Dirt #30: The evidence is overwhelming that the Turin Shroud is Jesus' burial sheet!

DIRT #30
Copyright © Stephen E. Jones[1]

This is part #30, "Other marks and images: Dirt," of my series, "The evidence is overwhelming that the Turin Shroud is Jesus' burial sheet!" For more information about this series, see the "Main index #1" and "Other marks and images #26." See also, "The Shroud of Turin: 2.6. The other marks (3): Dirt ." Emphases are mine unless otherwise indicated.

[Main index #1] [Previous: `Poker holes' #29] [Next: Flower & plant images #31]

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Other marks and images #26
4. Dirt #30

Introduction There is dirt on the nose, left knee and feet of the man on the Shroud[2].

[Above (enlarge): Bloodstained images of the feet, on the dorsal (back) side of the Shroud[3]. The dorsal image is upside down (see Shroud Scope). The man's right foot (apparent left foot because of mirror reversal)[4] is on our left. The imprint and bloodstain of His left foot is smaller due to it having not fully touched the cloth[5]. This was because it was forced over his right foot and both feet were transfixed by a single nail[6]. Then at the man's death on a cross, his legs and feet were fixed by rigor mortis in that crucifixion position[7]. There are also microscopic traces of dirt in this feet area of the Shroud, but they are not readily seen with the unaided eye (see below).]

Dirt on the nose There are traces of dirt on the tip of the nose of the man on the Shroud[8]. This and the dirt on the left knee (below) indicate that the man fell forward onto a hard, dusty surface with his hands unable to break his fall[9]. This is consistent with the Gospel accounts that Jesus went out from Jerusalem bearing his own cross (Jn 19:17), but on the way to the site of crucifixion, Golgotha (Mt 27:33; Mk 15:22; Jn 19:17) [which still exists - see 08May18], a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, was compelled by the Romans to carry Jesus' cross for Him (Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26)[10].

Dirt on the left knee The Shroudman also has traces of dirt on his left knee[11]. Experiments have shown that a right-handed man carrying a crossbeam over his shoulder, with both hands tied to it, if he stumbles, will fall on his left knee[12]. This and the dirt on his nose (above), is consistent with the man on the Shroud being Jesus, who started out carrying His cross, was unable to continue, so the Romans compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, to carry Jesus' crossbeam for him (see above). This would have been only necessary if Jesus, carrying a heavy crossbeam on His shoulders, tied to His hands, and weakened by a severe scourging (Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15) [see 15Jul13], stumbled, fell on His left knee and then face[13], and was unable to continue[14].

Dirt on the feet There are microscopic traces of dirt on the soles of the feet of the dorsal image of the man on the Shroud[15]. During STURP's 1978 investigation of the Shroud, husband and wife team Roger and Marty Gilbert discovered using reflectance spectroscopy [right[16]] that there was a markedly different light spectra in the feet area than the rest of the Shroud[17]. When STURP optical engineer Sam Pellicori examined the heel area under a microscope at 500 times magnification[18], he found there was dirt there unlike anywhere else on the Shroud[19]. It was likely transferred to the Shroud from the feet of a barefoot man[20].

In 1986 optical crystallographer Dr Joseph Kohlbeck of the Hercules Aerospace Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the assistance of Dr Riccardo Levi-Setti (1927–2018) of the University of Chicago, using a scanning ion microprobe[21], reported that dirt on a fibre from the Shroud's heel area contained travertine aragonite, a comparatively rare form of limestone[22]. And travertine aragonite is the type of the limestone in the Jerusalem rock tombs[23]! Moreover, Kohlbeck and Levi-Setti found that the spectral signature of the travertine aragonite

[Above: Dr Ricardo Levi-Setti's scanning ion microprobe comparisons of Jerusalem limestone (black) and limestone on Shroud (red)[24]. The Jerusalem limestone came from near the Damascus Gate, which is the gate closest to Golgotha[25]. The Shroud sample analysed was from the same foot area of the Shroud where Roger and Marty Gilbert had found the abovementioned dirt[26]. As can be seen above, from their spectral patterns it was clear that the Shroud and Jerusalem tomb limestone samples were a very close match[27]. Both the Shroud and the Jerusalem samples contained small amounts of iron and strontium, but no lead[28]. They would have been an even closer match but for a slight organic variation due to particles of flax which could not be separated from the Shroud's calcium[29].]

limestone dust on the heel of the man on the Shroud, very closely matched that of the samples from Jerusalem tombs (see above)[30]!

Problem for the forgery theory. (see previous three: #27, #28 and #29). The dirt on the feet is subliminal[31] (i.e. it is just above the threshold of human perception[32], so it can be seen with the unaided eye only if one knows where to look for it[41]). So it cannot reasonably be ascribed to a hypothetical artist-forger because he himself would have barely seen it, so there was no reason for him to put it there, since others viewing his work would not have seen it[34]. It was only by reflectance spectroscopy and a microscope that the dirt on the foot was identified[35]. That there are microscopic traces of limestone dust on the feet of the man on the Shroud, that limestone is the comparatively rare travertine aragonite found in Jerusalem rock tombs, and the spectral signal of the limestone on the feet of the Shroudman very closely matches that of Jerusalem tombs, is evidence that rather than being merely a painting, or a statue, the Shroud really had once wrapped the body of a scourged [15Jul13] and crucified[02Dec13] man, who had been entombed in the environs of Jerusalem[36]!

Conclusion According to the 1988 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud," 1260-1390[37], i.e. 1325 ±65 years, was "the time when the flax used to make the shroud's linen was harvested"[38]. So the hypothetical 13th-14th century forger would have had to obtain limestone dust from around Jerusalem's tombs, not knowing that it was the comparatively rare travertine aragonite limestone, since aragonite was only named in 1797[39]. Let alone him knowing that Jerusalem limestone had a very special spectral signal. The sceptical alternative that the forger obtained the Shroud as a linen sheet from Jerusalem, which just happened to have Jerusalem limestone dirt at exactly the right places on the nose, left knee and soles of the feet, is clearly effectively impossible. But then why would the forger go to so much trouble, when: 1) he applied the Jerusalem limestone dirt so faintly that his viewers could not see it; and 2) they would have been satisfied with much less:

"Also is it not rather incredible that this unknown individual [medieval forger] should have gone to so much trouble and effort to deceive in an age in which, as twentieth-century journalists have reminded us, a large proportion of the populace would have been very easily duped by a feather of the Archangel Gabriel or a phial of the last breath of St Joseph?"[40]

After all, as Oxford radiocarbon dating laboratory's Director, Professor Edward Hall (1924-2001) pointed out, all that a 13th-14th century forger would have needed to do was, `get a bit of linen, fake it up and flog [sell] it':

"There was a multi-million-pound business in making forgeries during the fourteenth century. Someone just got a bit of linen, faked it up and flogged it"[41].

So again (see #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #14, #28 & #29) the evidence is overwhelming that the 1260-1390 radiocarbon date of the Shroud was WRONG!

Continued in the next part #31 of this series.

Notes
1. This post is copyright. I grant permission to quote from any part of this post (but not the whole post), provided it includes a reference citing my name, its subject heading, its date and a hyperlink back to this page. [return]
2. Heller, J.H., 1983, "Report on the Shroud of Turin," Houghton Mifflin Co: Boston MA, p.152; Iannone, J.C., 1998, "The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence," St Pauls: Staten Island NY, pp.59, 71; Antonacci, M., 2000, "Resurrection of the Shroud: New Scientific, Medical, and Archeological Evidence," M. Evans & Co: New York NY, pp.32, 109, 120; Guerrera, V., 2001, "The Shroud of Turin: A Case for Authenticity," TAN: Rockford IL, p.65. [return]
3. Extract from Latendresse, M., 2010, "Shroud Scope: Durante 2002 Vertical," Sindonology.org. [return]
4. Bucklin, R., 1970, "The Legal and Medical Aspects of the Trial and Death of Christ," Medicine, Science and the Law, January; Wilson, I., 1979, "The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus?," [1978], Image Books: New York NY, Revised edition, p.30; Case, T.W., 1996, "The Shroud of Turin and the C-14 Dating Fiasco," White Horse Press: Cincinnati OH, p.23; Tribbe, F.C., 2006, "Portrait of Jesus: The Illustrated Story of the Shroud of Turin," Paragon House Publishers: St. Paul MN, Second edition, p.267. [return]
5. Barnes, A.S., 1934, "The Holy Shroud of Turin," Burns Oates & Washbourne: London, pp.64-65; de Wesselow, T., 2012, "The Sign: The Shroud of Turin and the Secret of the Resurrection," Viking: London, p.144. [return]
6. Bucklin, R., 1982, "The Shroud of Turin: Viewpoint of a Forensic Pathologist," Shroud Spectrum International, No. 5, December, pp.3-10; Heller, 1983, p.216. [return]
7. Wuenschel, E.A., 1954, "Self-Portrait of Christ: The Holy Shroud of Turin," Holy Shroud Guild: Esopus NY, Third printing, 1961, pp.46-47; Bucklin, 1970; Zugibe, F.T., 1988, "The Cross and the Shroud: A Medical Enquiry into the Crucifixion," [1982], Paragon House: New York NY, Revised edition, p.132; Petrosillo, O. & Marinelli, E., 1996, "The Enigma of the Shroud: A Challenge to Science," Scerri, L.J., transl., Publishers Enterprises Group: Malta, pp.166, 196; Bucklin, R., 1997, "An Autopsy on the Man of the Shroud," Third International Scientific Symposium on the Shroud of Turin, Nice, France, 12 May; Ruffin, C.B., 1999, "The Shroud of Turin: The Most Up-To-Date Analysis of All the Facts Regarding the Church's Controversial Relic," Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington IN, pp.25, 111; Antonacci, 2000, p.32; Tribbe, 2006, pp.234-235.; de Wesselow, 2012, pp.144-145. [return]
8. Bucklin, 1982; Iannone, 1998, pp.56, 59; Antonacci, 2000, p.32; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
9. Heller, 1983, p.152; Bucklin, R, 1998, "The Shroud of Turin: A Pathologist's Viewpoint," in Minor, M., Adler, A.D. & Piczek, I., eds., 2002, "The Shroud of Turin: Unraveling the Mystery: Proceedings of the 1998 Dallas Symposium," Alexander Books: Alexander NC, pp.271-279, 274; Antonacci, 2000, pp.32-33; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
10. Antonacci, 2000, p120. [return]
11. Heller, 1983, p.152; Iannone, 1998, pp.56, 59; Antonacci, 2000, p.32; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
12. Wilson, I., 1986, "The Evidence of the Shroud," Guild Publishing: London, p.22; Iannone, 1998, p.56. [return]
13. Antonacci, 2000, pp.32-33, 120; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
14. Ricci, G., "Historical, Medical and Physical Study of the Holy Shroud," in Stevenson, K.E., ed., 1977, "Proceedings of the 1977 United States Conference of Research on The Shroud of Turin," Holy Shroud Guild: Bronx NY, p.69; Stevenson, K.E. & Habermas, G.R., 1981, "Verdict on the Shroud: Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ," Servant Books: Ann Arbor MI, pp.44-45; Iannone, 1998, p.55; Ruffin, 1999, p.43; Oxley, M., 2010, "The Challenge of the Shroud: History, Science and the Shroud of Turin," AuthorHouse: Milton Keynes UK, p.165. [return]
15. Heller, 1983, pp.152, 216; Jackson, J.P., "An Unconventional Hypothesis to Explain all Image Characteristics Found on the Shroud Image," in Berard, A., ed., 1991, "History, Science, Theology and the Shroud," Symposium Proceedings, St. Louis Missouri, June 22-23, 1991, The Man in the Shroud Committee of Amarillo, Texas: Amarillo TX, pp.325-344, 328; Iannone, 1998, p.59. [return]
16. "Reflectance difference spectroscopy," Wikipedia, 16 September 2017. [return]
17. Heller, 1983, p.112; Ruffin, 1999, p.84; Wilson, I. & Schwortz, B., 2000, "The Turin Shroud: The Illustrated Evidence," Michael O'Mara Books: London, pp.92-93; Wilson, I., 2010, "The Shroud: The 2000-Year-Old Mystery Solved," Bantam Press: London, pp.65-66; Oxley, 2010, p.210. [return]
18. Maloney, P.C., 2002, "Science, Archaeology, and the Shroud of Turin," Approfondimento Sindone, 1 September. [return]
19. Heller, 1983, p.112. [return]
20. Jackson, 1991, p.328; Borkan, M., 1995, "Ecce Homo?: Science and the Authenticity of the Turin Shroud," Vertices, Duke University, Vol. X, No. 2, Winter, pp.18-51, 28; Iannone, 1998, p.59. [return]
21. Guscin, M., 1998, "The Oviedo Cloth," Lutterworth Press: Cambridge UK, p.79; Wilson, I., 1998, "The Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence that the World's Most Sacred Relic is Real," Simon & Schuster: New York NY, p.105; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
22. Guscin, 1998, p.79; Iannone, 1998, p.59; Guerrera, 2001, p.65; Wilson & Schwortz, 2000, p.93. [return]
23. Guscin, 1998, p.79; Antonacci, 2000, p.109; Guerrera, 2001, p.65. [return]
24. Kohlbeck, J.A. & Nitowski, E.L., 1986, "New evidence may explain image on Shroud of Turin," Biblical Archeological Review, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp.23-24. [return]
25. Guscin, 1998, p.79. [return]
26. Kohlbeck & Nitowski, 1986. [return]
27. Wilson, 1998, p.106. [return]
28. Wilson, 1998, p.105. [return]
29. Wilson, 1998, p.106. [return]
30. Antonacci, 2000, p.109; Wilson & Schwortz, 2000, p.93. [return]
31. Jackson, 1991, p.328; Borkan, 1995, p.28. [return]
32. Ruffin, 1999, p.84. [return]
33. Wilson & Schwortz, 2000, p.93. [return]
34. Heller, 1983, p.112; Jackson, 1991, p.328; Borkan, 1995, p.28; Guscin, 1998, p.79; Iannone, 1998, p.71. [return]
35. Guscin, 1998, p.79. [return]
36. Jackson, 1991, p.328; Wilson & Schwortz, 2000, p.93. [return]
37. Damon, P.E., et al., 1989, "Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin," Nature, Vol. 337, 16 February, pp.611-615. [return]
38. Gove, H.E., 1996, "Relic, Icon or Hoax?: Carbon Dating the Turin Shroud," Institute of Physics Publishing: Bristol UK, pp.7, 264; Hulse, T.G., 1997, "The Holy Shroud," Weidenfeld & Nicolson: London, p.28; Wilson, 1998, p.106. [return]
39. "Aragonite," Wikipedia, 29 October 2018. [return]
40. Wilson, 1998, pp.59-60). [return]
41. Sheridan, M. & Reeves, P., 1988, "Turin Shroud shown to be a fake," The Independent, 14 October, in Wilson, 1998, p.7; Oxley, 2010, p.221. [return]

Posted 27 December 2018. Updated 31 December 2023.

Chronology of the Turin Shroud: Twelfth century (2)

Chronology of the Turin Shroud: AD 30 to the present
TWELFTH CENTURY (2)
© Stephen E. Jones[1]

This is part #13, "Twelfth century (2)" of my "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: AD 30 - present" series. See also 29Mar14. For more information about this series see part #1, "1st century and Index." Emphases are mine unless otherwise indicated. As mentioned [see 29Nov18], I decided to split this my "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: Twelfth Century" (1151-1200) into two parts 1101-1151 (1) and 1152-1200 (2), and insert a summary of the c. 1151 Chartres Cathedral stained glass windows into the first part (1). An then renumber this part as #13 and increase the already posted parts #13 to #15.

[Index #1] [Previous: 12th century (1) #12] [Next: 13th century #14]

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12th century (1101-1200).

[Above (enlarge): "The Entombment" (upper) and "Visit to the Sepulchre" (lower) in the Hungarian Pray Manuscript, or Pray Codex, (1192-95)[2]. According to Wikipedia:

"The Codex Pray, Pray Codex or The Hungarian Pray Manuscript is a collection of medieval manuscripts. In 1813 it was named after György Pray, who discovered it in 1770. It is the first known example of continuous prose text in Hungarian. The Codex is kept in the National Széchényi Library of Budapest. One of the most prominent documents within the Codex (f. 154a) is the Funeral Sermon and Prayer ... It is an old handwritten Hungarian text dating to 1192-95. Its importance of the Funeral Sermon comes from that it is the oldest surviving Hungarian, and Uralic, text ... One of the five illustrations within the Codex shows the burial of Jesus. It is sometimes claimed that the display shows remarkable similarities with the Shroud of Turin: that Jesus is shown entirely naked with the arms on the pelvis, just like in the body image of the Shroud of Turin; that the thumbs on this image appear to be retracted, with only four fingers visible on each hand, thus matching detail on the Turin Shroud; that the supposed fabric shows a herringbone pattern, identical to the weaving pattern of the Shroud of Turin; and that the four tiny circles on the lower image, which appear to form a letter L, `perfectly reproduce four apparent "poker holes" on the Turin Shroud', which likewise appear to form a letter L.[3] The Codex Pray illustration may serve as evidence for the existence of the Shroud of Turin prior to 1260–1390 AD, the alleged fabrication date established in the radiocarbon 14 dating of the Shroud of Turin in 1988"[4].

See "1192" below. Also see 21Jun17; 11Apr17; 07Aug16; 07May16; 27Dec15; 11Jan10; 08Dec09; 08Oct09 & 03Apr08].

1157 Nicholas Soemundarson, the Abbot of Thingeyrar Benedictine monastery, Iceland[5], returned from a pilgrimage to Constantinople[6]. He then drew up a very detailed inventory in medieval Icelandic of the relics[7] in Constantinople he had seen[8]. In that list was the sveitakuk (sweat cloth) and the maetull (Mandylion)[9] or Shroud (see "990")[10] with the blood and body of Christ on it[11]. The reference to blood means that these were burial cloths[12].

c. 1167 This Christ Acheiropoietos (not made with hands) copy of the Mandylion/Image of Edessa (the face panel of the Shroud "four-doubled" - tetradiplon) in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (see below), is estimated to date from 1167[13]. It has, by my count, 12 out of a

[Above: Twelfth century Christ Acheiropoietos (not made with hands - see Mk 14:58; Acts 7:48, 19:26; 2Cor 5:1; Heb 9:11, 24), copy of the Mandylion/Shroud face panel) from the Assumption (Dormition) Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, now in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow[14]. This icon is closely related to the Holy Face of Laon (see below).]

possible 14 (since there is no throat for the transverse line across it - VM13 - to be depicted) Vignon markings (see above). This is one of a few Image of Edessa/Mandylion icons which contain most of the 15 Vignon markings[15] and, together with all the other evidence for it, prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Image of Edessa/Mandylion was the face panel of the tetradiplon ("four-doubled") Shroud. So this is yet more evidence that medieval artists saw the Shroud, centuries before its earliest 1260 radiocarbon date[16]!

1171 Chronicler William of Tyre (c.1130–1186), as Archbishop of Tyre[17], accompanied a state visit of King Amaury I (L. Amalric I) of Jerusalem (r. 1163-74) to Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (L. Comnenus) (r.1143-80) in Constantinople[18]. The purpose of the visit was to gather support to drive the Muslims from the Eastern part of the Byzantine Empire[19]. William recorded his party being shown "the most precious evidences of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ" including "the shroud" [sindon][20]. William did not mention an image on the shroud, but this can be explained either by him only seeing its reliquary within which was the folded cloth[21] or the light being too dim for him to distinguish the Shroud's faint image [see "Faint"] . [See also 29Mar14 & 21Jun17].

c. 1175 The Holy Face of Laon (French: "Sainte Face de Laon"[22]) is a glazed panel painted presumably at Constantinople[23] about

[Above (enlarge): "Icon of the Holy Face (Mandylion) of Laon. Purchased in 1249 in Bari (Italy) by Jacques Pantaleon, later to become Pope Urban IV"[24]. The close relationship between this icon and the Christ Acheiropoietos icon (above) is evident.]

1175[25]. In 1249, Jacques Pantaleon (1195–1264), then Archdeacon of Laon[26], and later to become Pope Urban IV (r.1261–1264)[27], gave the icon to his sister Sibylle, the abbess of a nearby convent at Montreuil-en-Thierache[28]. It is now kept in the Cathedral of Laon, Picardy, France[29]. The icon is actually a copy of the Image of Edessa or Mandylion[30], as its background has a trellis pattern[31] like other depictions of the Image. It also shows a brown monochrome, rigidly front facing, disembodied head of Jesus on cloth, strongly reminiscent of the Shroud[32]. This icon corresponds more closely to the face on the Shroud than any other[33], having 13 of the 15 Vignon markings (see above)[34]. It also bears an inscription in ancient slavonic: OBRAZ GOSPODIN NA UBRUSJE "the portrait of the Lord on the cloth"[35], which must mean that the artist worked directly from the Shroud[36], which was in Constantinople between 944 and 1204[37] [see "944b" and "1204"]. But since the Sainte Face dates from the end of the 12th century, and it is a copy of the Shroud image, then the Shroud itself must date from well before 1200[38]. This cannot be reconciled with the 1260-1390 radiocarbon dating[39]! [See 21 Jun17].

c. 1181 A champlevé enamel panel which forms part of the altar in the Klosterneuburg monastery, near Vienna, was completed no later than 1181 by Nicholas of Verdun (1130–1205)[40]. As can be seen below,

[Above (enlarge): Entombment of Jesus, c. 1181, by Nicholas of Verdun, Klosterneuburg Abbey, Vienna[41].]

Jesus is depicted being wrapped in a double body length burial shroud[42], with His hands crossed over His loins, right over left (as it appears on the Shroud), crossing awkwardly at the wrists[43], exactly as on the Shroud[44]! Yet this was at least 79 years before the earliest 1260 radiocarbon date of the Shroud! [See 21 Jun17].

1185 Establishment of a Knights Templar administrative and training preceptory in the village of Templecombe, Somerset, England[45]. While the Templars never possessed the Shroud (see above), they

[Above (enlarge)[46]: Painted face on the lid of a wooden chest found in c. 1944 wired to the ceiling of a building which had been part of a twelfth century Templar preceptory in Templecombe, Somerset, England. The face has similarities to copies of the Image of Edessa in the "Holy Face" style (see the "Holy Face of Genoa").].

owned and revered painted copies of the Image of Edessa/Shroud. Evidence of this is first, at their trial following the order's 1307 arrest (see above), one the charges brought against the Templars was that they worshipped an idol which was a head with a reddish beard[47]. And second, during World War II (c. 1944) a nearby bomb blast in the village of Templecombe, Somerset, England, dislodged a piece of plaster in the ceiling of an outbuilding which was originally part of the above Templar preceptory, and revealed to its tenant, a Mrs Molly Drew, a painted face wired to the ceiling and covered with plaster[48] (see above). Mrs Drew and the owner of the house a Mrs A. Topp, had the panel removed from the outbuilding and brought it into the house[49]. They then called in the local rector, a retired Bishop George Wright, who had it moved to his rectory and then cleaned, removing some of the original paint[50]. But fortunately Mrs Drew had taken a black and white photograph of the panel before it was cleaned[51] (see below), which showed a trellis pattern around the

[Above (enlarge): A black and white photograph of the Templecombe panel, taken by Mrs Molly Drew, before it was cleaned with loss of historical information. As can be seen, the face had a trellis pattern around it, as the Image of Edessa did (see above).]

face[52], confirming that it was a copy of the Image of Edessa/Shroud!

1187 Fall of Jerusalem. The Kurdish general, Saladin (1137–93), had succeeded in uniting the Muslims[53]. In 1169 Saladin defeated a combined Crusader-Byzantine attack on the port of Damietta, Egypt[54]. In 1174 Saladin conquered Damascus[55], and by 1183 Saladin's Muslim state surrounded the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem on its north, east, and south[56]. In 1187 at the Battle of Hattin, near Tiberias in today's Israel, the Muslim armies under Saladin decisively defeated the combined Crusader forces[57]. After a brief seige Jerusalem surrendered in 1187 to Saladin's forces, and the the loss of most of the Holy Land, including Acre on the Mediterranean coast, speedily followed[58].

1189 The Third Crusade (1189-92). The loss of Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land to the Muslims roused Europe to the Third Crusade (1189-1192) to retrieve those losses[59]. Three great armies were led by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (r. 1155–90), by King Philip II of France (r. 1179-1223), and by King Richard I of England (r. 1189-99)[60]. The Crusaders arrived in Constantinople in 1189, where they were warned in a note from Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem (r. 1186–1190) of a secret alliance between Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos (r. 1185–95, 1203–04) and Saladin[61]. This would have further added to the bitterness felt in the West towards the Byzantine Empire following its lack of support in the Second Crusade (see above ), and further helps to explain the 1204 Sack of Constantinople by Western forces on their way to the Fourth Crusade [see "1204"], especially since it was the same Emperor! But Frederick was accidentally drowned in 1190 while crossing a river in Cilicia, plunging his army into chaos, with only a small fraction of the original force reaching Acre[62]. The death of Frederick left the Crusader armies under the command of Philip II and Richard I, who were rivals in Europe, and this led to the Third Crusade's subsequent failure[63]. In 1191 Richard captured Cyprus from Isaac Komnenos (c.1155–1196)[64]. Richard used the island as a supply base that was relatively safe from the Saracens[65]. In 1992 Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar, who in turn sold it that year to Guy of Lusignan (c.1150–1194), king of the crusader state of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 through his marriage in 1180 to Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem[66]. His brother and successor Aimery (1155-1205) was recognised as King of Cyprus by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (1191–1197)[67]. Anne de Lusignan (1418–62), wife of Duke Louis I of Savoy (1413–65), owner of the Shroud, was a direct descendant of Aimery, King of Cyprus[68]. Richard's forces helped recover Acre[69] and established Mediterranean coastal crusader states[70], but Philip and his army returned to France[71], leaving Richard's forces alone unable to retake Jerusalem[72]. This failure of the Third Crusade to recover Jerusalem from Muslim control led to the Fourth Crusade, which had very important consequences for the Shroud [see "1204"]!

1192-5 The Hungarian Pray Manuscript, or Codex (see above), is dated 1192-95[73]. The Codex was compiled at the ancient Benedictine monastery at Boldva, Hungary[74]. Hungary was then ruled by King Bela III (r.1172–1196), who had spent six years (1163–1169) as a young man in the imperial court at Constantinople[75]. Two pen and ink drawings[76] on one page of the Codex, one above the other (see above), document the existence of the Shroud in the late twelfth century[77]. The upper drawing is a depiction of Jesus' body being prepared for burial[78]. Correspondences between the Pray Codex and the Shroud include: 1. Jesus is nude[79]; 2. His hands are crossed awkwardly at the wrists, right over left (as it appears on the Shroud), covering His genitals[80]; 3. No thumbs are visible on Jesus' hands[81]; 4. His hands and fingers are unnaturally long[82]; 5. Jesus is about to be wrapped in a double body length shroud (see below)[83] and 6.

[Above (enlarge): Jesus is about to be wrapped in a double body length shroud (highlighted green) in the Pray Codex upper Entombment scene (see above).]

Red marks on Jesus' scalp and forehead are in the same position as the bloodstains (including the "reversed 3") on the Shroud[84]. In the lower drawing an angel is showing three women disciples Jesus' empty tomb symbolised by a sarcophagus with an open lid[85]. Correspondences between this lower drawing and the Shroud include: 7. The sarcophagus lid has a herringbone weave pattern[86]; 8. Red zigzags match the inverted V-shaped blood trickles down the Shroud man's arms[87] and 9. L-shaped patterns of tiny circles in the herringbone weave of the sarcophagus lid match the `poker holes' on the Shroud[88]. Thomas de Wesselow, an agnostic art historian[89] concludes:

"We have now identified eight [there are at least nine - see above] telling correspondences between the Shroud and the drawings on a single page of the Pray Codex ... It is inconceivable that all these detailed links with the Shroud, several of which are found nowhere else, could have occurred on a single manuscript page by chance. The only reasonable conclusion is that the artist of the Pray Codex was aware of the Shroud. The Shroud existed and was already damaged, then, by 1192-5, when the illustrations in the Pray Codex were drawn. Given the close links at the time between Hungary and Byzantium, it can hardly be doubted that the artist saw the relic in Constantinople. The Shroud was the Byzantine Sindon."![90]

On plate IV of Berkovits (1969), the same artist has shown two more telling correspondences between the Pray Codex and the Shroud: 10. the nail in the wrist of the right hand (as it appears on the Shroud)

[Above (enlarge): Extract of plate IV in Berkovits (1969), showing the nail wound in the wrist of Jesus' right hand (as it appears on the Shroud), while the nail wound in the left hand (which is covered on the Shroud) is traditionally in the palm. This shows the artist knew the traditional view but deliberately chose to depict the nail in Jesus' right wrist because that is what he saw on the Shroud! Also note that the fingers of Jesus' right hand are unnaturally long, and the rest of that hand is unnaturally short, as it is on the Shroud because the latter are xray images of the Shroud man's finger and hand bones! See "X-Raya #22".]

of the resurrected and enthroned Jesus[91]; and 11. The angel is holding Jesus' cross with three nails[92], matching the three nail wounds on the Shroud[93].

Because of these, not eight, but eleven telling correspondences with the Shroud, the Pray Codex is the final nail in the coffin of the 1260-1390 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud[94]. That is because, being the sindon of Constantinople [see "1204"] [95], the Shroud arrived there in 944 [see "944b"] from Edessa where it had been since 544 [see "544"][96], which makes the Shroud more than seven centuries older than the earliest 1260 radiocarbon date!

Continued in the next part #14 of this series.

Notes
1. This post is copyright. I grant permission to quote from any part of this post (but not the whole post), provided it includes a reference citing my name, its subject heading, its date, and a hyperlink back to this page.[return]
2. Berkovits, I., 1969, "Illuminated Manuscripts in Hungary, XI-XVI Centuries," Horn, Z., translated, West, A., revised., Irish University Press: Shannon, Ireland, pl. III. [return]
3. Scavone, D.C., 1996, "Book Review of "The Turin Shroud: In Whose Image?," Shroud.com. [return]
4. "Pray Codex," Wikipedia, 12 April 2017. [return]
5. Barnes, A.S., 1934, "The Holy Shroud of Turin," Burns Oates & Washbourne: London, p.53; Ricci, G., 1981, "The Holy Shroud," Center for the Study of the Passion of Christ and the Holy Shroud: Milwaukee WI, p.xxxv. [return]
6. Heller, J.H., 1983, "Report on the Shroud of Turin," Houghton Mifflin Co: Boston MA, 1983, p.72; Ruffin, C.B., 1999, "The Shroud of Turin: The Most Up-To-Date Analysis of All the Facts Regarding the Church's Controversial Relic," Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington IN, p.58. [return]
7. Heller, 1983, p.72; Scavone, D.C., "The Shroud of Turin in Constantinople: The Documentary Evidence," in Sutton, R.F., Jr., 1989a, "Daidalikon: Studies in Memory of Raymond V Schoder," Bolchazy Carducci Publishers: Wauconda IL, pp.311-329, 320. [return]
8. Iannone, J.C., 1998, "The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence," St Pauls: Staten Island NY, p.120; Ruffin, 1999, p.58. [return]
9. Wilson, I., 1979, "The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus?," [1978], Image Books: New York NY, Revised edition, p.167; Iannone, 1998, p.120; Wilson, I., 2010, "The Shroud: The 2000-Year-Old Mystery Solved," Bantam Press: London, p.184. [return]
10. Hynek, R.W., 1951, "The True Likeness," [1946], Sheed & Ward: London, p.8; Ricci, 1981, p.xxxv; Heller, 1983, p.73; Ruffin, 1999, p.58. [return]
11. Barnes, 1934, p.53; Ricci, 1981, p.xxxv; Heller, 1983, p.73; Scavone, 1989a, p.320; Ruffin, 1999, p.58. [return]
12. Scavone, 1989a, p.320. [return]
13. de Riedmatten, P., 2008, "The Holy Face of Laon," BSTS Newsletter, No. 68, December, p.7. [return]
14. "File:Christos Acheiropoietos.jpg," Wikipedia, 24 August 2005. [return]
15. de Riedmatten, 2008, p.7. [return]
16. Wilson, I., 1998, "The Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence that the World's Most Sacred Relic is Real," Simon & Schuster: New York NY, p.141. [return]
17. "William of Tyre," Wikipedia, 21 September 2017. [return]
18. Barnes, 1934, p.53; Bulst, W., 1957, "The Shroud of Turin," McKenna, S. & Galvin, J.J., transl., Bruce Publishing Co: Milwaukee WI, p.8; Wilson, 1979, p.165; Iannone, 1998, pp.120-121; Wilson, 1998, p.271; Guerrera, V., 2001, "The Shroud of Turin: A Case for Authenticity," TAN: Rockford IL, p.6; Tribbe, F.C., 2006, "Portrait of Jesus: The Illustrated Story of the Shroud of Turin," Paragon House Publishers: St. Paul MN, Second edition, p.25; de Wesselow, T., 2012, "The Sign: The Shroud of Turin and the Secret of the Resurrection," Viking: London, p.177. [return]
19. Iannone, 1998, pp.120-121. [return]
20. Barnes, 1934, p.53; Hynek, 1951, p.8; Wilson, 1979, pp.165-166; Scavone, D.C., 1989b, "The Shroud of Turin: Opposing Viewpoints," Greenhaven Press: San Diego CA, p.321; Iannone, 1998, p.121; Wilson, 1998, p.271; Tribbe, 2006, p.25; de Wesselow, 2012, p.177. [return]
21. Bulst, 1957, p.8. [return]
22. Currer-Briggs, N., 1984, "The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Christ: The Quest Renewed," ARA Publications: Maulden UK, p.158; Currer-Briggs, N., 1988a, "The Shroud and the Grail: A Modern Quest for the True Grail," St. Martin's Press: New York NY, p.45. [return]
23. Wuenschel, E.A., 1954, "Self-Portrait of Christ: The Holy Shroud of Turin," Holy Shroud Guild: Esopus NY, Third printing, 1961, pp.58-59. [return]
24. "File:Icône Sainte Face Laon 150808.jpg, Wikimedia Commons, 13 September 2008. Translated from French by Google. [return]
25. de Riedmatten, 2008, p.7. [return]
26. Currer-Briggs, 1984, p.21. [return]
27. "Pope Urban IV," Wikipedia, 30 September 2017. [return]
28. Currer-Briggs, 1988a, p.45; Wilson, 1991, pp.47, 78. [return]
29. Wilson, 1986, p.110F. [return]
30. Wilson, 1991, p.78. [return]
31. Currer-Briggs, 1984, p.60; Currer-Briggs, 1988a, p.158; Wilson, I., 1991, "Holy Faces, Secret Places: The Quest for Jesus' True Likeness," Doubleday: London, p.136; Antonacci, M., 2000, "Resurrection of the Shroud: New Scientific, Medical, and Archeological Evidence," M. Evans & Co: New York NY, p.131. [return]
32. Wilson, 1979, pp.114-115; Wilson, 1998, pp.150-151. [return]
33. Currer-Briggs, N., 1995, "Shroud Mafia: The Creation of a Relic?," Book Guild: Sussex UK, p.56. [return]
34. Currer-Briggs, 1988a, p.58. [return]
35. Wilcox, 1977, p.97; Wilson, I., 1983, "Some Recent Society Meetings," BSTS Newsletter, No. 6, September/December, p.13; Currer-Briggs, 1984, p.21; Currer-Briggs, 1988a, p.157; Currer-Briggs, N., 1988b, "Dating the Shroud - A Personal View," BSTS Newsletter No. 20, October, pp.16-17; Wilson, 1991, p.47; Currer-Briggs, 1995, p.205; Oxley, M., 2010, "The Challenge of the Shroud: History, Science and the Shroud of Turin," AuthorHouse: Milton Keynes UK, p.108. [return]
36. Wuenschel, 1954, pp.58-59; Currer-Briggs, 1988a, p.158; Oxley, 2010, p.108. [return]
37. Wilson, 1991, p.78. [return]
38. Currer-Briggs, 1995, p.56. [return]
39. Currer-Briggs, 1995, pp.56-57]. [return]
40. Wilson, I., 2008, "II: Nicholas of Verdun: Scene of the Entombment, from the Verdun altar in the monastery of Klosterneuburg, near Vienna," British Society for the Turin Shroud Newsletter, No. 67, June; Wilson, 2010, p.182. [return]
41. Wilson, 2008. [return]
42. Wilson, 2008. [return]
43. Wilson, 1979, p.160. [return]
44. Wilson, 2008; Wilson, 2010, pp.182-183. [return]
45. "Templecombe Preceptory," Wikipedia,15 August 2017. [return]
46. Wilson, I. & Schwortz, B., 2000, "The Turin Shroud: The Illustrated Evidence," Michael O'Mara Books: London, p.116. [return]
47. Scavone, D.C., "The History of the Turin Shroud to the 14th C.," in Berard, A., ed., 1991, "History, Science, Theology and the Shroud," Symposium Proceedings, St. Louis Missouri, June 22-23, 1991, The Man in the Shroud Committee of Amarillo, Texas: Amarillo TX, pp.171-204, 197. [return]
48. Morgan, R., 1987a, "Was the Holy Shroud in England?," Shroud News No. 42, August, pp.3-17, 5; Morgan, R., 1987b, "The Templecombe Panel Painting," BSTS Newsletter, No. 17, September, pp.3-11, 4. [return]
49. Morgan, 1987a, p.6; Morgan, 1987b, pp.6-7. [return]
50. Morgan, 1987a, p.6; Morgan, 1987b, p.7. [return]
51. Morgan, 1987a, p.13; Morgan, 1987b, p.8. [return]
52. Wilson, 1987, "Templecombe Panel-Painting Carbon Dated," BSTS Newsletter, No. 16, May, pp.3-5, 4-5. [return]
53. Latourette, K.S., 1953, "A History of Christianity: Volume 1: to A.D. 1500," Harper & Row: New York NY, Reprinted, 1975, p.411; Walker, W., 1959, "A History of the Christian Church," [1918], T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Revised, Reprinted, 1963, p.222. [return]
54. "Saladin: Vizier of Egypt," Wikipedia, 8 August 2017; "Damietta: History," Wikipedia, 11 September 2017. [return]
55. Walker, 1959, p.222; "Saladin: Conquest of Damascus," Wikipedia, 8 August 2017. [return]
56. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.222. [return]
57. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.222; "Battle of Hattin," Wikipedia, 13 October 2017. [return]
58. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.222; "Siege of Jerusalem (1187)," Wikipedia, 10 October 2017. [return]
59. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.222; "Siege of Jerusalem (1187): Aftermath," Wikipedia, 10 October 2017. [return]
60. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.222; "Third Crusade," Wikipedia, 14 October 2017. [return]
61. "Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor: Third Crusade and death," Wikipedia, 11 October 2017. [return]
62. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.223; "Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor: Third Crusade and death," Wikipedia, 11 October 2017. [return]
63. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.223; "Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor: Third Crusade and death," Wikipedia, 11 October 2017. [return]
64. "Cyprus: Middle Ages," Wikipedia, 30 October 2018. [return]
65. Ibid. [return]
66. Ibid. [return]
67. Ibid. [return]
68. Jones, S.E., 2016, "Savoy Family Tree," Ancestry.com.au (members only); Oxley, 2010, p.68. [return]
69. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.223; "Richard I of England: In the Holy Land," Wikipedia, 16 October 2017. [return]
70. "Third Crusade: Aftermath," Wikipedia, 13 November 2017. [return]
71. Latourette, 1953, p.411; Walker, 1959, p.223; "Philip II of France: Third Crusade," Wikipedia, 8 October 2017. [return]
72. Walker, 1959, p.223; "Richard I of England: In the Holy Land," Wikipedia, 16 October 2017; "Third Crusade: Advances on Jerusalem, regicide, and negotiations," Wikipedia, 14 October 2017. [return]
73. Berkovits, 1969, p.19. [return]
74. Berkovits, 1969, p.19. [return]
75. de Wesselow, 2012, p.178. [return]
76. Wilson, 1991, p.150; Guerrera, 2001, p.104. [return]
77. de Wesselow, 2012, p.178. [return]
78. de Wesselow, 2012, p.178. [return]
79. Petrosillo, O. & Marinelli, E., 1996, "The Enigma of the Shroud: A Challenge to Science," Scerri, L.J., transl., Publishers Enterprises Group: Malta, p.163; Iannone, 1998, p.155; Wilson, 1998, p.146; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Oxley, 2010, p.37; Wilson, 2010, p.183; de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
80. Petrosillo & Marinelli, 1996, p.163; Iannone, 1998, p.155; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Whiting, B., 2006, "The Shroud Story," Harbour Publishing: Strathfield NSW, Australia, p.91; Wilson, 2010, p.183; de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
81. Petrosillo & Marinelli, 1996, p.163; Iannone, 1998, p.155; Wilson, 1998, p.146; Ruffin, 1999, pp.59-60; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Whiting, 2006, p.91; Oxley, 2010, p.37; Wilson, 2010, p.183; de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
82. Petrosillo & Marinelli, 1996, p.163; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Whiting, 2006, p.91. [return]
83. Guerrera, 2001, p.105. [return]
84. Wilson, 1998, p.146; Ruffin, 1999, p.60; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Oxley, 2010, p.38; Wilson, 2010, p.183; de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
85. de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
86. Iannone, 1998, p.155; Ruffin, 1999, p.60; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Oxley, 2010, p.38; de Wesselow, 2012, p.179. [return]
87. Maloney, P.C., "Researching the Shroud of Turin: 1898 to the Present: A Brief Survey of Findings and Views," in Minor, M., Adler, A.D. & Piczek, I., eds., 2002, "The Shroud of Turin: Unraveling the Mystery: Proceedings of the 1998 Dallas Symposium," Alexander Books: Alexander NC, pp.16-47, 33. [return]
88. Petrosillo & Marinelli, 1996, p.164; Iannone, 1998, pp.154-155; Wilson, 1998, p.146; Ruffin, 1999, p.60; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Whiting, 2006, p.91; Oxley, 2010, p.38; de Wesselow, 2012, p.180. [return]
89. de Wesselow, 2012, p.192. [return]
90. de Wesselow, 2012, p.180. [return]
91. Wilson, I., 1995, "News From Around The World," BSTS Newsletter, No. 39, January, pp.4-13, 6; Guerrera, 2001, p.105; Oxley, 2010, p.38; Wilson, 1998, p.146. [return]
92. Wilson, 1995, p.6; Guerrera, 2001, p.105. [return]
93. Barbet, P., 1953, "A Doctor at Calvary," [1950], Earl of Wicklow, transl., Image Books: Garden City NY, Reprinted, 1963, p.85; Bulst, 1957, p.49. [return]
94. de Wesselow, 2012, p.183. [return]
95. Scavone, D.C., "Greek Epitaphoi and Other Evidence for the Shroud in Constantinople up to 1204," in Walsh, B., ed., 2000, "Proceedings of the 1999 Shroud of Turin International Research Conference, Richmond, Virginia," Magisterium Press: Glen Allen VA, pp.196-211, 197; de Wesselow, 2012, p.180. [return]
96. Oxley, 2010, p.38. [return]

Posted 20 December 2018. Updated 24 April 2024.

"Editorial and Contents," Shroud of Turin News, November 2018

Shroud of Turin News - November 2018
© Stephen E. Jones[1]

[Previous: October 2018, part #1] [Next: December 2018, part #1]

This is the November 2018 issue of my Shroud of Turin News. I have listed below linked news articles about the Shroud in November as a service to readers, without necessarily endorsing any of them.

Contents:
• "'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus' Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church," Haaretz Daily Newspaper, Ruth Schuster Nov 12, 2018. In my reply to Joe Marino who alerted me (and Ian Wilson) to this, I wrote: "As you probably already know, here are other news articles on this discovery:
"‘Face’ of Jesus Christ Uncovered in 1,500 Year Old Church in Israel," The Epoch Times, November 13, 2018, Jack Phillips; "'Jesus' face' uncovered at ancient church in the Israeli desert," Fox News, 14 November 2018, James Rogers. But it doesn't sound Shroud-like:

"In contrast to the Western image of Jesus as someone with flowing long hair and, sometimes, a beard, the Shivta painting shows him in the Eastern style with short curly hair, a long face and an elongated nose, says Maayan-Fanar." ("'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church," Haaretz Daily Newspaper, November 12, 2018, Ruth Schuster)[2].

Wilson agreed in his reply:

"For the Israelis to make the Eastern/Western distinction is plain ignorant. There are plenty of western examples of the beardless type, stretching as far west as Spain and England, all dating before the sixth century ... It’s an interesting discovery to add to my collection of examples of the beardless type, but nothing to get too excited about!"[3].

Editorial
Rex Morgan's Shroud News: My scanning and word-processing of the 118 issues of Rex Morgan's Shroud News, provided by Ian Wilson, and emailing them to Barrie Schwortz, for him to convert to PDFs and add to his online Shroud News archive, continued in November up to issue #115, September 1999. [Right (enlarge).], i.e ~97% completed. Issues in the archive are up to #110, November 1998.

Media release: In November I completed the simplified version of my media release, "Were the Turin Shroud radiocarbon dating laboratories duped by a computer hacker?", and a Microsoft Word version of it, and emailed the latter to news outlets which had in the past published favourable (or at least not unfavourable) Shroud articles. But to date I have had no response.

Posts: In November I blogged 5 new posts (latest uppermost): "Shroud-like Jesus in a stained glass window (c.1150) in Chartres Cathedral, France," - 29th; "Date index 2018: The Shroud of Turin blog," - 27th; "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: Fifteenth century (1)," - 9th; "Date index 2017: The Shroud of Turin blog," - 8th and "`Editorial and Contents,' Shroud of Turin News, October 2018," - 5th

Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud: As previewed in October's Shroud of Turin News, on 6 November I both emailed and airmailed my "Open letter to Professor Christopher Ramsey." In that letter I proved by many examples that:

"... the Shroud of Turin existed not just 65 years [Pray Codex 1195], nor only 316 years [Constantinople 944], but at least 716 years [Edessa 544] before the earliest 1260 radiocarbon date of the Shroud! Therefore, the 1260-1390 radiocarbon date of the Shroud of Turin must be wrong and cannot be salvaged." [04Oct18a]

I concluded the letter to Prof. Ramsey with:

"I therefore respectfully request that you, Professor Ramsey, commence a process of consultation with your relevant colleagues. The result of which will be a joint communication to Nature advising that the 1260-1390 date of the Shroud in its 16 February 1989 paper, "Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin," must be wrong, since it conflicts with the overwhelming weight of the historical and artistic evidence, and that therefore the paper be retracted." [04Oct18b]

But to date I have had no response, not even an acknowledgment of receipt. I emailed a covering email with a link to that post [see 05Nov18] to one of Prof. Ramsey's online email addresses, "christopher.ramsey@rlaha.ox.ac.uk," and it never bounced back. I also that day airmailed a printed copy of the blog page to Prof. Ramsay at the Oxford Radiocarbon Dating laboratory's postal address, so he must have received it by now, ~7 weeks later. I will charitably assume that Prof. Ramsay is consulting with his colleagues about requesting Nature to retract that 1989 paper.

Updates Apart from my media release above, there were no significant updates in the background of past posts in November.

Comments: There were no comments worth mentioning in November.

My radiocarbon dating hacker theory I continued blogging an October post on my hacker theory in November: my "Media release: Were the Turin Shroud radiocarbon dating laboratories duped by a computer hacker?"

My book: I continued making progress in November, writing a dot-point outline of my book, "Shroud of Turin: The Burial Sheet of Jesus!" on my smartphone using Gmail (see 09May17 and 06Jul17). The "7. History of the Shroud" chapter is becoming large (as expected for an object that is nearly 20 centuries old!), so I am faced with a decision: do I produce a thin, low cost book, that will sell many copies, but which leaves a lot out, or do a I produce a thick, comprehensive, but high cost book that might not sell many copies? Because it might be the last major Shroud book (the last two - Oxley's and Wilson's - were 8 years ago), I have decided on the second option. When I finish scanning Rex Morgan's Shroud News hopefully by late December, I will spend that time in writing my book manuscript on my word-processor.

Pageviews: At midnight on 30 November 2018, Google Analytics [Below (enlarge)] gave this blog's "Pageviews all time history" as 985,345. This compares with 823,009 from the same time in November 2017. That is 162,336 pageviews for the past 12 months, or an average of ~445 pageviews per day. At that rate (which will probably slow because of the intervening Christmas-New Year period) this blog may pass 1 million pageviews in January 2019! Google Analytics also gave the most viewed posts for the month (highest uppermost) as: "Editorial and Contents," Shroud of Turin News, October 2018," Nov 5, 2018 - 89; Re: Shroud blood ... types as AB ... aged blood always types as AB, so the significance of this ... is unclear," Mar 18, 2011 - 81; "Shroud of Turin depicts a Y-shaped cross?," Apr 6, 2014 - 81; "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: AD 30 to the present: 1st century and Index," Jul 24, 2016 - 74 and "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: Fifteenth century (1)," - Nov 9, 2018 - 71.

Notes:
1. This post is copyright. I grant permission to extract or quote from any part of it (but not the whole post), provided the extract or quote includes a reference citing my name, its title, its date, and a hyperlink back to this page. [return]
2. Jones, S.E., 2018, "Re: 'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church," Email to Joe Marino, copy to Ian Wilson, 14 November 2018, 11:20 pm. [return]
3. Wilson, I., 2018, "Re: 'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church," Email to Stephen Jones, copy to Joe Marino, 15 November 2018, 7:39 am. [return]

Posted: 18 December 2018. Updated: 6 January 2019.