Study: Shroud of Turin Samples 'Consistent With the Tortures of Jesus Christ'

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Facts

• Italian researchers who analyzed samples from the Shroud of Turin — linen cloth some believe to be the burial shroud of Jesus — said they found small blood particles showing signs of organ failure, trauma and other injuries, arguing this supported the notion that the crucifixion of Christ was a real historical event.^[1][2]
• The study, published in July in the journal of Hematology Case Reports and Reviews by Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua, concluded that materials found in the cloth 'are consistent with the tortures of Jesus Christ described in the Holy Bible.'^[2]
• Debate about the Shroud of Turin — one of the world's most scrutinized artifacts — has persisted for centuries. First documented in France in the 1350s, many scientists believe that the cloth is of medieval origin and a forgery.^[3]
• Skepticism over the artifact's origins is largely due to a radiocarbon study conducted in the 1980s, which concluded that the linen dates back to some time between 1260 and 1390.^[3]
• However, a 2022 study published in Heritage by a team led by Liberato de Caro, from the Institute of Crystallography in Italy, has sought to overturn the earlier findings, suggesting a number of errors made in the carbon-dating study. That included, they said, failure to take into account contamination of the textile over the centuries.^[4][5]
• According to their findings, which used wide-angle X-ray scattering, the linen was roughly 2,000 years old. However, the scientists warned the conclusion can only be reached if it's assumed the cloth was maintained at a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and at a humidity of roughly 55% through the years, stating that more tests were needed.^[6][7]

Sources: ^[1]Daily Mail (a), ^[2]Hematology Case Reports and Reviews, ^[3]Newsweek, ^[4]Heritage, ^[5]Institute of Crystallography, ^[6]Daily Mail (b) and ^[7]Independent.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. The scientific community has for years dismissed that the Shroud of Turin is the genuine article in which Jesus Christ was buried before his resurrection. However, these latest developments may just overturn that and contribute to the evidence that Jesus Christ was in fact a real human being.
• Narrative B, as provided by Independent. While the new studies suggest that the Shroud of Turin could in fact be much older than previously thought, the scientists who carried out the research warned that a number of assumptions were necessary to reach their conclusions and that much more testing needs to be carried out to confirm the provenance of this alleged relic.