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28th December 1997

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The Shroud :

Secrets from the 5th gospel

By Fr. (Prof.) Louis Marie Navaratne

(Contd. from last week)

The ShroudIt is no secret that prior to the "carbon dating" of the cloth, not a few among the scientists had cast doubts as to whether it would be a valid test. Their arguments were based on the fact that the contamination level of the Shroud cloth would be such (due to various factors, such as handling during expositions, efforts at preservation, repairs etc. and not least, the heat of the fires which had nearly destroyed it completely - the 1532 fire having raged at almost 9600C.) that the ordinary methods of C-14 testing would not be a fair trial with regard to the Shroud of Turin. Anyhow, the long and short of it is that the Shroud did undergo the test. The paradox is that although it has gone almost unscathed through three complete fires (the last one having raged on the April 12th this year - burning down a good part of the main Chapel of the Turin Basilica) - it could not escape the bombardment and the ensuing dark smoke of the mass media. Certainly, announcing the results of the "carbon dating" was the right of everyone, but "to deem the Shroud an obvious and even crude fake" was not only most unscientific but downright unsocial. In fact, due to the disproportionate propaganda, most people in the 80's and early 90's came to know next to nothing about the Shroud except that it was a "fraud"! But, like the gold that has to be tested by fire, after the time of trial, the genuineness of the Holy Shroud is being vindicated with even greater vigour and brighter light than ever.

Indeed Faith and Science seem to make friends in the study of the Shroud. Thanks to the scientists who are continuing to grapple with the truth. What else can we say to all this, except this:.. let the search, the research, the dialogue, the discussion and the debate continue.

Sacred Scripture (Bible) and The Shroud

One of the most vital and key areas of the Christian faith - both doctrinal and scriptural - is the fact of Christ's resurrection. In fact, for St. Paul, it is the foundation or corner-stone of the faith of Christians:

".. If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless..."

Before we leave the tomb - picking up whatever cloth that had been lying inside - in order to get a broader picture of the events, it would do well to go back just two days, to Good Friday - to the moment of death and burial of the Saviour. Again it is St. John who records how Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus and others "took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial customs." (John 19:39-41) Scripturally, we could push a little further back, to some of the details recorded in connection with the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. It may be worthwhile just at this point, to note the major references in the four Gospels recording the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.

It must be borne in mind at this juncture that, to understand and grasp (even in the most minimal way) the basic relationship between the Turin Shroud and the historical events of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, at least a cursory reading, if not a deeper study, of the relevant passages of Scripture is essential. Whatever the procedure, Science and Scripture seem to meet in a marvellous and reciprocal understanding and effort.. in search of the Truth.

If one is conversant with the Gospel tests, it would not take long to see that,on the one hand, most of the scientific findings regarding the "burial cloth" seem to tally perfectly with Scriptural accounts. On the other hand, discoveries and facts emerging from Shroud-studies have proven to be useful to better understand and explain certain points in the Gospel-story which are scantily recorded. For instance, all four Gospels record very little in describing how Jesus carried the Cross.

One has only to "read" the details of the "carrying of the cross" as recorded in the so-called 5th Gospel - the Holy Shroud - not in words, but in a more or less three-dimensional way.. one has to admit that blood and wounds speak more loudly than words! On this one point alone the scientific reading of the Shroud image would explain to the minutest details... how He carried the Cross; what type of Cross it was; the size of the wounds that the cross-beam made on His back; how He was nailed.. the exact place on the wrists the nails were fixed, etc. etc. In a word, the Shroud is a perfect and detailed "visual" presentation of all and more of what is written in the Gospel accounts. It may not be without significance to note that while all the four Gospel accounts were written not prior to 30 - 40 years after Christ, this "visual" 5th Gospel was recorded, in all its moving colours of blood and various shades of light, right on the spot!

Before we pass on to the "spirituality" of the Shroud, we should pause another moment at the "burial" and watch Jesus being wrapped in this "long winding sheet of cloth". Then, ask ourselves some pertinent questions... why was He wrapped like this? What is this Cloth? Here, we shall invite a woman scientist (who is also an Orthodox Jew as well as a Scripture scholar), Mrs. Rebecca Jackson, to give us the answers. In fact, she presented a paper on this subject at the International Conference on the Holy Shroud in Rome (1993). It was Rebecca (who was converted to Christ directly through her involvement in Shroud-research), with her Jewish background, who was able to confirm the "Jewishness" of the whole subject: perfect Jewish measurements of the Shroud, i.e., two by eight cubits; the weave of the cloth as perfectly "Kosher", ie, a mixture of linen and cotton; perfect Jewish features of the Man in the Shroud etc. etc. But, of all the ideas Rebecca presented in Rome, the most thought-provoking and yet scientifically tenable was this one: "My theory is that, if the shroud is authentic, then this was the tablecloth at the Last Supper." One should read all the supportive arguments Rebecca brings out to see how plausible her theory is... after all, it had been a sudden death, a temporary burial.. no time even to wash the body... the next day was the Sabbath holiday... the usual "bands of cloth" were not at hand. Permission to bury was obtained by Joseph of Arimathaea... who also offered his tomb to Jesus... but what about the cloth to wrap the body? Let Rebecca speak: "They would have had to use what was available to them. Why wouldn't they use the tablecloth? Joseph probably said, 'What about that tablecloth...'?" Hence, for this "temporary" burial (since the permanent one would have been planned for Sunday morning), they would have improvised the "tablecloth" of the Last Supper and turned it into the "burial cloth". The symbolism is powerful.. the Holy Shroud is a souvenir of the whole Passion story: from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.

Christian Spirituality and The Holy Shroud

If such stalwarts in the Christian faith as Peter and John were led to believe in the Resurrection of Christ through observing the "linen cloths" (OTHONIA- in Greek the plural is used for a very large cloth) lying in the Empty Tomb, then who are we to disregard or even to despise the usefulness of such a "relic"? Of course, Christian faith, or any other faith for that matter, need not depend on any material object such as the Shroud. But, it is quite obvious that the Holy Spirit in generating faith, acts through some thing or someone tangible, as was the case in the Word-become-Flesh, the very Person of Jesus Christ. The specific character of the Christian Revelation is this, that God has appeared in Human-form... in flesh-and-blood... to be heard and seen and touched (I John 1:1-4). Moreover, if the message of Christ was written down in the Scriptures (Gospels) to be read and heard by the ears, then it's not illogical to speak of the Gospel in "images" which could also be seen! The 5th Gospel can "speak", not in words, but in "images" which the eyes and the heart can understand. We are not to be judges over anyone... people speak and understand in diverse ways and languages. For instance, the literally deaf will speak perfect "sign language". Similarly, the language of the 5th Gospel - the Holy Shroud and its 3-D images can speak to many in a language which is beyond all words and sounds.

Many of us may claim not to need "relics" or scientific objects like the Shroud in order to believe. But, there are always the "Thomas's" who will need to "touch" and "see" for themselves... who would even wish to use whatever scientific instruments available, such as the microscope, the stethoscope, the telescope and even the computer. During the time of the Apostles too, there was a Dr. Thomas Twin who would not believe just because the others did; and rightly so, since he was a Doctor and a Specialist and he claimed to have his own special equipment to carry out the experiments. Of course, 2000 yeas ago, scientific gear was still quite simple:

"Unless I examine the holes of the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe." (John 20: 25-26).

What then is the message of this 5th Gospel of Jesus Christ - born in Bethlehem... born into a family - into a society.....then as now, corrupt, unjust, violent and selfish....what is the message of the Man of the Shroud of Turin? It is the identical message of the Baby born at Bethlehem. He was born poor, humble, selfless, caring and sharing - this is the true spirit of Christmas - not materialist or consumerist.. .as it is all around and within us. This Jesus who at the beginning of His life was wrapped in "swaddling clothes" and at the end wrapped in the winding linen Shroud... .which He chose to leave behind.. .as He rose from the dead... as a souvenir and a tangible proof of His Divinity. What else can we do other than fall on our knees and with St. Thomas cry out: "My Lord and My God!" (John 20 :28).

For any further information or details regarding audio-visual talks at the Holy Shroud Chapel at Montefano, Kandy, readers could write to the author. Phone: 08-223684 or fax 08-223874. The author is grateful to Rev. Father Thomas de Silva, the former Prior at Montefano, Rev. Father Theophane Wickremaratne and the whole Benedictine community for all the pioneering and dedicated work on the Holy Shroud.


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