Heaven help us.
A holy war is brewing after an Italian academic released new research claiming the fabled Shroud of Turin offers proof of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion wounds — but some of his peers are saying the story’s cut from whole cloth.
The findings are making the rounds as controversy over the piece of fabric — debated to have buried with the Messiah — have recently been resurrected.
In July, University of Padua professor Giulio Fanti published a study that focused on blood stains and “scourge marks” found on the shroud that allude to Christ’s death by being nailed to a cross — a common method of execution by the Romans at his time in 33 AD.
Fanti posited that “the different directions of blood flow from the side wound are discussed, the probable presence of pulmonary fluid” and “some bloodstains” point to trauma suffered by the Savior.
The professor, said to have dedicated a quarter century to his research, told the Daily Mail that he’s not the first to make the connection.
“Geologist Amir Sandler of the Geological Survey Of Jerusalem recognized, among other things, like smectite and illite, which are typical of the Jerusalem soil as well as other material coming from the Sahara winds,'” Fanti told the outlet.
But other experts are calling the study a work of cruci-fiction, claiming the researcher is acting holier than thou.
The controversial cloth first appeared during the Renaissance period, and is considered by some to be a forgery, considering the highly precise facial print the shroud is known for seems a bit too perfect.
“If the shroud were wrapped [three dimensionally] around a body, it would leave a distorted image,” Kings College philosophy professor Dr. David Johnson told the Daily Mail.
“Not a nice neat two-dimensional ‘picture’ as if the shroud straightened and hovered over Jesus and ‘took a picture.”’
A 2018 study also supports the forgery claims, after simulated tests showed the position of Christ’s wounds was inconsistent with blood stains on the tapestry.
However, a 2022 study that took x-rays of the shroud has recently been widely circulated.
Italian scientist Liberato de Caro reportedly proved it matched a related fabric from Masada, Israel, used 20 years after Christ’s presumed death.
“The experimental results are compatible with the hypothesis that the Turin Shroud is a 2000-year-old relic,” that study said.
Until more is realized, this mystery of faith is our cross to bear.