During the massive cathedral building programme of the 12th - 14th centuries, relics were demanded by the papacy to bring pilgrimages to these expensive places of worship. The Turin Shroud has been carbon dated to 1260-1390, just the date of the required relics. However, it is obviously not the winding sheet of the corpse of Jesus. An early Roman Catholic Bishop recognised this. However, it is the image of a crucified man of this date, so therefore who might this be?
Description of the Shroud: It is a long length of cloth that comprises of an unusual herringbone flaxen twill fabric. The threads were bleached prior to weaving and hand spun. It is 14 feet 3 inches in length and 3 feet 7 inches wide. It has no mildew despite being in damp conditions for centuries. It has no brush strokes, no pigments or dyes. It shows two full length images, one of the front and one of the back of a naked and bearded man, with a moustache and shoulder length hair. It shows the body bore lacerations that are consistent with flogging. There are small puncture holes in the forehead consistent with a crown of thorns having been placed there. Also shown is a knife wound to his side. His wrists, and his feet are pierced in a way that is consistent with Roman crucifixion. He has his hands folded over his groin. Many measurements have been taken of the subject and some researchers have stated his strange physicality is that of a man who has also been, not only crucified, but wracked.
First report of a shroud: It is stated in St. John’s Gospel Ch. 20: v 5-7 that after Jesus had died and was removed from the cross, he was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In those days, the nearest relative was responsible for a deceased body. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, presumably to wash and anoint the body with herbs and spices as would also have been her responsibility as his nearest relative. She described the tomb as empty and saw a folded cloth, used to wrap the body - but the corpse of Jesus was not there. Mary saw a man whom she thought was the gardener, but this transpired to be Jesus risen from the dead.
Reports of images on cloths: In the year 544, there was a description of a facial image upon a cloth in Edessa, Mesopotamia. Ian Wilson, an author and researcher, believes this was the earliest mention of the Turin Shroud which was folded to only allow the facial image to show. On 16th August 944, Romanus Lacapenus attacked Edessa and took all valuables to Constantinople. In 1204, when the Crusaders sacked Constantinople, they would have taken relics into their possession. Templar Knights were very eager to provide pilgrimage relics for the massive cathedrals that were being built. The next date of the Shroud is when it is displayed in Lirey, Troyes, by the widow of Geoffrey of Charnay who was the nephew of Geoffrey of Charnay, Knight, who was burnt at the stake alongside Jacques de Molay!
First report of a shroud: It is stated in St. John’s Gospel Ch. 20: v 5-7 that after Jesus had died and was removed from the cross, he was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In those days, the nearest relative was responsible for a deceased body. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, presumably to wash and anoint the body with herbs and spices as would also have been her responsibility as his nearest relative. She described the tomb as empty and saw a folded cloth, used to wrap the body - but the corpse of Jesus was not there. Mary saw a man whom she thought was the gardener, but this transpired to be Jesus risen from the dead.
Reports of images on cloths: In the year 544, there was a description of a facial image upon a cloth in Edessa, Mesopotamia. Ian Wilson, an author and researcher, believes this was the earliest mention of the Turin Shroud which was folded to only allow the facial image to show. On 16th August 944, Romanus Lacapenus attacked Edessa and took all valuables to Constantinople. In 1204, when the Crusaders sacked Constantinople, they would have taken relics into their possession. Templar Knights were very eager to provide pilgrimage relics for the massive cathedrals that were being built. The next date of the Shroud is when it is displayed in Lirey, Troyes, by the widow of Geoffrey of Charnay who was the nephew of Geoffrey of Charnay, Knight, who was burnt at the stake alongside Jacques de Molay!
Whose face is it? Could it be Jesus? He looks older than in his 30s. Could it be Jacques de Molay? Yes, he was u shaven. Could it be Leonardo? Yes, he was unshaven also. Why was this photo created? In greatest need was the Roman Catholic Church who were desperate for relics for cathedrals but had not received any for a very long time. Could Leonardo played a prank on the church by producing a scam relic?
A Templar story related to me: The crusaders brought to Europe many valuable wisdoms from the Arabs, for instance, Latin numerals were replaced with Arabic numerals, with the added Zero that was previously unknown in Europe. The Arabs were very advanced in chemistry and all the requirements for early photography were known to them. In the cathedral building times, the Roman Catholic Church were fraudulently obtaining relics which took money from poor pilgrims to build cathedrals and maintain the clergy in a rich lifestyle. When the Knights Templar were no longer achieving success in the Holy Land, they had no access to these highly prized items. The Church especially desired the folded shroud mentioned in John's Gospel. It was the cloth of his resurrection and would have been extremely powerful. When the Templars were arrested as heretics, their torturers decided to create a shroud relic and used the crucifixion of the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay himself who had already withstood huge assaults whilst under interrogation. If the image was Jacques de Molay, he did not die under crucifixion but lived to be burnt at the stake. The cup used at the last supper was a similarly powerful relic wherein wine was turned to the blood of the saviour. A long discussion with the storyteller followed this strange story but The Hiram Key by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas also describes the Shroud of Turin as being the image of Jacques de Molay.
Any Evidence: As it was suggested that the torture of Jacques included
crucifixion, and the Shroud of Turin was a photograph of his living body after crucifixion. The image upon
the shroud looks very much like a portrait of Jacques seen on mediaeval
wood cuts, and many think that the shroud is the earliest known
photograph. The Templars spent long periods in the Muslim world, and the
Muslims invented photography in the eleventh century. Jacques (James) of Molay and
Geoffroi de Charnay were imprisoned together and eventually burned alive
together on 18th March 1314 on an island, Isle de la Cite, in the Seine River in
Paris, outside Notre Dame, one of the Templar's own churches.
Recent reports: In 2009, the Vatican produced, alongside the Chinon Parchment, the testimony of a young French knight who entered the Order in 1287 and was taken to a secret location for initiation and showed a linen cloth which he kissed three times. Could this have been the cloth used as a relic for initiation? This cloth, known as the Shroud of Turin, is now housed in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in the town of Turin, Italy.
Recent reports: In 2009, the Vatican produced, alongside the Chinon Parchment, the testimony of a young French knight who entered the Order in 1287 and was taken to a secret location for initiation and showed a linen cloth which he kissed three times. Could this have been the cloth used as a relic for initiation? This cloth, known as the Shroud of Turin, is now housed in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in the town of Turin, Italy.
In scientific tests conducted on the Shroud in July 2017, Elvin Carlino, of the Institute of Crystallography in Bari, Italy, noted there are present nano particles of blood that are not seen in normal blood and demonstrate 'great suffering'. Professor Guilin Fanti, of Padua University, stated these nanoparticles showed suffering 'to the point of death'. The blood analysis is said to be type AB.
Documented sightings: The Templar Knights were once an exceedingly wealthy military order and King Philip the Fair (along with many others), owed them a very large sum of money. After a number of failures to restore Jerusalem to Christendom, and without pilgrimage funds, the Grand Master was trying to raise money for a new Crusade, and may have approached a number of their debtors. Philip drew up charges against the Order in 1307 and insisted the puppet Pope Clement V condemned, arrested and endorsed their torture. The Grand Master, and his closest associate, Geoffrey de Charnay, were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and accused of heresy and a number of other grievous offences. Both men signed confessions under torture and then retracted them after the torture had discontinued.
Within 40 years of the death of Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charnay, this shroud was in the possession of the de Charnay family and was displayed at a church at Liray in France. In 1418 it was in the possession of Count Otto de la Roche and housed in Montfort Castle. Otto was married to Margaret who was the great grand-daughter of Jacques de Molay. Could it have been kept in her family? In the Musée National du Moyen Âge, in Paris, France, the coat of arms of the de Charnay family depicts the de Charnay Knight and his wife with the image of the Turin Shroud. His grandson, also named Geoffrey, died in the Battle of Poitiers and his widow is said to have sold the shroud in 1453 to Louise of Savoy. The Savoy family became custodians from that date until the twentieth century when it was given to the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Was Leonardo da Vinci involved? It has been suggested that the unusual cloth (dated to 1260-1390) presently in Turin was painted by Leonardo da Vinci at the turn of the sixteenth century, because the face on the cloth bears a striking resemblance to his self-portraits. Leonardo was friendly with the royal family of Turin and it has been said that after Leonardo saw the face on the Shroud that it influenced his own self-portraits. It has also been suggested that Leonardo experimented with early photography and that some have suggested it could be a photograph of Leonardo - but how could the torture and blood be accounted for?
Modern research: Recent dating investigations: Thousands of hours of detailed study have been put into trying to identify the date of this cloth. It is consistent with fabric found at Masada, a first century fortress near the Dead Sea, and the weaving pattern is similar to high quality, first century textiles found in Syria. Radio Carbon dating in 1988 could be skewed due to extensive handling of the cloth throughout its existence, contamination with bacteria and pollen that could have taken place, rendering this date inaccurate. It is interesting that after the fall of Rome and throughout the dark and middle ages, whenever the crucified Christ was shown pictorially that the nail wounds were shown to be placed in the palms. In reality, this would have been an unsuitable place for the nails, as the weight of the body would have caused the nails to rip through the hand. The image on the Turin Shroud shows the radius and ulna bones in the wrist were nailed to the cross to prevent tearing. Analysis in 2005 also has suggested the piece of cloth that was radio carbon dated in 1988 could have ben contaminated with repairs that took place after fire and water damage.
The jury is out!
Article by Wendy Stokes for The Spirit Guides Network.
Documented sightings: The Templar Knights were once an exceedingly wealthy military order and King Philip the Fair (along with many others), owed them a very large sum of money. After a number of failures to restore Jerusalem to Christendom, and without pilgrimage funds, the Grand Master was trying to raise money for a new Crusade, and may have approached a number of their debtors. Philip drew up charges against the Order in 1307 and insisted the puppet Pope Clement V condemned, arrested and endorsed their torture. The Grand Master, and his closest associate, Geoffrey de Charnay, were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and accused of heresy and a number of other grievous offences. Both men signed confessions under torture and then retracted them after the torture had discontinued.
Within 40 years of the death of Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charnay, this shroud was in the possession of the de Charnay family and was displayed at a church at Liray in France. In 1418 it was in the possession of Count Otto de la Roche and housed in Montfort Castle. Otto was married to Margaret who was the great grand-daughter of Jacques de Molay. Could it have been kept in her family? In the Musée National du Moyen Âge, in Paris, France, the coat of arms of the de Charnay family depicts the de Charnay Knight and his wife with the image of the Turin Shroud. His grandson, also named Geoffrey, died in the Battle of Poitiers and his widow is said to have sold the shroud in 1453 to Louise of Savoy. The Savoy family became custodians from that date until the twentieth century when it was given to the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Was Leonardo da Vinci involved? It has been suggested that the unusual cloth (dated to 1260-1390) presently in Turin was painted by Leonardo da Vinci at the turn of the sixteenth century, because the face on the cloth bears a striking resemblance to his self-portraits. Leonardo was friendly with the royal family of Turin and it has been said that after Leonardo saw the face on the Shroud that it influenced his own self-portraits. It has also been suggested that Leonardo experimented with early photography and that some have suggested it could be a photograph of Leonardo - but how could the torture and blood be accounted for?
Modern research: Recent dating investigations: Thousands of hours of detailed study have been put into trying to identify the date of this cloth. It is consistent with fabric found at Masada, a first century fortress near the Dead Sea, and the weaving pattern is similar to high quality, first century textiles found in Syria. Radio Carbon dating in 1988 could be skewed due to extensive handling of the cloth throughout its existence, contamination with bacteria and pollen that could have taken place, rendering this date inaccurate. It is interesting that after the fall of Rome and throughout the dark and middle ages, whenever the crucified Christ was shown pictorially that the nail wounds were shown to be placed in the palms. In reality, this would have been an unsuitable place for the nails, as the weight of the body would have caused the nails to rip through the hand. The image on the Turin Shroud shows the radius and ulna bones in the wrist were nailed to the cross to prevent tearing. Analysis in 2005 also has suggested the piece of cloth that was radio carbon dated in 1988 could have ben contaminated with repairs that took place after fire and water damage.
The jury is out!
Further reading: https://www.shroud.com/pdfs/kearse.pdf
Article by Wendy Stokes for The Spirit Guides Network.
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