of the REVERSE SIDE of the Shroud cloth began. They proceeded according to the following operative scheme:

1. Identification of the sites to be investigated
2. Recording of the spectra
3. Taking of the samples

The sites to be investigated were identified, on the basis of a proposal by prof. Baima Bollone. This proposal identified 10 sites with precise characteristics that are listed as follows:

1. Point without image or blood stain
2. Part of partial combustion dating back to 1532
3. Point in the so-called “poker-holes” area dating back to the period prior to 1532
4. Image without blood (back of hand)
5. Non vital blood (left wrist)
6. Non vital blood (right mid chest)
7. Mixed bleeding (right foot)
8. Water stain
9. Area corresponding to the hair
10. Left knee joint

These points were measured on a photographic copy and the measurements were transferred onto the reverse side of the Shroud. Once the sites had been identified the RAMAN SPECTRA were recorded. The recording was done by Dr. Ricardo Taglapietra and by engineer Enrico Maria Orsi from the firm RENISHAW. The recordings were carried out directly on the various sites of the Shroud using a RAMAN SPECTROMETER (Renishaw RA 100 Model) with the sensor mounted on fiber optics. The sensor was placed on a mobile support (built by the firm ADL) which enabled it to reach any point on the cloth. Excitation was achieved with light (850nm wavelength) to reduce any possible risk of damage and to limit fluorescence phenomena. It is worth noting that, prior to this work, Raman spectra had been conducted on linen cloths with textile characteristics similar to those of the Shroud, and the feasibility and non-invasive nature of the procedure had been verified.

UV-VIS REFLECTRANCE SPECTRA

Once the RAMAN measurements had been completed the UV-VIS REFLECTRANCE SPECTRA were to be recorded. Also, in this case preliminary measurements had previously been conducted on linen cloth. The reflectance measurements were taken by Dr. Sergio Pellegrino and Dr. Manuela Caldironi from the firm LASERPOINT. The spectrophotometer used was an AVANTES (200-800 nm) with fiber-optics equipped with collimator lenses at the ends to collect the light signals directly at the measurement sites. The ADL mobile support was used for these recordings. This meant that the various sites could be reached, and good focus obtained without needing to rest any object on the Shroud.

FLUORESCENCE SPECTRA
Last the Fluorescence Spectra were measured utilizing the same basic instruments as before but with the support of an external light exciting. All the spectra (RAMAN, REFLECTANCE and FLUORESCENCE) were given to His Eminence Cardinal POLETTO.
SAMPLES
Samples were taken of the minute dust particles present on the same Shroud sites where the spectroscopic measurements had been obtained. Prof. Baima Bollone took the samples using the ADHESIVE TAPE METHOD in the presence of the Chancellor of the Bishop’s See of Turin, Mons. Giacomo Martinacci. Samples were also obtained using the ASPIRATION METHOD in these sites. All the samples were given to the Papal Custodian, Cardinal POLETTO.

FLUORESCENCE PHOTOGRPAHS
Finally, Dr. Maurizio Celia and inspectors Diego Ambrogio and Carlo Marchese from the Turin Scientific Police Force took a series of Fluorescence photographs on July 11, using visible and UV lighting techniques. The lighting was always indirect and limited to the time required to take the photographs. The results were given to the Papal Custodian, Cardinal POLETTO. During the morning of July 10, 2002, the scanning operation of the REVERSE side of the Shroud was completed.

VIDEOMICROSCOPIC SHOTS OF THE REVERSE SIDE
Mechthild FLURY-LEMBERG, Irene TOMEDI and sometimes with Nello BALOSSINO and Gian Maria ZACCONE the Video-microscopic shots of the reverse side of the Shroud were made (nearly two films) and on July 12 four digital films of VIDEOMICROSCOPIC shots of the reverse side of the Shroud were made. The aim of the work was to have pictures of the largest possible number of characteristic and problematic areas. The enlargements

ranged between factors 80, 110, 170, 230, 350, 390, 400 and 450. The most important details were documented in the table; it was drawn up on the spot by the recorder during work. The special microscope used was an “OPTICAN I HDS FORT, which could be moved by means of a so-called “ADL-bridge” to which it was attached with fiber optic cables connected to a monitor and a printer and the possibility to make digital shots also. The monitor was an EVER FOCUS and the printer a MITSUBISHI COLOR CP 710. The shots were recorded by a PANASONIC NV-DV 2000 Network Station Digital Videocassette Recorder, using tapes SONY mini DVM30 (cf. protocol 15a session: June 30, 2002).

After the removal of the Holland cloth of 1534 and during the conservation work of the summer of 2002, the Shroud became visible for the first time in its entirety also on the reverse side. This is an important and unexpected step forward, which may lead to the clarification of numerous questions which have remained unsolved until now. At the same time, however, the already complex issue of understanding Shroud references will become even more complicated, as we now have not only the familiar “front” but also the reverse side of the cloth. The entire surface area of reference is about 10 square meters, if in the future reference is made to any precise point on the cloth it is necessary to distinguish between:

1. The front and the reverse of the linen cloth
2. The front and the reverse of the body image

Observation of the Shroud is rendered even more problematic by the fact, that the frontal and dorsal human image on it do not seem to be like an object, but from the view of a sort of orthogonal projection of the body image. Finally, a further difficulty is that the Shroud is frequently shown in the photographic inversion, which is certainly very impressive, but it again adds confusion to the frame of reference. To reduce possible errors to a minimum, the folded illustration (scale 1:5) of the front and the reverse sides of the Shroud has been reproduced showing both sides on one page. With the superimposition of the grid prepared by GINO MORETTO, it will be relatively easy to identify every point of the front and the reverse of the Shroud, at least in the photographic positive in the future.

GRID OF COORDINATES

To facilitate understanding of the front and the back of the Shroud, a grid of coordinates was created by GINO MORETTO, which provides a concrete frame of reference for discussion among researchers as a means for identifying the various points of the Shroud surface and for the purposes of facilitating communication.

WORK DONE BY MECHTHILD FLURY-LEMBERG

The most obvious damage to the Shroud has been caused by the disastrous fire of Chambery in 1532. The fabric had been charred in places so that holes were left which necessitated an extensive intervention.
Two years after the fire, in 1534, the serious damage had been made as inconspicuous as possible by the St. Clare nuns, who covered with patches the big ugly holes left by the fire and attached a supporting Holland linen cloth to the backside of the Shroud.

In 2002, Mechthild Flury-Lemberg and her assistant Irene Tomesi, unpicked the Holland cloth and the patches, removed the dirt that had accumulated above all between the patches and the lining, and collected all the fragile material. During this work scanned images were taken of the front and reverse sides of the Shroud cloth and other photographic surveys were carried out. All the collected materials were given to the Custodian of the Shroud. Mgr. Severino Poletto.
The burn-holes were covered and on the backside of the Shroud a new supporting linen cloth was attached.

Photo A. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg during restauration Shroud 2002

Photo A. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg during restauration Shroud 2002

Photo B. Guisseppe Ghiberti, Cardenal Severino Poletto and colaborators

Photo B. Guisseppe Ghiberti, Cardenal Severino Poletto and colaborators

Photo C. Vials with charred materials

Photo C. Vials with charred materials

Photo D. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg and colaborator during restauration Shroud

Photo D. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg and colaborator during restauration Shroud

Photo E. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg microscopic control restauration Shroud

Photo E. Mechtild Flury-Lemberg microscopic control restauration Shroud

Photo F. Detail of stitching side strip Shroud

Photo F. Detail of stitching side strip Shroud