Copyright © Stephen E. Jones[1]
This is the fifth installment of #48, "Prehistory of the Shroud (5)," of my series, "The evidence is overwhelming that the Turin Shroud is Jesus' burial sheet!" This post is based on my "Chronology of the Turin Shroud: Tenth century." For more information about this "overwhelming" series, see the "Main index #1."
[Main index #1] [Previous: Prehistory of the Shroud (4) #47] [Next: Prehistory of the Shroud (6) #49]
943 In the Northern Spring of 943, Byzantine usurper Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944)[OM10, 31; WI79, 255; W198, 267] sent an army led by his best general, John Kourkouas (aka Curcuas) (bef. 915 – aft. 946)[WI79, 148; W198, 148], to Edessa to negotiate with its Muslim emir ruler for possession of the Edessa Cloth/Shroud[SD89, 84; OM10, 31], to add to his collection of Christian relics[MR90, 36; SD89, 84; DA99, 4]. In exchange for the Cloth, Kourkouas offered on behalf of the Emperor, a guarantee of perpetual immunity of Edessa from Byzantine attack, 12,000 pieces of silver and the release of 200 Muslim prisoners[MR90, 36; W198, 267-268; AM00, 130; GV01, 4; SJ01, 215; TF06, 24; WI10, 300].
944a After lengthy consultations with his superiors in Baghdad[W198, 48; AM00, 130; SJ01, 215; TF06, 24; OM10, 31; WI10,158.], in the Northern Summer of 944[TF06, 24], Edessa's emir accepts Kourkouas' terms, and Bishop Abraham of nearby Samosata[WI79, 149, 255; AM00, 130; TF06, 24; OM10, 32; WI10, 159], enters Edessa to receive the cloth, and despite the resistance of Edessa's Christians[WI79, 149-150, 255; OM10, 32; WI10, 159-160], he is satisfied that he has the
[Above (enlarge): "The surrender of the Holy Mandylion" (the Image of Edessa), one of 574 miniatures, which may be copies of earlier Byzantine images, in the 12th Century "Madrid Skylitzes," which was based on the Synopsis of Histories by John Skylitzes (c. 1040s – aft. 1101)[CFW]. The persons on the left are wearing turbans and the buildings on their side have no Christian crosses, hence they are Muslims. The buildings on the right have Christian crosses, which means that the artist depicted both the Image being handed over by muslims in Edessa and its arrival in Christian Constantinople. Note that behind the face-only Image of Edessa is depicted the full-length Shroud[WI90, 10; FM15, 54-55]! So by at least the 12th century the Image of Edessa/Mandylion was known to be the full-length Shroud[SD91, 193-194; SD06]!]
original, as well as two copies of the Image[WI79, 255; AM00, 130; TF06, 24; 39] and Abgar V's letter from Jesus (see "50" and 08Jan19)[WI79, 255; TF06, 24], the bishop travels with the Image, escorted by Kourkouas' army[W198, 148; WI10, 159] across Anatolia back to Constantinople[WI79, 149, 255; TF06, 24; 39; OM10, 32; WI10, 159].
944b On Thursday 15 August 944 the Image of Edessa/Shroud arrives in Constantinople[MW86, 92; W198, 268; GV01, 4]. It is carried in its framed portrait, fastened to a board and embellished with gold[WI79, 282; DR84, 35, 57; SD89, 84; AM00, 131], through the streets of the city amidst great celebration[SD89, 84; SD91, 194; WI10, 300]. The Image is then taken to the church of St Mary at Blachernae[W198, 148-149, 268; GV01 4-5], where it is viewed by members of the imperial family[W198, 149, 268]. Romanos I's two sons Stephen (r. 924-45) and Constantine (r. 924-45) find the face blurred and cannot distinguish its features[WI79, 116; MW86, 92; SD91, 192; W198, 268; AM00, 130; TF06, 25] (further evidence that this was the Shroud: its image is faint and difficult to see close-up[WI79, 116, 122; SD91, 192; AM00, 130!). But the legitimate Emperor, Constantine VII (r. 913-59), son of the late Emperor Leo VI (r. 886–912), is artistic and readily discerns them[WR77, 94; SD91, 192; W198, 268; TF06, 25; WI10, 300.]. The Image of Edessa/Shroud is then taken to the Imperial (Boucoleon) Palace where it is placed overnight in the Pharos chapel[W198, 149, 268].
944c The next day, Friday 16 August 944, the Image is carried around the walls of Constantinople[RTB], thereby establishing it as the city's new palladium (guarantee of a city's Divine protection)[RTB]. The Image is then taken to Constantinople's Hagia Sophia cathedral[RTB], where it is placed on the "throne of mercy"[RTB]. During that enthronement of the Image ceremony[RTB], Gregory Referendarius (overseer of relationships between the Patriarch and the Emperor[RTB]), Archdeacon of Hagia Sophia[RTB], an eyewitness of these events[RTB], delivers a sermon[RTB] in which he says that the Cloth bears not only "the sweat from the face of the ruler of life, falling like drops of blood" but also "drops from his own side ... [of] blood and water":
"This reflection, however - may everyone be inspired with the explanation - has been imprinted only by the sweat from the face of the ruler of life, falling like drops of blood, and by the finger of God. For these are indeed the beauties that have coloured the true imprint of Christ, because that from which they dripped was also embellished by drops from his own side. Both are highly instructive - blood and water there, here sweat and image. O equality of happenings, since both have their origin in the same person. The source of living water can be seen and it gives us water, showing us that the origin of the image made by sweat is in fact of the same nature as the origin of that which makes the liquid flow from the side"[RTB].By "the sweat from the face of [Christ] ... falling like drops of blood" Gregory refers to Lk 22:44:
"And being in agony he [Jesus] prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."which occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:36; Mk 14:32), before Jesus' death on the cross[RTB]. But the "drops from his own side ... [of] blood and water" refers to Jn 19:33-34 which was after Jesus' death on the cross:
"But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water."Clearly the face-only Image of Edessa does not show the blood and fluid stained spear wound in Jesus' side that is on the Shroud[RTB]. But Gregory could not have made that reference unless he had been aware of the wound in the side of the image and of bloodstains in the area of that wound[RTB], and hence knew that the Cloth was full-length rather than merely a face-cloth[RTB]. And to know that, Gregory must have seen that under the Image of Edessa face was a full-length, bloodstained, body image of Jesus[RTB]. This is a further corroboration of Ian Wilson's insight that the Image of Edessa was the Shroud ("four-doubled" - tetradiplon)[RTB]!
To be continued in the sixth installment of this post.
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]
Bibliography
AM00. Antonacci, M., 2000, "Resurrection of the Shroud: New Scientific, Medical, and Archeological Evidence," M. Evans & Co: New York NY.
BA91. Berard, A., ed., 1991, "History, Science, Theology and the Shroud," Symposium Proceedings, St. Louis Missouri, June 22-23, The Man in the Shroud Committee of Amarillo, Texas: Amarillo TX.
CFW. "Chronography of John Skylitzes, cod. Vitr. 26-2, folio 131a, Madrid National Library, in "File:Surrender of the Mandylion to the Byzantines.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, 25 February 2021.
DA99. Danin, A., Whanger, A.D., Baruch, U. & Whanger, M., 1999, "Flora of the Shroud of Turin," Missouri Botanical Garden Press: St. Louis MO.
DR84. Drews, R., 1984, "In Search of the Shroud of Turin: New Light on Its History and Origins," Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham MD.
FM15. Fanti, G. & Malfi, P., 2015, "The Shroud of Turin: First Century after Christ!," Pan Stanford: Singapore.
GV01. Guerrera, V., 2001, "The Shroud of Turin: A Case for Authenticity," TAN: Rockford IL.
MR90. Morgan, R.H., 1980, "Perpetual Miracle: Secrets of the Holy Shroud of Turin by an Eye Witness," Runciman Press: Manly NSW, Australia.
MW86. Maher, R.W., 1986, "Science, History, and the Shroud of Turin," Vantage Press: New York NY.
OM10. Oxley, M., 2010, "The Challenge of the Shroud: History, Science and the Shroud of Turin," AuthorHouse: Milton Keynes UK.
RTB. Reference(s) to be provided.
SD89. Scavone, D.C., 1989, "The Shroud of Turin: Opposing Viewpoints," Greenhaven Press: San Diego CA.
SD91. Scavone, D.C., 1991, "The History of the Turin Shroud to the 14th C.," in BA91, 171-204.
SD06. Scavone, D.C., "Underscoring the Highly Significant Historical Research of the Shroud," in TF06, xxvii.
SJ01. Segal, J.B., 2001, "Edessa: The Blessed City," [1970], Gorgias Press: Piscataway NJ, Second edition, Reprinted, 2005.
TF06. Tribbe, F.C., 2006, "Portrait of Jesus: The Illustrated Story of the Shroud of Turin," Paragon House Publishers: St. Paul MN, Second edition.
WI79. Wilson, I., 1979, "The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ?," [1978], Image Books: New York NY, Revised edition.
WI90. Wilson, I., 1990, "Correspondence," BSTS Newsletter, No. 25, April/May 1990.
WI98. Wilson, I., 1998, "The Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence that the World's Most Sacred Relic is Real," Simon & Schuster: New York NY.
WI10. Wilson, I., 2010, "The Shroud: The 2000-Year-Old Mystery Solved," Bantam Press: London.
WR77. Wilcox, R.K., 1977, "Shroud," Macmillan: New York NY.
Posted 15 September 2024. Updated 20 September 2024.