"News and Editorial," Shroud of Turin News, April 2019

Shroud of Turin News - April 2019
© Stephen E. Jones[1]

[Previous: March 2019, part #1] [Next: May-June 2019, part #1]

This is the April 2019 issue of my Shroud of Turin News. I have listed below linked news article(s) about the Shroud in April as a service to readers, without necessarily endorsing any of them. I will comment on some of them in future installments.

---

I received an email today (24May19) from Joe Marino, which began:

"... https://sindone.it/museo/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Radiodatazione-Sindone-_-Nota-su-art-Catholic-herald.pdf Note on the radiocarbon age of the Turin Shroud and on recent studies published in Archaeometry that will be presented on May 23, 2019 at the University of Catania The research results will be presented recently at the University of Catania on 23 May published by some scholars coordinated by Prof. Torrisi of the same University, in which it was completed a statistical analysis on the raw data of the radiocarbon age measurement carried out in 1988 on a flap taken from a corner of the Turin Shroud sheet. As is known, the three laboratories in charge of the radiocarbon measurement of 1988 obtained a dating between 1260 and 1390 AD publishing methodology and results in the authoritative scientific journal Nature (https://www.shroud.com/nature.htm). Thanks to a legal request on the right of access to administrative documents `Freedom of information act' only in 2017, 29 years after the radiocarbon measurement, it was possible to access the raw results of the measure in the possession of the British Museum. The radiocarbon raw data was found still not elaborated mathematically to obtain the average age, today analyzed by the Torrisi group with methods of statistical mathematics. The results of Torrisi's statistical analyzes have been published in the scientific journal Archaeometry (https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12467). In a nutshell, the authors conclude that the data obtained from 1988 measure are uneven to the point that they cannot be considered valid, let alone be considered `the conclusive proof that the Shroud is medieval' as recklessly stated in the article of Nature ..."

The remainder of the article can be obtained by clicking the link and running it through Google Translate, which the above evidently is from. I promised to blog about this in my post of 11Apr19 but I still haven't done it because I have had higher blog priorities. And I still have: 23 May 1989 was when Karl Koch went missing and was subsequently found dead of a murder disguised as suicide [02June16], and 6 June 1989 was when Timothy Linick was found dead of presumed suicide [22Feb16]. So I will have to blog next on those two dates in my, "On this day 30 years ago in the radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud" series [I had a gap in between them]. But I will blog on this "raw results of the measure in the possession of the British Museum" issue eventually [see 29May19], and in a sense I already have!

---

News:
• "The April Fools' Day pranks that have made history," GQ, Chris Sullivan, 1 April 2019 ...

"The most persistent of these counterfeits has been The Shroud Of Turin ... Pundits considered the cloth consigned to fakery in 2005 after Dr Jacques Costanza [sic] proved that such an impression might have been achieved in the Middle Ages by rubbing iron oxide mixed with gelatin on to cloth. Nevertheless, the argument rages to this day as die-hard disciples drowning in their own ignorance refuse to accept that it is anything but the real McCoy. An able illustration of the old adage that people will believe exactly what they want to believe totally regardless of the facts, the Shroud's enigma lives on."

Since GQ is "an international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and ... focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men," presumably this "Chris Sullivan" is the "journalist who has written for every UK style magazine that has ever been published [sic]..." If so, what are his credentials to write so authoritatively on the Shroud? Presumably NONE because it is evident that Sullivan has not read any Shroud pro-authenticist literature, otherwise he would not spout such nonsense as that Shroud pro-authenticists are "die-hard disciples drowning in their own ignorance." Indeed, the boot is well and truly on the other foot! It is Sullivan who is ignorant and who believes what he wants to, "totally regardless of the facts"!

As for "Dr Jacques Costanza," his name actually is Jacques di Costanzo,

[Right (enlarge): "Jacques di Costanzo is a Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Sciences. He is also a doctor at the University Hospital of Marseille. On the literary level, Dr. Jacques di Costanzo is the author of publications on the death of Napoleon I and the Shroud of Turin"[3].]

so Sullivan is ignorant of that also!

I blogged about di Costanzo's bas relief claim in my post of 01Nov08. Back then I was unable to find a photo of di Costanzo's `shroud' but I have now found two (see one of them below). In my post of 01Nov08 I

[Above (enlarge)[5]: di Costanzo's bas relief (left middle and lower right) and the `shroud' face that he made from that bas relief (upper right). As can be seen, it is "nowhere near the quality of the original" (see below).]

listed the following points against di Costanzo's `shroud': 1) It is only a face, not a full-length body, front and back. 2) As with Shroud anti-authenticists Picknett and Prince's criticism of McCrone's iron oxide on a linen bas-relief `Shroud' face, even though he commissioned an artist to produce it, it was "nowhere near the quality of the original"[6]; 3) It was not "the ... image of the crucified Christ" because it did not have "all the major features of the Shroud"; 4) As the French translated web page noted, "This is not a 3D image and the image of the Shroud is in 3D"; 5) di Costanzo used iron oxide in a gelatin binder, but as we saw in 21Apr19, there is no gelatin on the Shroud and the iron oxide is in fact blood! and 6) The Science & Vie article that reported di Costanzo's `shroud' remarked, "It's obviously easier to make a fake shroud than a real one," so it regarded di Costanzo's `shroud' as not "real" but a "fake."!

In my post of 01Nov08, I listed problems with claimed bas relief replications of the Shroud image: 1) A bas relief image is comprised of powder or pigment but there is no powder or pigment that comprises the image on the Shroud; 2) bas-relief `shrouds' are not true 3D, nor superficial or non-directional as the Shroud is; 3) the bas-relief technique was unknown in the 14th century; 4) A bas relief of the full-length, front and back Shroud would itself be a great masterpiece of art and should still exist; 5) there would be many Shrouds mass-produced from the same bas-relief; and 6) the anatomical accuracy of the Shroud body, wounds and blood flows are unknown in medieval bas-reliefs, carvings or sculpture.

• "Scientific photos of Shroud of Turin published," Catholic News Agency, Denver, Colorado, April 11, 2019:

"A new website aims to make available to Catholics and researchers a collection of photographs of the Shroud of Turin by a scientific photographer who was part of a research project that spent more than one hundred hours conducting tests on the shroud."

See also "Museum of the Holy Shroud to open in Shreveport," KSLA, 2 May 2019, Melissa Kakareka; "Cathedral of St. John gains incredible collection for all to see," Shreveport Times, 3 May 2019, Henrietta Wildsmith.

• "The Sudarium of Oviedo: The `Other Shroud' of Jesus," National [Above (enlarge): The Sudarium of Oviedo.]

Catholic Register, April 18, 2019, Kathy Schiffer:

"It was Jewish custom at the time of Jesus' burial to first clean and cover the face, as a sign of respect and compassion for the family. Mourners would then cover the body with fragrant herbs and wrap it in a shroud, or burial cloth. When Jesus rose from the dead, it is believed, he set aside the face cloth before emerging from the tomb. This small linen napkin, measuring approximately 2¾ feet by 1¾ feet, is called the Sudarium (Latin for `face cloth'). It was preserved from the time of the crucifixion in a reliquary; however, the two linens were separated — eventually being carried to other countries. The Sudarium made its way to the town of Oviedo, in north-central Spain, where it has been venerated for centuries ..."

"... The Sudarium has assumed importance in recent years for two reasons: Reason #1. The history of the Sudarium supports the Shroud's authenticity Unlike the Shroud (called a "sindon" in New Testament Greek), it has never been missing, so there's no question regarding its ancient origin ... the Sudarium ... is known to have been in Spain since 631 A.D. Before that it was ... hidden in a cave near the monastery of St. Mark, not far from Jerusalem. When Persian forces invaded the Byzantine provinces in 614, the oak case in which the Sudarium was kept was spirited out of Palestine through northern Africa ... into Spain ... Reason #2. There are similarities between the Shroud and the Sudarium ... the blood and lymph stains on the two cloths match — both are type AB, which was uncommon among medieval Europeans but is a common blood type in the Middle East ... Pollen residues on the Shroud and the Sudarium both provide evidence that the cloths were in the same region of Palestine. Stains on the two cloths ... match. Because of the way the Sudarium would have covered the head, there is no clear face print — but there are remarkable correlations between stains on the two cloths. The Sudarium would have been wrapped over the head of Christ while his relatives waited for permission to remove the body; and so the stains show that the body was held in a vertical position with the head dropping back. At the back of the head, the cloth shows blood from deep puncture wounds, similar to the wounds on the Shroud of Turin, which may have been made by the crown of thorns. A second, overlaying stain was produced by fluids excreted from the nostrils when the body was lain horizontally ... this second set of stains is composed of one part AB-type blood and six parts oedemal fluid. This fluid proves, according to scientists, that the victim died from asphyxiation — which is the cause of death for people who are crucified ..."

The Sudarium of Oviedo is a `two factor authentication' which proves beyond any reasonable doubt that both the Shroud and Sudarium are authentic! See 09May15 & 23Jun15. See also 24Jan17 & 27Jul17.

• "A Groundbreaking Future Exhibit About the Shroud of Turin," Townhall, Myra Kahn Adams, April 28, 2019: "Tuesday at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., the following announcement was made from the podium on behalf of a major sponsor":

"Museum of the Bible is excited to propose a groundbreaking, high-tech, innovative exhibition about the Shroud of Turin with a mission to explore its history, mysteries, facets, and themes by utilizing state-of-the-art imaginative displays." The operative phrase is "excited to propose." Henceforth, in order for the Museum to produce what would be the most creative, high-tech Shroud exhibit in the world, targeted to open in January 2021, at least $2 million must be raised."

Editorial
Posts: In April I blogged only 3 new posts (latest uppermost):
"Adler, A: Turin Shroud Encyclopedia" - 21st; "March 1989: On this day 30 years ago in the radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud" - 13th; "`News and Editorial,' Shroud of Turin News, March 2019" - 11th.

Comments: In April I deleted a comment because:

"... it is not a comment on one of MY posts, but an attempt by you to use this MY blog, as a vehicle for posting YOUR views. This is my longstanding policy. See for example my recent comment under "New tests by Prof. Giulio Fanti show the Shroud of Turin could date from the time of Christ".

Updates In April, from memory, there were no significant updates in the background of my past posts.

Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud. In April I blogged one post on this: "March 1989: On this day 30 years ago in the radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud."

My book: [see 11Apr19]. In April I continued writing Chapter 2, "A linen cloth." In early May I started Chapter 3, "The man on the Shroud." I feel like I am making slow progress, but then I am averaging about 0.6 of a chapter a month, or 7.2 chapters in 12 months. At that rate I could finish the book in 3 years! Hopefully I won't take as long as Adam Clarke (c. 1760-1832) did writing his whole Bible commentary:

"Malachi 4:6 - I have this day completed this commentary, on which I have labored above thirty years; and which, when I began, I never expected to live long enough to finish. May it be a means of securing glory to God in the highest, and peace and goodwill among men upon earth! Amen, Amen. ADAM CLARKE, Heydon Hall, Middlesex, Monday, March 28, A.D. 1825"[4].

Pageviews: At midnight on 30 April 2019 Google Analytics [Below (enlarge)] gave this blog's "Pageviews all time history" as 1,051,769. This compares with 885,877 at the same time in April 2018. That is

165,892 pageviews over the past 12 months, or an average of 165,892/365 = ~454 pageviews per day.

Google Analytics also gave the most viewed posts for the month (highest uppermost) as: "Dimensions of the Shroud: Turin Shroud Encyclopedia," 4 February 2015 - 313; "The Shroud of Turin: 3.5. The man on the Shroud and Jesus were crowned with thorns," 8 September 2013 - 216; "Were crowned with thorns #5: Bible and the Shroud: Jesus and the man on the Shroud: Shroud of Turin quotes,"19 October 2015 - 176; "The Shroud of Turin: 3.3. The man on the Shroud and Jesus were scourged," 15 July 2013 - 135 & "Re: Shroud blood ... types as AB ... aged blood always types as AB, so the significance of this ... is unclear," Mar 18, 2011 - 121.

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. "STOP PRESS – AG Opinion in Huawei v ZTE published today," The CLIP Board, 20 November 2014. [return]
3. "Jacques di Costanzo," Actu & Histoire, 2016. Translated by Google. [return]
4. Clarke A., 1826, "Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Entire Bible," Earle R., ed., Baker: Grand Rapids MI, Single Volume Edition, 1967, p.761. [return]
5. Bourdial, I., 2005, "Holy Shroud: Science blinded by passion," Science & Life, No. 1054, July. Translated by Google. [return]
6. Picknett, L. & Prince, C., 2006, "The Turin Shroud: How Da Vinci Fooled History," [1994], Touchstone: New York NY, Second edition, Reprinted, 2007, pp.74-75. [return]

Posted: 19 May 2019. Updated: 30 April 2021.