More on the Shroud

From Turin, Italy – May 13, 2010:  Seeing the Shroud in the Cathedral at Turin was one of the most important moments in my life. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, the Shroud was restored in 2002 and controversy has raged over the results ever since.  When I came out of the darkened room, I had tears in my eyes–tears of joy, but also tears of sorrow. If you have seen pictures of the Shroud, both negative and positive images, both front and back–chances are you were looking at official photographs taken before the restoration by Barrie Schwortz, our friend and guide to the viewing. If not, take a look at Barrie’s website to see the pictures; it’s www.shroud.com. The Shroud today, post-restoration, has changed and the changes were disturbing because the cloth on exhibition was less dramatic than the photographs I’ve seen taken prior to the restoration.  As I mentioned, when the restoration took place it was performed in secret by Turin officials, with little or no input from scientists around the world who’ve spent careers researching and studying the relic. 

In a lecture earlier this evening, Barrie Schwortz dealt with concerns of those of us who had seen his pictures of the Shroud. Changes were significant. For example, prior to restoration, the cloth was straw colored. The Shroud I saw in Turin had lost that pale golden hue and looked almost gray. Barrie said perhaps that was due to the lighting–they used an LD fiberoptic lighting that seemed to tamp down the color of the cloth, and also the color of the blood. The blood used to be red and now looks dark gray. Blood is supposed to turn brown over time, however Shroud scientist Alan Adler explained years ago that torture over a long period of time would have caused blood cells to break down. That causes the liver to flood the blood with bilirubin giving the blood a permanent red color.  Because the red color of the blood on the cloth was unusual, it was partial confirmation of the Gospel testimony of the torture Jesus endured. The change in color is therefore a tragic loss of evidence.

In the restoration steam was used to clean the cloth, a process that many scientists think was incorrect. That process had the effect of smoothing many wrinkles on the Shroud that held historical significance as evidence of  its early existence. More evidence lost. In addition, the cleaning appears to have dulled the contrast of the image against the cloth. In particular, in my view, it’s much more difficult to make out the marks of the whip on the front of His body image and the blood from that scourging. And alas, the pollen and other debris on the Shroud was vacuumed off!  The effect of the vacuuming process on the pollen, and how or if it’s been stored, is unknown. 

Barrie Schwortz was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home. “Think Fiddler On The Roof,” he says, eyes twinkling. But he lost his relationship with God at the age of fourteen. When he was asked by the STRUP scientists in 1978 to become the official documentary photographer for their work in Turin, he was reluctant at first. But the “facts” fascinated him–particularly how the image could have been created. So he agreed to join the team.

It wasn’t until the mid-nineties that he found his way back to God again, he says. All that he’s learned in studying and photographing the Shroud made him realize that it is real. “The Shroud is the most important relic of Christianity,” he says.”The Shroud brings science and faith together.”

So why is a Jewish man studying the Shroud? “God doesn’t tell us in advance what the plan is,” a friend told him. “But one day you’ll know why.” Barrie now sees himself as the person who can bring all of the scientific information, photographs, and facts to people around the world who would not otherwise have access to them.  He is a messenger.Christian or Jew, or anyone else, everyone can now look at the image on the Shroud and read the facts and decide for themselves.

So Barrie now believes that God was with him all along. His eyes tear up and he struggles a bit to finish the sentence. His job is to deliver the message. This is the path that God gave to him.

Barrie does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. But he does believe that the science has shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the Shroud is authentic. Will there be another radiocarbon test done on the Shroud? He thows up his hands–he doesn’t know. He thinks for the test to be accurate new samples would have to be taken from several sections of the original portion of the Shroud, and that alone is a roadblock because the samples would, of course, be destroyed in the carbondating process.  The test would also have to be transparent, done in the light. But disagreements move the ball forward in science, Barry believes.

And , most important, the Shroud is not a substitute for true faith. “The Shroud of Turin doesn’t tell us what to believe,” Barrie says. “But it does force each of us to deal with it in our own way and time.”

Why do you think that this gift was revealed to us at this time, I ask, thinking of all the recent events and evidence that have led to the Shroud’s authentication. I worry about tiny Israel sitting there, with Iran working toward its destruction.

He gives me a look as if to say–look around you. Look at what’s happening in the world right now. When have we ever needed the Shroud as much as we need it today?

I agree…And as for me, even despite the changes from the restoriation, I think I’ve seen an image of the face of the Messiah. 

Jimmy and I are off now for a short stop in Santa Margherita on the coast, and then on to Rome where we’ll view the crypt and bones of the apostle Peter in the SCAVI tour in the archeological digs beneath the Bascilica at the Vatican. That should be fascinating–can’t wait. Tune in on the next post, and I’ll fill you in!