Shroud of Turin

From PhiloWiki

The Shroud of Turin has the full-body image of Jesus. Is the Shroud of Turin really the burial shroud of Christ?

Christian views - Authenticity

The Shroud of Turin was created through unknown means, and the best explanation for it is that it is the burial shroud of Christ.

Resources are needed. Feel free to find and add resources.

Secular views

Picknett and Prince (Turin Shroud: In Whose Image?) recreate very effectively the appearance of the Shroud by using a simple "camera obscura" technique and light-sensitive chemicals (with albumen, etc) that were well-known to painters of the 14th century.

One of the most interesting parts of the Shroud of course is the fact that the image is only on the very top-most of the fibers of the linen. If you take linen, soak it in light-sensitive chemicals, cast a "camera obscura" image on it, heat it to lightly char the top of the fibers, then wash away all residue, you end up with an image with the many strange properties of the Shroud (including the foreshortening). The fact that the figure in the Shroud is several inches taller in the back than in the front (each 6'4" or greater anyway) shows the difficulty in casting two sun-lit images (of a plaster-cast cadaver, most likely) close enough for an exact height match.

The Shroud is indeed an infinitely fascinating topic, but the images in this book (and Professor Allen's later, more refined images) are quite convincing. Coupled with the carbon dating results, the Shroud loses a lot of mystery, at least to me.

Resources are needed. Feel free to find and add resources.