The Shroud of Turin: Setting the Record Straight*

     Today is Resurrection Sunday, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

     Newsmax Magazine recently published an issue about the scientific findings regarding the Shroud of Turin, a long linen cloth which contains the startling image, front and back, of a man whose physical wounds agree with the Gospel accounts, medical forensics and pathology of one who had died from crucifixion. The magazine article mentions the coins that were placed on the eyes, the evidence of phylacteries worn by Jews in accordance with the Law of Moses which contained portions of scripture, were present on the Shroud image. The article noted the presence of a bloody "3" on the forehead of the image. This is not a "3", but the Hebrew letter shin, which is embossed on the phylactery box, and reversed on the image. With that bloodied shin letter, we can say that The Blood covered the Law, which was contained in the box.

     This is not new information. I was part of the Shroud of Turin Research Project, or STURP, in 1978 that was granted permission by the Vatican to go to Turin and conduct tests on the Shroud. For five decades, I have been writing books, making appearances, and giving detailed slide presentations to discuss all of the scientific findings that the team discovered about the Shroud. None of these magazine facts are new to me.

     The Gospel accounts bring us details that are confirmed by the image on the Shroud, which I believe is the image of Jesus Christ, but I have always left that conclusion to be one that was to be reached by my listeners and readers. In John 19:28-30, Jesus, dying on the cross, said, "I thirst", and they gave Him vinegar to drink. Medically it is true that a man who had been scourged and then crucified for hours would have become dehydrated. Jesus then said, "It is finished" and died. This happened, John wrote, in order to fulfill prophetic scripture, including Psalm 22, written by David 700 hundred years before crucifixion was invented by the Persians. Of Jesus' thirst on the cross, David had written prophetically "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." (Ps. 22:15). The words "It is finished" also mean in Greek "Paid in full". Jesus paid the full price for our sins. The prophet Isaiah also mentioned this price paid, not for His sin, but for ours, as we will see. Psalm 22 also includes the prophetic details of being pierced in the hands and feet (v. 16), being looked and stared at (v. 17), and his garments being gambled for (v. 18), all of which are also details connected to Jesus' crucifixion in the Gospel accounts. David also wrote in this Psalm: "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD (YHWH- the Hebrew letters of which translate into "Behold the hand, Behold the nail"): and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee." (v. 27). David never experienced crucifixion, but he prophetically described the crucifixion of Jesus, the Messiah/Christ, who would be a descendant from his line.

     In verses 31-37 of John 19, two more details are given that are confirmed by the Shroud: in order to speed up the dying process of crucifixion (because it was the Sabbath), the soldiers came to break the legs of Jesus and the two criminals with whom He was crucified. Breaking the legs prevented the sufferer from pushing up on his feet in order to be able to take a breath. However, when the soldiers got to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so His legs were not broken. Again, the Gospel tells us in v. 36 that this was to fulfill prophecy (see Num. 9:12, Psalm 34:20, written by David). The figure on the Shroud did not have broken leg bones. Another detail included in the Gospel account is that one of the Roman soldiers pierced the side of Jesus with his spear, and blood and water poured out. The image on the Shroud confirms a wound to the side in the shape of a Roman lancet, and a stain of both blood and serum water from that wound. This separation of the blood occurs after death, so Jesus was speared after already dead. The Gospel tells us in v. 37 that this also was done to fulfill prophecy (see Zech. 12:10).

     In John 19:38-42, the burial of Jesus' body is detailed. The body was prepared quickly because of the oncoming Sabbath with a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. When the Shroud was brought out to the STURP research group, I could smell a faint fragrance of myrrh present. Then the Gospel account says: "Then they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." (v. 40). Jesus was not wrapped in cloth strips like a mummy. As also confirmed with Rabbi Eliezer Urbach, the custom of the Jews was to enfold their dead in a whole linen sheet. The only Jew who was ever wrapped like a mummy in scripture was Joseph, who died many generations before after holding an honored position in Egypt (see Gen. 50:26).

     On the first day of the week, the Gospel of John states that when the women went to the tomb to finish preparing the body of Jesus, the stone which had sealed the tomb was taken away, and the tomb was empty. Then they ran to Peter and John and told them that someone had taken the body of Jesus. Peter and John ran to the tomb. This is what John and Peter saw: "And he (John) stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter...and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple (John), which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." (Jn. 20:1-9, see Ps. 16:9-11, Hos. 6:1-2). Something about the linen clothes convinced John., and he believed. The Greek word used for the linen cloth that covered Jesus' dead body in Mt. 27:59 is sindon, which means "fine and costly linen cloth in which the body of the dead was wrapped". It was a sheet of linen cloth that enfolded Jesus' body rather than strips.

     The Shroud of Turin, when tested, had no evidence of rot or decay. What appeared to be the presence of blood on the Shroud proved to be authentic and showed evidence of the body having gone through torture and hematidrosis, which is an extremely rare condition in which under great stress, the person releases high levels of adrenaline and cortisol causing capillaries to rupture, making a person sweat blood through skin pores. The Gospels contain the detail of Jesus, under agonizing stress, sweating great drops of blood even before the crucifixion (Luke 22:41-44). The carbon dating of the Shroud (not performed by the STURP team), which received widespread attention, was improperly done, and it was discovered later, was not done with threads of the linen burial cloth, but with threads taken from a later cotton patch that was part of a woven repair on the Shroud.

     Isaiah 52:10 through 53:11 prophesied of a marred visage and form more so than any other (Isa. 52:14), who was "wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (habura - bruise, stripe, wound, blow, the mark of strokes on the skin) we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 53:5-6). Isaiah also noted that "...he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isa. 53:7). Jesus refused to justify himself before Pilate, even though Pilate had the power to release Him.

     As a result of this traumatic event, Isaiah prophesied: "So shall he sprinkle (naza - spurt, spatter, sprinkle, sprinkle blood in expiation) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." (Isa. 52:15). Something the kings had not seen nor heard will still bear witness to them and the nations of the blood of expiation from sin. The Shroud of Turin certainly fulfills this prophecy, witnessing to millions through its image. In scripture, Paul made this point in front of the king and governor when he had to give an account of his faith in Christ. He noted that they had already been made aware of all of these things. 

     Taken from the Hebrew word for "sprinkle" in the above verse, I wrote a book, "NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling" which is available on Amazon. Along with Dr. Brian Donley Worrell, a free book containing all of the information about the Shroud of Turin has been made available for all. See the information below about how you can get this free book: "The Shroud of Turin: A Perfect Summary" for yourself or loved ones. I believe that Jesus is returning soon, and His Bride must make herself ready for that return.

     *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 3/31/24 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.