By Matt Underwood Newly discovered document adds evidence that the Shroud of Turin is fake, and honestly, it’s not a huge surprise. Let’s be real, a lot of people have been side-eyeing this thing for ages. The fact is, even the Catholic Church, which houses it, doesn’t officially recognize it as an authentic relic of Jesus. They treat it more as an icon, a symbol. Yet, they still put it on display, drawing crowds and, as anyone from Turin will tell you, generating a lot of money.
It’s almost comical to think that anyone, particularly those in the religious tourism and pilgrimage industries, would push a narrative of mystery and doubt around the Shroud. I remember the carbon dating tests from the ’80s and ’90s that pretty definitively placed it around 600-800 years old. Seems the Easter Bunny isn’t real either!
Of course, the discovery of a historical document further supports its questionable authenticity. It reveals that a prominent French theologian back in the 14th century flat-out called it a fake, blaming “clergy men” for the deception. Even a skeptic priest’s opinion from a long time ago does not make a difference, and the fact that there were contemporary skeptics is something that everyone already knows. The Shroud, being of such an age as it is, was most likely a well-crafted artifact, designed to earn favor and favorability with the elite at the time.
It’s almost moot at this point anyway, as the Church doesn’t claim it’s genuine, yet still allows people to venerate it as a symbol. Let’s be honest, people in Italy have known it’s suspect for ages. There’s no need for “evidence” to convince anyone. The simple truth is, if you want to scam someone, target someone religious. They’re, shall we say, less inclined towards rigorous critical thinking. This leads to a very interesting point. Is an unwavering belief in the absence of a god as valid as an unwavering belief in a god?
The fact that paint residue was found years ago just adds to the evidence. You also have to wonder why we are still talking about this at all. The shroud’s origins have been called into question for generations. We aren’t talking about evidence, or a historical trace, or anything more than a blanket that claims to be something it is not.
It doesn’t matter. The people who believe in the authenticity of the Shroud simply won’t be swayed by any factual evidence, no matter how compelling it may be. This is the essence of faith, right? To believe without needing proof. It’s like kicking a partially standing wall of a building that collapsed a long time ago.
Consider the actual image itself. If you’re familiar with 3D modeling, you would know that the type of image that appears on the Shroud could not have been created by wrapping a cloth around a person. The image was clearly applied. Would anyone expect to see DNA or genetic material? Finding out the DNA of Jesus would be an extremely fascinating discovery. The dating already puts its origins at over 1000 years after Jesus allegedly lived. The very act of wrapping a body in a shroud like that, would not yield the type of image that is found on it.
There’s no real evidence to link the cloth to the Biblical character, Jesus. And to really drive the point home, it’s not even clear if Jesus existed, and there’s no contemporaneous, physical, historical evidence to back it up.
Ultimately, the Shroud of Turin is just a historical curiosity. A good way to understand the appeal of such artifacts is to read Umberto Eco’s novel “Baudolino”. It’s a great example of how people can come to believe their own fakes. The desire to accept superstition as fact is quite strong.