04/05/2026
In the Gospel of John, the writer is inspired to share details about the burial cloths of Jesus:
“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’ Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed” (John 20:1–8).
Considering the emphasis put on the burial cloths, it is fascinating to note 10 facts around the world’s most studied artifact, an ancient linen cloth called the “Shroud of Turin,” which bears a detailed and anatomically precise image of a crucified man.
FACT #1
The image on the Shroud is a photographic negative, meaning that when it is photographed, the negative shows a positive image. This is baffling because even skeptics acknowledge that the relic existed centuries before photography was invented.
FACT #2
A photograph of the Shroud produces a three-dimensional image when viewed via a NASA image-analyzing computer, indicating that distance-imaging information was encoded when the image was formed. The photograph of the Shroud is the only known two-dimensional image that displays this amazing property.
FACT #3
A recent study of high-resolution images of the Shroud revealed a phenomenon similar to action photography: superimposed views of one of the hands, a foot, and certain inanimate objects fixed to the co**se indicate that there was movement during the instant in which the image was formed.
FACT #4
The Shroud’s dimensions correspond to the unit of measure used by first-century Jews: it is exactly two cubits wide and eight cubits long. Additionally, though there are traces of cotton found in the Shroud, a by-product of past repairs, there are no traces of wool, a fact consistent with the biblical law that prohibits the mixing of linen and wool (Deut. 22:11).
FACT #5
Blood stains on the Shroud are authentic human male blood, type AB, the rarest blood type, representing less than 4% of the population worldwide. This is significant because a study of 68 ancient skeletons unearthed at Jerusalem from around Jesus’ time showed that more than 50% were type AB. If the Shroud is a medieval forgery as skeptics claim, it was an astute forger who knew to use a common blood type for first-century Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, especially since blood types were not discovered until the 20th century.
FACT #6
The locations of blood stains on the Shroud image correspond to what is known about the Roman practice of crucifixion. While Christian art from the Middle Ages, the era during which skeptics claim the shroud was made, shows nails piercing Jesus’ palms and feet, the blood on the Shroud indicates the nails pierced the wrists and heels, matching the actual Roman practice.
FACT #7
Traces of dirt and limestone on the Shroud match samples taken from tombs in Jerusalem. Similarly, traces of pollen found on the Shroud match flora specific to springtime in Jerusalem, the season and locale of Jesus’ burial.
FACT #8
Human DNA on the Shroud matches people groups from the region between Israel and Turkey, corresponding to the tradition that the Shroud was taken to Edessa in Southern Turkey during the first century. Evidence that the Shroud was in Edessa is a writing by Syrian scholar Evagrius Scholasticus about an image of Christ “not made by hands,” which effected the miraculous defense of the city against a siege by the Byzantines in 544 AD. The Image of Edessa, apparently the Shroud, became the model for all Byzantine and Orthodox icon images of Jesus that followed.
FACT #9
The Shroud matches the biblical account of multiple cloths and a handkerchief found in Jesus’ tomb:
“And [Peter] went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself (John 20:6, 7).
Close examination of the Shroud confirms that a three-inch wide, full-length strip sewn onto the side was part of the original cloth, which was cut off and later sewn back into position. Using life-sized models of the body and shroud, researchers have shown how the separate strip was used to fasten the burial cloth to the body: it was first wrapped around the feet, then the knees, then the torso, and, finally, the head, where it was fastened beneath the chin.
Along with the three-inch strip, there is a separate facecloth, or handkerchief, associated with the Shroud. The handkerchief, known as the Sudarium of Oviedo, has both pre-mortem and post-mortem blood stains that match precisely the stains on the face area of the Shroud. Unlike the Shroud, however, the handkerchief does NOT have an image of the face. The lack of an image corresponds to the biblical account of the handkerchief being “folded and put aside” by those who prepared Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:38–42).
FACT #10
Exhaustive testing of the Shroud image shows no evidence of pigments, dyes, scorching, or any photographic process that would indicate an artistic forgery. What then caused the image? Its unique characteristics, i.e., being present only on the uppermost fibrils of the linen and the lack of distortion in areas where the cloth did not touch the body, suggest a high-energy event. This hypothesis posits that the body wrapped within the cloth emitted an intense, short burst of ultraviolet radiation powerful enough to imprint a high-resolution, 3D-negative image onto the uppermost fibrils without causing the thermal damage or scorching that would normally result from such high energy levels. Since no known natural process can generate such a burst without heat, proponents argue that the phenomenon may be “transphysical,” potentially linked to the resurrection of the individual depicted.
With the above 10 facts in view, it is reasonable to conclude that the Shroud bears the supernaturally imprinted image of the One who:
Healed the sick.
Raised the dead.
Walked on water.
Calmed the storm.
Forgave sinners.
Cast out demons.
Died on a cross.
Rose from the tomb.
Ascended to heaven.
Jesus is alive, and He is coming back soon! When He appears, we shall become like Him (1 John 3:2). The same incomprehensible burst of light that emitted from His beaten and bloodied co**se to generate the image on the Shroud will emit from those who know Him as Lord: “In a flash,” they will be transformed and caught up into the clouds (1 Cor. 15:52).
To know Jesus, simply call on His name. Ask Him to be your Savior and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Rom. 10:9–13).
Do it today. Time is running out.
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NOTES:
1. Shroud website: http://www.shroud.com/
2. Forensic analysis of the Shroud: https://whocanhebe.com/Forensic_Evidence.html
3. Video discussing the action-photography effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgG9m7cqx68
4. Blood on the Shroud: http://shroudofturin.weebly.com/blood-evidence.html
5. Blood typing of ancient skeletons from Israel: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/888938/
6. While a radiocarbon test in 1988 dated the Shroud to only around 1260–1390 AD, these tests are disputed on the basis that they were contaminated by fibers from cloth used to repair the Shroud when it was damaged by the fire in 1532.
7. Image of Edessa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_Edessa
8. Sudarium of Oviedo: https://www.shroud.com/guscin.htm
9. Image formation hypothesis:https://0201.nccdn.net/1_2/000/000/174/1a8/how-the-image-was-formed-on-the-shroud.pdf
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*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com
