Problems of the forgery theory #1: Shroud of Turin: Burial Sheet of Jesus!

© Stephen E. Jones[1]

This is the seventh (here and here) installment of "Problems of the forgery theory #1," which is based on, and will help me write, Chapter 19 of my book in progress, "Shroud of Turin: Burial Sheet of Jesus!" (see 06Jul17,

[Right (enlarge[SU91]): The planned cover of my book.]

03Jun18, 04Apr22, 13Jul22 & 8 Nov 22). Last week (9 June) I did a word count of my book in Google.docs and it was 83724 words or 101.5% of a 300-page book of 82500 words! But I have much to include in it, and therefore much to edit out. I am aiming for 360 pages, including front and back matter. See also my 2016 series, "Problems of the Turin Shroud forgery theory: Index A-F." The in-line references clutter this post, but in my book they will mostly be in the chapters referred to, will be in unobtrusive endnotes, and due to limitations on space in the book, there will be less of them. I include them here to help me write my book.

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PROBLEMS OF THE FORGERY THEORY
© Stephen E. Jones

"At first sight it would seem that the image on the shroud is ... a painting made for the purpose of a pious fraud. But when this hypothesis is examined with care, we see that it must be rejected for the following reasons: (1) As the shroud is authenticated since the fourteenth century, if the image is a faked painting, there must at this epoch have existed an artist - who has remained unknown - capable of executing a work hardly within the power of the greatest Renaissance painters" (Delage, 1902)[DY02, 72].

"Also is it not rather incredible that this unknown individual should have gone to so much trouble and effort to deceive in an age in which, as twentieth-century journalists have reminded us[SR88], 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?" (Wilson, 1998)[WI98, 59-60].

Theory That the Shroud is a 14th century or earlier forgery is only a theory[GM69, 7], not a fact. Moreover, it is a weak theory. The forger is unknown[WI79, 32; CN88, 30; DT12, 17] and therefore merely hypothetical[AF82, 70]. He would have been at least the equal of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)[CN84, 155] but the Shroud was indisputably exhibited in c. 1355[GV01, 14; OM10, 52-53; WI10, 222], which was ~98 years before Leonardo was born[RC99, 139]!

Forgery The essence of forgery is the intent to deceive[MP78, 32]. Sceptics and shroudies agree that if the Shroud is not the burial sheet of Jesus, then it is a forgery, not simply a work of art[CN84, 154-155]. The Shroud does not purport to be a depiction of Jesus' burial shroud, but to be actually Jesus' burial shroud[WI79, 210, 266]! The Shroud has no signature of an artist who created it[RC99, 161]. There is no record of the Shroud having been sold by an artist, or donated to a church[CN84, 155]. The first undisputed owners of the Shroud, Geoffroy I de Charny (c.1300-56) and his wife Jeanne de Vergy (c.1332–1428), were comparatively poor[BM95, 18; DT12, 14] and they could not have afforded to buy the Shroud for the king's ransom price it would have fetched[WI79, 87; SH81, 109].

Unknown Who was the pre-1355 artistic genius who forged the Shroud[BA34, 15; CN88, 31]? Where are the other examples of his work[GD07]? Where are the contemporary references to him and his Shroud[PM96, 15]? How could he be unknown[PM96, 15]? Medieval artists did not, like the Greek goddess Athena, spring into existence, fully-formed[ATW]. They served an apprenticeship under a master artist[LJ98; FA20]. They increasingly produced their own improving works of art, under the guidance of their master[LJ98; FA20]. Then when the apprentice artist had served his apprenticeship and had become a master, he was supported by a wealthy patron[LJ98; FA20]. Eventually the now master medieval artist established his own studio and took in his own apprentices[LJ98; FA20]. Each of these steps were public, involving a great many contemporaries. So an unknown medieval artist who created the Shroud is an unrealistic impossibility!

Why only one? If there was a multi-million-pound equivalent business in making forgeries during the 14th century[WI98, 7] then why did the forger stop at one shroud[GD07; WS00, 37]? Churches then did not care that other churches claimed to have the same relic[SH90, 77].

No consensus Sceptics claim that the Shroud was forged using different, mutually exclusive techniques[SD96]: painted (McCrone)[MW99, 122], powder rubbing (Nickell)[NJ87, 101-106], photograph (Allen)[AN98, 32-45]. They cannot all be right but they could all be wrong! What Ian Wilson (1941-) wrote over a quarter century ago is still true today:

"Indeed, if anyone had come up with a convincing solution as to how and by whom the Shroud was forged, they would inevitably have created a consensus around which everyone sceptical on the matter would rally. Yet so far this has not even begun to happen" (my emphasis)[WI98, 235].

The following are problems of the forgery theory from previous chapters. In the book these problems will be understandable to readers because they will have read the previous chapters referred to, and can refer back to them, if need be. That is not possible here, but I will try to link back to where those problems are mentioned elsewhere.

Central dilemma of the Shroud (Ch. 2). [18Jul20] The Shroud either is a forgery of Jesus burial shroud or it is Jesus' burial shroud[MP78, 23]. There is no realistic third alternative[MP78, 33; WJ63, x-xii]. This was, and is, admitted by leading Shroud sceptics Fr. Herbert Thurston (1856–1939)[TH03], Steven Schafersman (1948-)[SS82], and Joe Nickell (1944-)[NJ87, 141]. So, evidence against the Shroud being a forgery is evidence for it being Jesus’ burial sheet!

Linen cloth (Ch. 3). Fine linen Why would a medieval forger have used an expensive[DR84, 12; AM00, 98; DT12, 109] and rare[WI98, 68; DT12, 108], 4.2 by 1.1 metre (~14.5 x ~3.7 foot)[10Jul15] three-to-one herringbone twill[WI79, 68; WI98, 68; AM00, 98; WI10, 74] weave fine linen sheet on which to depict his forgery of the crucified Jesus[BW57, 29]? The Gospels only say that Jesus was buried in a “linen shroud”[Mt 27:59; Mk 15:46; Lk 23:53][SH81, 47; TF06, 64], so any sheet of linen would suffice for a medieval forger to pass off as being Jesus' burial shroud. Oxford radiocarbon dating laboratory Director Prof. Edward Hall (1924-2001) correctly stated that a medieval forger of the Shroud would have: "... just got a bit of linen, faked it up and flogged (sold) it" (my emphasis)[WI98, 7]. That is, the forger would have used the least expensive and smallest size linen cloth on which he could have depicted Jesus’ crucified body[RTB]. A ~4 metre (~14 foot) long sheet is difficult to display[RTB], so it would be a negative selling point for a forger[RTB]. And cutting a ~4 metre sheet in half lengthways would allow two ~2 metre frontal image shrouds to be forged[RTB]!

Flax The Shroud’s flax contains calcium, strontium and iron which is consistent with it having been retted in a natural body of water[HJ83, 174; WM86, 91], as was done in Antiquity (before the 5th century). But not in medieval Europe when, because of water pollution, retting of linen was done in vats of water[TF06, 64].

Yarn The Shroud's linen is comprised of variegated bands of colour, as do ancient linen cloths, but not medieval linen cloths[RR08, 18; DT12, 110]. This because each hank of ancient linen yarn was bleached separately, whereas medieval linen was bleached as the whole cloth and does not show bands of different-colored yarn in its weave as the Shroud does[RR08, 18].

To be continued in the eighth installment of this post.

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]

Bibliography
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RTB. Reference(s) to be provided.
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Posted 20 June 2024. Updated 29 June 2024.