Is The Shroud Of Turin Authentic? Or, Is It Fake?
Christ Jesus lived to demonstrate that the Shroud of Turin is
a hoax, a fraud and an impostor.
The Bible states quite clearly that the body of Christ Jesus was coated with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. That He was wrapped with strips of linen cloth like a mummy. (See: John 19:38-40) And, that His head was separately covered with His own Hebrew prayer shawl (tallit). (John 20:7)
This burial preparation method was, at the time of Christ Jesus, the "custom of the Jews" mentioned in John’s Gospel. This Hebrew burial-preparation method has no similarity at all with the Shroud of Turin.
The two burial preparation methods
are so very different as to be worlds apart,
easily proving the Shroud of Turin a hoax!
Ever since the Israelites dwelled for over 400 years in Egypt, the burial "custom of the Jews" was, externally, identical to that of mummification, without any of the internal aspects.
And, at the time of Christ Jesus, following a ritual washing of the corpse...
Dead Hebrew bodies were first coated with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Then they were wrapped with long linen strips that were saturated with more myrrh and aloes.
Beginning with the extremities, each arm and leg was individually wound like a mummy. Then the entire body was wound from toes to neck, also like wrapping a mummy.
The fully wrapped body was then coated with any remaining myrrh and aloes, while the unwrapped head was simply covered (draped) with the dead Hebrew’s own prayer shawl (tallit), which was not saturated with myrrh and aloes.
Within 3 days, the mixture of myrrh and aloes dries rock-hard, like shellac, producing an exceedingly stiff and solid cocoon.
All this was the burial "custom of the Jews"
in the time of Christ Jesus.
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A CHRONOLOGY OF CHRIST JESUS' BURIAL:
- Joseph of Arimathaea's and Nicodemus' burial party (the "chevra kadisha") had to use a work-gang to remove the cross from its post-hole, use tools to remove the nails, and remove Christ Jesus' dead body from off of the cross.
- After that, the burial party had to transport Christ Jesus' dead body to a nearby grave site.
- After that, the burial party furnished water and began the required washing of the body according to Jewish law. Blood, sweat and dirt were washed off the body, showing the blood-stained, sweat-stained, "Shroud of Turin" to be faked.
- After that, the burial party furnished 100 pounds of myrrh mixed with aloes.
- After that, the burial party furnished linen cloth torn into strips.
- After that, the burial party coated Christ Jesus' entire dead body with some of the myrrh and aloes.
- After that, the burial party saturated the linen strips with more of the myrrh and aloes.
- After that, the burial party wound the saturated linen strips around the individual extremities first, then they wound the entire body up to the neck, in mummy-like fashion, with arms and hands along the sides. NOT with arms and hands crossed in front of the body, showing the Shroud of Turin to be a fraud.
- After that, the burial party applied the remaining myrrh and aloes mixture to the outside of the wrapped carcass.
- This process is "the burial custom of the Jews" referred-to in John's Gospel, and proves the "Shroud of Turin" to be a hoax.
- After that, the burial party had to place the mummy-wrapped carcass inside the tomb.
- After that, Christ Jesus' own prayer shawl (tallit) was draped over His face, what is called a "Burial Napkin", and is also "the burial custom of the Jews" referred-to in John's Gospel, and further proves the "Shroud of Turin" to be a fraud.
Now, the events listed above are found in the "Original" Scriptures, the Greek New Testament manuscripts:
See: MATTHEW 27:57-60; MARK 15:42-46; LUKE 23:50-55, & 24:12; JOHN 19:38-42, & 20:5-8
And don't forget Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, the brother of Mary and Martha:
JOHN 11:44 - The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." --- NASB
Same as Jesus, Lazarus was wrapped with wrappings (like a mummy) which required that other persons remove (cut off) the wrappings. Rather than have Lazarus, himself, cast off the burial clothes like a bed sheet (shroud) as he arose.
Since Lazarus was resurrected from the dead as a mere mortal, Lazarus had not received a glorified body and could not exit from his burial wrappings on his own. Lazarus had to be helped in order to remove his burial wrappings, and Lazarus eventually died, permanently, at a later date.
When Jesus was resurrected, it was into eternal life with a glorified body. And, just like when Jesus had miraculously appeared in the room where the Disciples were gathered (in order to show Himself to them), without being seen entering through a door or window (for Jesus was thought to have passed through a wall or through the closed door), He had exited (passed through) His own burial wrappings without the aid of another person. Exiting miraculously without having His own burial wrappings cut off, as Lazarus' were (which required having Lazarus' burial wrappings cut off and removed by others).
Also (same as Jesus), Lazarus' face was separately covered with his own prayer shawl (tallit), as a burial napkin, which was the burial custom of the Jews in that day and age.
It is shameful that there are so many "Religious" frauds and hoaxes, including duplicate or competing Christian-related artifacts, relics and shrines.
If you could gather in one place all of the pieces of wood which are "claimed" to be a part of the True Cross, you would have enough wood to completely fill several railroad freight cars. It is doubtful that there is an authentic piece of the True Cross at any of the thousands of locations which make such childish claims.
In the Cologne Cathedral, in Germany, there is a huge Roman Catholic church with a massive golden shrine inside which is "claimed" to actually contain the bodies of the original three Wise Men (3 Kings, 3 Magi). It is hard to believe that millions of the "faithful" venerate and honor those relics purported to be the three Wise Men, and that same skeptical incredulity applies to the Shroud of Turin.
Not only is it preposterous that such false "claims" are made, but it is also preposterous that far too many people who claim to be Christians so readily believe this "Religious" foolishness and are suckered into investing their faith in frauds and hoaxes by the authority of the Roman Catholic church. For if people would simply read their Bible they could easily identify "Religious" frauds and hoaxes.
It actually is a blessing that creators of "Religious" frauds and hoaxes do not bother to read the Bible, making it quite easy to expose those frauds and hoaxes which do not conform to evidence revealed by God in the Holy Scriptures.
There is no way a purported burial covering like the Shroud of Turin could qualify as Christ Jesus’ actual burial clothing.
The Shroud of Turin is more like a curtain or a double-length bed sheet, which seems to have covered a body front and rear, from head to toes, all in one piece without bindings, wrapping or winding.
And, the Shroud of Turin was never saturated with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. For had it been, it would today be as stiff, brittle and inflexible as a piece of wall paneling.
Instead, today’s Shroud of Turin is as soft and flexible as any cloth should be, and today the shroud is able to be folded and unfolded without breaking into pieces like a crisp Saltine cracker.
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When presented as the actual burial cloth of Christ Jesus,
the Shroud of Turin is easily revealed to be a hoax and a fraud.
A highly unlikely impostor,
the Shroud of Turin is nothing more than a cruel joke.
Any claim of the shroud's authenticity is deceptive to foolish pious and devout individuals who are on a transcendental quest, desperately seeking ways to physically establish contact with whatever they falsely perceive or wishfully imagine to be Holy and Divine.
This cruel joke leads many pseudo-Christians and many quasi-Christians
away from authentic spiritual contact with God,
authentic spiritual contact normally established through
God's ENTIRE Word, Witness, Testimony and Counsel...
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For ONLY those individuals who are unfamiliar with the Holy Scriptures would ever fall for such a physically dubious and Biblically ludicrous impostor as the Shroud of Turin.
