What The Bible Says About ...Six+ Weeks

Thursday's 5:30 PM-7:00 PMNOTE: Please take a note-pad, read each scripture given, and make notes for yourself. Bring your questions for us to discuss.

What The Bible Says About The Resurrection of Christ

The Shroud of Turin

Recommended reading: Arthur L Johnson: Faith Misguided; Exposing Mysticism. Download from the church website.

For several weeks we have been studying The Resurrection of Christ. Mark Robertson raised the question “How does the Shroudof Turin relate to the biblical account of the resurrection?”

I. Difference between Paredolia and Shroud studies.

No one realized at the time, but the 1977 appearance of Jesus Christ on a flour tortilla set the international standard for miracle sightings. Now, no object is too outrageous for a Virgin Mary or Jesus cameo. He's materialized on a Pizza Hut billboard in a plate of spaghetti; on a bowling alley chimney; reflected from a porch light onto a car bumper (until the light was turned off and the car moved); on a diner place mat; and even on a dead priest's shoe.

In October of 1977, Maria Rubio was rolling up a burrito for her husband Eduardo's breakfast, when she noticed a thumb-sized configuration of skillet burns on the tortilla that resembled the faceof Jesus.

Needless to say, Eduardo went hungry that meal as Maria told family and neighbors of the miraculous event. It happened in the small town of Lake Arthur, New Mexico, 40 minutes south of Roswell.

In November 1977 a competing Miracle Tortilla appeared in the skillet of Phoenix housewife Ramona Barreras. It was the face of Jesus, this time accompanied by the letters K, J, C, and B, whichRamona believed stood for "King Jesus is Coming Back.

Mary, mother of Jesus, appeared in a LA Catholic church on 1/18/2009

About 20 years ago, out on Highway 166, a faithful Catholic saw Jesus, and the believers built a shrine near Rock Front Ranch.

Such sightings could be ascribed to a human faculty for delusion called "pareidolia." Pareidolia is the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as seeing shapes in clouds, seeing faces in inanimate objects or abstract patterns, or hearing hidden messages in music. It is the perception of pattern and meaning from natural randomness.

Scientists believe humans are hardwired to recognize facial patterns. We'll perceive a familiar face in an unfamiliar place, before seeing, say, a locomotive or a cotton gin.

The shroud is not a tortilla. It does have a clearly recognizableimage of a man. The question is whether or not that is the image of Jesus?

II. What is the Shroud of Turin?

The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a 14 feet 3 inches long and 3feet 7 inches wide length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man who is alleged to be Jesus of Nazareth. Since 1578, it hasbeen kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy.

III. What is it’s known history?

The story begins in Edessa, Turkey with a cloth known as the “Cloth of Edessa,” which had the “Image of Edessa,” which supposedly miraculously appeared on the cloth, and had been in Edessa since 544 A.D., the middle of the 6th Century. Edessa was overtaken by Muslim conquest in 638 A.D.

On August 15, 944 AD, the “Cloth of Edessa,” was forcibly transferred from the city of Edessa to Constantinople, the Byzantine capital. The Emperor of Byzantium, Romanus Lacapenus, sent his army to Edessa, so that this treasure could be taken to Constantinople. In August that year, when the cloth arrived in Constantinople, Gregory Referendarius, the archdeacon of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, described it as a full length image with bloodstains from a side wound.

In Constantinople, the cloth was kept in the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos, and sometimes ceremoniously unfurled, raised up like a vertical banner, in a way that showed a full frontal

picture of a male. In 1201, Nicholas Mesarites, the sacristan of thePharos Chapel where the Image of Edessa was kept, described this ceremony:

“Here He rises again and the sindon is the clear proof still smelling fragrant of perfumes, defying corruption because they wrapped the mysterious naked dead body from head to feet.” [Greek sindon, linen cloth, i.e., the shroud?]

The “Edessa Cloth,” along with other priceless treasures, was taken from Constantinople in 1204 AD by French knights of the Fourth Crusades. The 4th crusade started in 1202, and ended in 1204.

About 1205, in a letter to Pope Innocent III, Theodore Ducas Anglelos wrote:

The Venetians partitioned the treasure of gold, silver and ivory, while the French did the same with the relics of saints and the most sacred of all, the linen in which our Lord Jesus Christ waswrapped after His death and before the resurrection.

Theodore Anglelos Komnenos Doukas was Byzantine ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most of Macedonia and western Thrace from 1224 to 1230. He wasalso the power behind the rule of his sons John and Demetrios overThessalonica in 1237–1246.

One of the treasures looted by these mercenaries masquerading as religious crusaders was the shroud, which was then called “the holy Mandylion,” by the Eastern Orthodox Churches.We know that the sacred relics were preserved by their predators inAthens, Venice and France and in other places. In 1207, Nicholas d'Orrante, Abbott of Casole and the Papal Legate in Athens, wrote about relics taken from Constantinople by French knights. Referring specifically to burial cloths, he mentions seeing them "with our own eyes" in Athens.

Robert de Clari was a knight from Picardy, France, who chronicled the 4th Crusade, has noted the fact that this relic disappeared from Constantinople in 1204.

“The tiny village of Lirey in France played an important part in the history of the preservation and controversy of the Linceul

Sacre (Holy Shroud). For it was here in this village, which rarely ever numbered more than 100 residents, that the French knight, Geoffrey de Charnay, made known that he was in possession of theHoly Shroud which had disappeared during the sac of Constantinople in 1204, and written about sporadically during the previous thousand years. It was here, in this out-of-the-way place, that de Charnaybuilt a collegiate church in 1354 to display this coveted memento of the past.”

The Shroud of Turin was shown in the collegiate church created by Geoffroi de Charny in Lirey about 1354 before its transfer to the Château de Montfort (Cote-d'Or), then to Chambéry,then to Turin in 1358.

The presence of the Turin Shroud in Lirey, France, is undoubtedly attested in 1389 when Bishop Pierre d'Arcis wrote a memorandum where he charged that the Shroud was a forgery.

“The d’Arcis Memorandum,” is a document in which Pierre d’Arcis, bishop of Troyes in 1389, alleged that an unnamed artist had admitted to having painted the double-body image.

There are no known records that can directly link the “Edessa Cloth” and the “Turin Cloth.”

There is however, a drawing from an ancient codex, known commonly as the “Hungarian Pray Manuscript” or “Pray Codex.”

The Codex Pray, Pray Codex or The Hungarian Pray Manuscript is a collection of medieval manuscripts. In 1813 it was named after György Pray, who discovered it in 1770. It is the first known example of continuous prose text in Hungarian. The Codex is kept in the National Széchényi Library of Budapest.

One of the most prominent documents within the Codex is the Funeral Sermon and Prayer. It is an old handwritten Hungarian textdating to 1192-1195. Its importance of the Funeral Sermon comes from that it is the oldest surviving Hungarian, and Uralic, text.

The Codex also features a missal, an Easter mystery play, songs with musical notation, laws from the time of Coloman of Hungary and the annals, which list the Hungarian kings.

One of the five illustrations within the Codex shows the burial of Jesus. It is sometimes claimed that the display shows remarkable similarities with the Shroud of Turin: that Jesus is shown entirely naked with the arms on the pelvis, just like in the body image of the Shroud of Turin; that the thumbs on this image appear to be retracted, with only four fingers visible on each hand, thus matching detail on the Turin Shroud; that the supposed fabric shows a herringbone pattern, identical to the weaving pattern of theShroud of Turin; and that the four tiny circles on the lower image, which appear to form a letter L, "perfectly reproduce four apparent"poker holes" on the Turin Shroud", which likewise appear to forma letter L.

The “Codex Pray” illustration may serve as evidence for the existence of the Shroud of Turin prior to 1260–1390 AD, the fabrication date established in the radiocarbon 14 dating of the Shroud of Turin in 1988, and subsequently, discredited. Critics of this idea point out, that the item that is sometimes identified as the Shroud is probably a rectangular tombstone as seen on other sacredimages. The alleged holes may just be decorative elements, as seen, for example, on the angel's wing. Moreover, the alleged shroud in the Pray codex does not contain any image.

It is possible that this illustrator of the “Pray Codex,” far removed from France, working at a time before the sacking of Constantinople by French knights, and before the d'Arcis Memorandum, knew about the Image of Edessa.

IV. Is it fake?

Before jumping into this, I’d like to quote John Calvin’s view:How is it possible that those sacred historians, who carefully

related all the miracles that took place at Christ’s death, should have omitted to mention one so remarkable as the likeness of the body of our Lord remaining on its wrapping sheet? This fact undoubtedly deserved to be recorded. St. John, in his Gospel, relates even how St. Peter, having entered the sepulchre, saw the linen clothes lying on one side, and the napkin that was about his head on the other; but he does not say that there was a miraculous impression of our Lord’s figure upon these clothes, and it is not to be imagined that he would have omitted to mention such a work of God if there had been any thing of this kind. (1543, 238)

In brief, concludes Calvin, “either St. John is a liar,” or anyone who promotes such a shroud is “convicted of falsehood and deceit” (Calvin 1543, 239).

That is still a valid observation, even thought Calvin did not

have the results of the decade’s long scientific analyses and debates.

There is absolutely no doubt that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was murdered, buried, and rose again. We have examined His resurrection from every possible point of view. In considering whether or not the shroud is a fake, there are seveal things to think about:

1. Is the shroud a genuine piece of ancient linen?2. Does it date to the first century?3. Is the image on it actually Jesus?

The Shroud, the most studied, analyzed, and tested religious relic in the world, has spawned a vast, global field of scientific study, called “sindonology,” but still baffles scientists.

The Catholic Church only officially recorded its existence in 1353 A.D., when it showed up in a tiny church in Lirey, France, and still hasn’t made an official declaration of it’s authenticity.

Scientist-journalist Philip Ball writes: “Attempts to date the Turin Shroud are a great game, but don't imagine that they will convince anyone … The scientific study of the Turin shroud is like a microcosm of the scientific search for God: it does more to inflame any debate than settle it. … And yet, the shroud is a remarkable artefact, one of the few religious relics to have a justifiably mythical status. It is simply not known how the ghostly image of a serene, bearded man was made.”

What is known is ...That the blood samples taken from the shroud are AB.The cadaver that was wrapped by the Shroud suffered death by

crucifixion, but was afforded a Jewish burial. The shroud shows both the front and back of the person.

As of June 2019, Radiocarbon Dating has been ruled out as invalid. While this discounts the earlier finding placing the shroud in the 13th century, the evidence that the shroud doesn’t date to the first century is increasing.On May 25. 2019, a multidisciplinary Etna team led by the statistician Benedetto Torrisi reached the conclusion that "It's all to be redone. There is full certainty that the Shroud does not date back to the Middle Ages,” the lecturer reiterates to MeridioNewsafter a conference at the University of Catania.."Dating is still possible through new examinations of never analyzed remains", adds Professor Paolo Di Lazzaro, deputy director of the International Center for the Shroud Studies of Turin.

Using modern Crime Scene Investigation methodology, new blood stain analysis casts doubt on authenticity of Shroud of Turin. Dr. Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist and lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, and his research team used the latest CSI tests and conclude “The blood patterns contradict each other and form an unrealistic picture, The most likely explanation is that the

stains were painted by an artist who knew little or nothing about crucifixion and its effects.”

The scientists have problems with the anatomy seen on the shroud:

The face doesn't match the proportions of a real human being.The forehead is tiny, as if Jesus suffered from microcephaly, and the eyebrow positions similarly don't match how real eyebrows are.

The arms are anatomically too long - as if Jesus was a long armed freak, and even worse, one arm is significantly longer than the other arm! Plus, with a limp human lying on their back, one can't physically leave their hands covering their crotch - they fall tothe side (lie on your back and try it yourself).

That hands over the crotch itself shows that this is a work of art for public (not pubic) display. After all, if the body were wrapped in a shroud for burial, why would one bother to put their hands over their crotch? But, if this were a work of art by an Italianartist in 1300 AD intended for public display, he probably would put the hands over the crotch.

V. The Biblical Evidence

Matthew 27:59 (NASB) 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean

linen cloth, 4471. σινδών sindōn noun Linen, cloth. Singular.Septuagint: ָסִדין s̱ādhîn (5650), Linen undergarment, linen

garment (Jgs 14:12, Prov 31:24).The word sindōn is used in classical Greek referring to a fine

cloth, a piece of cambric or muslin (i.e., a plain-woven sheer to coarse cotton fabric).

Mark 15:46 (NASB) 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn

http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Jdg+14%3A12http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Pr+31%3A24

out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

4471. σινδών sindōn noun Linen, cloth. Singular.

Luke 23:53 (NASB) 53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.

4471. σινδών sindōn noun Linen, cloth. Singular.

John 19:38-40 (NASB) 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 3470. ὀθόνιον othonion noun Linen cloth, fine linen, bandage, towel. Plural

Matthew, Mark, and Luke have Joseph of Arimathea’s single sheet of “fine linen” (“sindon”, singular noun).John uses a reference to linen, but described by a different term (“othonia”, plural noun)

Joseph of Arimathea, accompanied by Nicodemus, brought a 100 pound mixture of myrrh and aloes, and bound the body of Jesus with linen wrappings.

753. ἄρωμα arōma noun Aromatic spices, perfumes.In the New Testament it occurs in four apparently independent

texts. Three refer to the spices carried by the women to the tomb ofJesus (Mark 16:1; cf. Luke 23:56; 24:1). But in John 19:40 we are told about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea wrapping the body of Jesus with arōmata included.

http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Jn+19%3A40http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Lk+24%3A1http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Lk+23%3A56http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Mk+16%3A1

Adam Clarke’s commentary on Matthew 27:59 says “linen was wrapped about every part to keep the aromatics in contact withthe flesh.”

My crude picture of that process is like making a lasagna. A layer of pasta, a layer of sauce, and built it up layer by layer. I see Joseph and Nicodemus covering the body with the burial spices, then a layer of linen, a layer of burial spice, a layer of linen, until the hundred pounds have been depleted.

The shroud doesn’t seem to account for this amount of burial spices.

Most commentators and students of the Bible understand this folded cloth to indicate that the scene in the empty tomb was evidence of a very calm and orderly process, rather than that of a burglarized tomb, from which the body of Jesus was hastily stolen -- from a sealed tomb, guarded by soldiers. Notice, too, that the emphasis is not just on this face cloth, but also on the cloth in which the body of Jesus was wrapped. Also, this face cloth was folded and laid in a separate place by itself.

The Jewish religion had some beautiful, and meaningful, rituals for burial. The dead had a right to ceremonial care. As soonas a person was dead, his eyes were to be closed, he was to be kissed with love, and his body was to be washed. In this washing, the body was anointed with perfumes. Nard was the most usual of these, but myrrh and aloes were also used. The first century custom was that the body was elaborately wrapped in a shroud and the face was covered with a special cloth called a sudarium. The hands and feet were tied with strips of cloth.

Notice this in John 20:6-8 (NASB) 6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and

entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.

3470. ὀθόνιον othonion noun Linen cloth, fine linen, bandage, towel.

4529. σουδάριον soudarion noun Handkerchief, sweatcloth, facecloth. In John 11:44 and 20:7 such “cloths” were used, according to Jewish custom, to cover the faces of the corpses of Lazarus and Jesus. Those who helped would simply take a soft cloth and wrap the head of the deceased, under the chin and over the head, and tie it so it would stay shut and the jaws not sag.

And notice how the disciples handled the death of Tabitha.Acts 9:36-37 (NASB) 36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha

(which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did. 37 And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

Truthfully, we don’t need the shroud to believe that Jesus rose from the grave. We don’t need to examine His wounds to believe. He makes this very clear in

John 20:26-31 (NASB) 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and

Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He *said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Jn+20%3A7http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Jn+11%3A44

Septuagint: סָדִין s̱ādhîn (5650), Linen undergarment, linen garment (Jgs 14:12, Prov 31:24).