Scientists find new face on back of Turin shroud Ghostly image may be of Jesus Christ, one researcher says This photo released on Aug 24 last year by the Journal of Optics shows the new face found on the back side of the Turin shroud, as revealed by the studies of Italian scholars Giulio Fanti and Roberto Maggiolo. Updated: 3:25 p.m. ET April 15, 2004MILAN, Italy - Italian scientists have found a matching image of a man's face and possibly his hands on the back of the Turin shroud, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, one of the researchers said on Thursday. advertisement The discovery that the ghostly image on the back of the linen cloth matches the face that adorns the front is likely to reignite debate over whether the shroud is genuine or a skillful medieval fraud. “The fact that the image is two-sided makes any forgery difficult,†Professor Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua told Reuters. The findings of Fanti and Roberto Maggiolo, both from the university's department of mechanical engineering, were published this week by a journal of the Institute of Physics in London. Fanti said the discovery would support those who maintain the cloth is genuine. The shroud, one of Christianity's most sacred but most disputed relics, is a piece of linen some 4.4 meters (14 feet) long and 1.1 meters (3 feet 7 inches) wide. It first appeared in France in the 14th century and has been held in the Italian city of Turin since 1578. Debate still rages on For over 600 years the debate has raged over the origin of the image of a tall, bearded man bearing the marks of crucifixion that can be seen on the front of the shroud. Experts over the years say they have found traces of blood, pollen or soil typical of Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified. But 15 years ago three separate laboratories said carbon dating indicated the shroud was no older than the 13th or 14th century. Researchers concluded the shroud was a hoax created for the hugely profitable medieval pilgrimage business. While the front of the shroud has been studied intensively over the years, the back had remained hidden under a piece of Holland cloth which was sewn by nuns to cover up damage caused by a fire. That protective layer was removed in 2002 for restoration and the back of the cloth was photographed. The two scientists said they studied these photographs and used mathematical and optical techniques to process the images. They found that the face that can be seen on the reverse of the shroud matches that of the front. “We can detect the presence of a nose, eyes, hair, beard and moustache on the back surface that correspond in place, form, position and scale to those of the front,†Fanti said. Speculation has also grown over who created the image. One theory maintains it was the work of Leonardo da Vinci, who pioneered an early photographic technique and put his own face on the shroud. http://www.atyarragiyermisincanim.net
as far as i am concerned if carbon dating shows that the shroud is only as old as the 14th/15th century then it is definately a fake and it may aswell be just thrown away! i'm sure if you studied the patterns in that cloth long enough you could find all sorts of seemingly meaningful patterns but they are most probably just random patterns and nothing else! in fact if you study any complicated pattern you can pretty much find anything your mind wants to find. its like seeing faces in clouds. there may be a face in the cloud but that does automatically mean that there is some mystical force in action and its the face of god. its simply chaos theory and a random pattern! but thats just my point of view. who am i to say if it is the real thing or not. but one thing is for sure, we will NEVER be sure if it is the real thing or not! you will never be able to find definative proof.
The carbon dating is a proof strong enough for me. The dates don't match. Also being Italian, I have seen often the practice of saints' remains worship. Teeth, cloths, nails, hair, dried up umbelical cords, skulls and other bones once believed to have belonged to the holy body of a saint. The souveniers were often sold at the site where the saint was born or had lived and were said to protect their guardian. But soon emerged a problem, some saints have produced far too many teeth after joining the lord, and people began to become suspicious. Not all of course, only the skeptics. The faithful screemed at the miracle and belived more than ever. Back to the shroud. It brings tourism, it brings money in, it perfectly fits with some Italian tradition, but it's simply too new to have belonged to a man lived and died 2000 years ago or so. sorry