Lawren Szilagy

Mr. Clark
English 12: Honors British Literature
23 February 2018
Research Paper

The Shroud of Turin

-History of the relic, discussing its importance in the life of the Church
and the stories associated with it:
-Secured in a vault in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, the
Shroud is believed by millions to be the burial cloth of Jesus. It is a fine linen
cloth, measuring 14.5 feet by 3.5 feet, and mysteriously displays a finely
detailed negative photographic image — front and back, head to toe, of an
anatomically correct man who appears to have been tortured, beaten, and
crucified. Note that, in their accounts of Christ’s suffering and death on the
cross, all four Gospels mention a “fine linen cloth.”--
https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/04/shroud-turin-jesus-christ-blood-
relic-sudarium-oviedo/
Quotes:

According to

http://www.sindone.org/the_holy_shroud__english_/the_shroud/00024133_What_it_is.html, the

shroud “measures 442 cm long by 113 cm high plus a 8 cm strip sewed lengthwise. On the tissue

there is a faint impression of an image, the frontal and dorsal one of a man who suffered the

death of crucifixion.”

The Church has made efforts to preserve the Shroud. For example, the Shroud is allowed to be

viewed very rarely. The last time it had an exhibition was 2010 and the next time it will have an

exhibition is 2025

The preservation has definitely had its tribulations, however. In 1532, a fire started in the Sainte

Chapelle of the Chambéry Castle, causing the metal reliquary the shroud was kept in to melt and

damage the shroud by burning holes into it

(http://www.sindone.org/the_holy_shroud__english_/the_shroud/00024133_What_it_is.htm) .

The Shroud was later repaired in 1534 with linen patches. Another fire broke out in 1997 where

the Shroud was in Turin, but luckily someone broke the glass reliquary where it was and saved it

from perishing in the flames. Today, the Shroud has a conservation system. It is laid flat, “in a

watertight full of inert gases reliquary,” that was built in 2000. It has protection from fire and

mechanic harm, provisions to regulate the reliquary’s atmosphere to perfect conditions, and “a

computerized system constantly regulates and checks the most important reliquary and Chapel

parameters on temperature, pressure, humidity, inner gas composition, etc,” (same source as

above). During public expositions, however, the Shroud is in a different reliquary that is made of

bullet-proof glass.

Relics: What’s the Big Deal?

-What Christian relics and relics of other faiths are:
 Scripture favorably describes and nowhere forbids the venerating of relics. Since the early
days of the Church the remains of martyrs and holy persons have been called relics, from
the Latin reliquiae, meaning “remains.”
o http://legatus.org/what-are-relics-and-why-are-they-important/
 “A relic is a piece of the body of a saint, an item owned or used by the saint, or an object
which has been touched to the tomb of a saint.”
 Three classes of sacred relics:
o First: part of the saints body

Ex: Pieces of bone or flesh
o Second: piece of the saints clothing or something used by the saint
Ex: shirt or book
o Third: object which has been touched to a first-class relic
 https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-
contributions/church-teaching-on-relics.html

 Scripture teaches that God acts through relics, especially in terms of healing.
o When the corpse of a man was touched to the bones of the prophet Elisha the man
came back to life and rose to his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21).
o When handkerchiefs or aprons that had been touched to Paul were applied to the
sick, the people were healed and evil spirits were driven out of them (Acts 19:11-12).
  the cause of the healing is God; the relics are a means through which He acts.
o http://mariagoretti.com/about-relics/

Today scientists have concluded, this image was produced by intense ultra-violet radiation,
gamma rays and with evidence of X-rays. And the radiation had to come from within. Had to
come from the body. This is why I believe it is the image of the crucified Jesus.--
http://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/dr-bill-stiles-the-shroud-of-turin-the-burial-
cloth/article_d66fbc84-d5f5-11e7-8936-572465bd99c8.html

-Why the Church cared and continues to care about relics:

-A distinctive sign of a growing Christian community in late antiquity was the presence of
shrines and relics
o http://legatus.org/what-are-relics-and-why-are-they-important/

-Quotes from saints of the Church throughout history concerning their

perspective on the importance of relics:
1.
2.
3.

Authenticity: How Do We Know?

-Answer to how we know the relic is real or not:
-The Shroud, the most studied, analyzed, and tested religious relic in the
world, has spawned a vast, global field of scientific study, called “sindonology,”
but still baffles scientists.----
https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/04/shroud-turin-jesus-christ-blood-
relic-sudarium-oviedo/
- The Church insists that relics be authenticated in order to protect against false claims, with
evidence being sent to one of various Roman curial offices and the issuing of a certification and
stamp of authenticity.--
https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/15859/Authen
ticity-of-relics.aspx
- Throughout the Shroud of Turin’s divisive history, the Catholic Church has
refrained from taking an official position on its authenticity. Nevertheless, the
Vatican has made statements attesting to its value and arranged for a
number of public viewings. -- http://www.history.com/news/shroud-of-turin-
not-a-medieval-forgery-according-to-new-book
 Conclusion: What to Take Away from the Shroud of Turin

Thesis:
1—The Shroud of Turin is a linen burial cloth with a double body
image, bloodstains, and a faint outline of Jesus of Nazareth with the
wounds of His crucifixion, making it a relic that physically proves
Christ’s Passion and offers a three-dimensional image of Him.

2—Christian relics are a way to show reverence to and

remembrance of those martyrs and saints that came before us, as
well as a means through which God can act.

3—The Church insists that relics go through a process of

authentication in order to protect against false claims, and as the
most tested and analyzed relic, the Church has portrayed the value
of the Shroud of Turin but has not taken an official position on its
authenticity.

4—Relics are an important, real part of the Christian faith, and the
Shroud of Turin is a fascinating revelation of Christ and his Passion.

Authorities to be Quoted
1) The teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to the veneration of relics is
summed up in a decree of the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV), which enjoins
on bishops and other pastors to instruct their flocks that "the holy bodies
of holy martyrs and of others now living with Christ—which bodies were the
living members of Christ and 'the temple of the Holy Ghost' (1 Corinthians 6:19)
and which are by Him to be raised to eternal life and to be glorified are to
be venerated by the faithful, for through these [bodies] many benefits are
bestowed by God on men, so that they who affirm that veneration
and honour are not due to the relics of the saints, or that these and other sacred
monuments are uselessly honoured by the faithful, and that the places dedicated
to the memories of the saints are in vain visited with the view of obtaining their
aid, are wholly to be condemned, as the Church has already long since
condemned, and also now condemns them."
2) Saint Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles 19:11-12 “11 And God wrought special
miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick
handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went
out of them.”
3) St. Augustine writes: Thou by a vision made known to Your renowned bishop [St.
Ambrose – RdP] the spot where lay the bodies of Gervasius and Protasius, the martyrs
(whom You had in Your secret storehouse preserved uncorrupted for so many
years), whence You might at the fitting time produce them to repress the feminine but
royal fury. For when they were revealed and dug up and with due honour transferred to
the Ambrosian Basilica, not only they who were troubled with unclean spirits (the devils
confessing themselves) were healed, but a certain man also, who had been blind many
years, a well-known citizen of that city, having asked and been told the reason of the
people's tumultuous joy, rushed forth, asking his guide to lead him there. Arrived there,
he begged to be permitted to touch with his handkerchief the bier of Your saints, whose
death is precious in Your sight. When he had done this, and put it to his eyes, they were
immediately opened. Thence did the fame spread; thence did Your praises burn—shine;
thence was the mind of that enemy, though not yet enlarged to the wholeness of
believing, restrained from the fury of persecuting. [Confessions IX.7, emphasis added]
4) St. Jerome: “we do not worship the relics of the martyrs, but HONOR them in our
WORSHIP of HIM whose MARTYRS they are. We honor the servants in order that the
respect paid to them may be REFLECTED BACK TO THE LORD.”
 At least Five Reliable Sources:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/04/shroud-turin-jesus-christ-
blood-relic-sudarium-oviedo/

http://mariagoretti.com/about-relics/

https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-
contributions/church-teaching-on-relics.html

https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/1356
7/ArticleID/15859/Authenticity-of-relics.aspx

http://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/dr-bill-stiles-the-shroud-of-turin-
the-burial-cloth/article_d66fbc84-d5f5-11e7-8936-572465bd99c8.html

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12734a.htm

http://www.history.com/news/shroud-of-turin-not-a-medieval-forgery-
according-to-new-book

http://shroudencounter.com/worddocuments/Fact_Sheet.pdf

http://www.sindone.org/the_holy_shroud__english_/the_shroud/00024134_Historical_outline.ht
ml

“The Shroud.” The Holy Shroud, Diocesan Commission for the Shroud, 2014,
www.sindone.org/the_holy_shroud__english_/the_shroud/00024134_Historical_outline.html.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9163258/The-Turin-Shroud-a-timeline.html

“The Turin Shroud: a Timeline.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 24 Mar. 2012,
www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9163258/The-Turin-Shroud-a-timeline.html.

http://legatus.org/what-are-relics-and-why-are-they-important/
Kresta, Al. “What Are Relics and Why Are They Important?” Legatus, 1 Nov. 2012, legatus.org/what-are-
relics-and-why-are-they-important/.
https://aleteia.org/2016/08/01/4-quick-facts-about-the-veneration-of-relics/

Kosloski, Philip. “4 Quick Facts about the Veneration of Relics.” Aleteia, 1 Aug. 2016,
aleteia.org/2016/08/01/4-quick-facts-about-the-veneration-of-relics/.

http://mariagoretti.com/about-relics/
“About Relics.” Pilgrimage of Mercy, mariagoretti.com/about-relics/.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/04/shroud-turin-jesus-christ-blood-relic-sudarium-oviedo/

Adams, Myra. “The Shroud of Turin, Authenticated Again.” National Review, National Review, 16 Apr. 2016,
www.nationalreview.com/2016/04/shroud-turin-jesus-christ-blood-relic-sudarium-oviedo/.

http://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/dr-bill-stiles-the-shroud-of-turin-the-burial-
cloth/article_d66fbc84-d5f5-11e7-8936-572465bd99c8.html

Stiles, Bill. “DR. BILL STILES: The Shroud of Turin - the Burial Cloth of Jesus?” New Castle News, 30 Nov.
2017, www.ncnewsonline.com/news/dr-bill-stiles-the-shroud-of-turin-the-burial-cloth/article_d66fbc84-
d5f5-11e7-8936-572465bd99c8.html.

https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/15859/Auth
enticity-of-relics.aspx
Pope, Charles. “Authenticity of Relics.” OurSundayVisitor Newsweekly, 6 Aug. 2014,
www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/15859/Authenticit
y-of-relics.aspx.