ROME, Italy. Researchers from Italy’s Institute of Crystallography have unveiled groundbreaking findings that could reignite the debate over the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, a relic believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. Their study, which employed advanced technology, suggests that the Shroud could indeed be over 2,000 years old, aligning with Christian tradition.
The Shroud of Turin has long been a subject of intense scrutiny, with skeptics questioning its authenticity and some labeling it a medieval forgery. However, the Institute’s latest research, using Wide-angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), presents evidence that the fabric may be far older than previously thought.
“The experimental results are compatible with the hypothesis that the Turin Shroud is a 2,000-year-old relic, as supposed by Christian tradition,” the Institute of Crystallography announced on its website. The researchers revealed that they obtained WAXS data profiles from the Shroud that matched those of a linen sample dated between 55 and 74 AD, the period of the Siege of Masada in Israel.
These findings stand in stark contrast to the results of a 1988 radiocarbon dating test, which dated the Shroud to around 1350 AD. That earlier test, conducted by three separate laboratories, had cast significant doubt on the Shroud’s authenticity. However, the Institute of Crystallography’s 2024 findings suggest that “the Turin Shroud fabric is much older than the seven centuries proposed by the 1988 radiocarbon dating.”
While the Institute acknowledges that these findings are “experimental,” they argue that the results are consistent with the Shroud’s mysterious and largely undocumented history prior to its known existence in Europe during the Middle Ages.
The Shroud of Turin continues to captivate both the scientific community and the faithful worldwide. Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire ministry, expressed his fascination with the relic, stating, “It seems that there is now new evidence that strengthens the hypothesis that the cloth of the Shroud is contemporary to the time of Christ.”
Bishop Barron emphasized that while faith in Christ’s resurrection does not depend on the Shroud, its “uncanny power to capture our attention” has deepened the faith of many. “I believe the continued fascination people have for the Shroud is an indication of the continued relevance of Christ to even a culture as secular as our own. It reveals that in the midst of prevailing secularism, people remain drawn to the uncanny, spiritual aspects of our existence and desire to experience for themselves the mysteries of God,” he added.
As the debate over the Shroud’s authenticity continues, these latest findings have reignited interest in one of the most enigmatic relics in history, reminding us of the enduring allure of the “mysteries of God.”
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
