Face in Shroud: Actual and Enhanced ()
Has it long been known that the Shroud of Turin was faked?
A reader sent me a link to the following:
Researchers find oldest written claim that the Shroud of Turin was faked
September 4, 2025
The Shroud of Turin — a 14-foot-long linen cloth bearing an image of a crucified man — has captivated people for centuries, stirring debate over whether the relic once wrapped the body of Jesus Christ.
For some, the cloth serves as visual proof of Jesus’ resurrection; for others, it is merely a medieval relic made by an artist in the 14th century.
Now, researchers have found new evidence that the authenticity of the cloth was disputed in writing earlier than once thought: medieval texts from a respected and influential French philosopher, Nicole Oresme, who alleged around 1370 that the Shroud was faked for the purpose of the church. These claims appeared in Oresme’s collection of writings known as his “Problemata,” which are dated between 1355 and 1382, according to the new study published on August 28 in the Journal of Medieval History.
Oresme’s Problemata has been well researched — much of the text is even available online —but the philosopher’s claims about the Shroud had been overlooked for centuries. It wasn’t until lead study author Nicolas Sarzeaud, a researcher in history at the Catholic University Louvain, in Belgium, received the text from a colleague editing an unpublished treatise that he realized the significance of the writing.
“The fact that we have this new testimony on this object is very, very valuable,” said Sarzeaud, who is also a fellow of the Villa Medici, a French Academy in Rome. Oresme was an interesting figure, not only for his merit as a scholar and philosopher, but because of his unbiased approach to topics, particularly those involving the church. “In his debates, he tried to be sure that a phenomenon was real before he (discussed it). … he wrote a lot about believing. ‘What is believing? And why do we believe in something?’”
Prior to the discovery of Oresme’s claims, the oldest known documentation of the Shroud was in a series of documents from 1389 to 1390 written by notable figures such as the former bishop of Troyes, Pierre d’Arcis, who stated that the Shroud was created by an artist.
While researchers like Sarzeaud claim Oresme’s text adds to the already plentiful scientific and historical evidence that the Shroud is fake, some remain unconvinced. …
According to the 1389 documents, including a letter written by Bishop d’Arcis to the pope, the Shroud of Turin appeared in the Champagne region of France around 1355. …
Radiocarbon dating, conducted in 1988 by three separate laboratories, dated the fabric between 1260 and 1390, said Andrea Nicolotti, a professor of the history of Christianity and churches at the University of Turin who was not involved with the study but had worked with Sarzeaud previously. …
The Shroud shows evidence of being a relic from medieval times, as its patterns are complex and would have required a sufficient loom likely not introduced until the 13th century, added Nicolotti, who is also the author of the 2019 book “The Shroud of Turin: The History and Legends of the World’s Most Famous Relic.”
“In my opinion, we already have enough information to have settled the debate a long time ago,” he said. …
In his Problemata, Oresme recommended caution when assessing alleged miracles, “because many clergy men thus deceive others, in order to elicit offerings for their churches.” He cited the Shroud as an example: “There is manifest experience of that in a church in Champagne, where it was said that there was the shroud of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Oresme died in 1382, seven years prior to the claims from the bishop of Troyes in the 1389 letter. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/science/shroud-of-turin-oresme-philosopher
Yes, the Shroud of Turin was not used on Jesus in the 30’s A.D. Even though Oresme warned that the Shroud was a fake and that some of the Roman Catholic clergy would use faked relics to elicit money, this happened with the Shroud in the same century that Oresme warned against that. In my view, financial considerations are also one reason that the Vatican has not denounced the Shroud as a fake.
Last month, a different reader sent me a link to the following:
The Shroud of Turin was not laid on Jesus’ body, scientists reveal
1 August 2025
The Shroud of Turin is a piece of linen, measuring 14ft 5in by 3ft 7in, that bears a faint image of the front and back of a man.
Many believe that this image was created when Jesus was wrapped in the venerated shroud shortly after his death on the cross 2,000 years ago.
However, according to a new study, the Shroud of Turin was never laid on Jesus’ body.
Brazilian 3D designer and researcher Cicero Moraes, an expert in reconstructing historical faces, says that the shroud is nothing more than a ‘masterpiece of Christian art’.
Mr Moraes used digital modelling software to examine how cloth drapes over the human body compared to a low, flat sculpture of a body.
These results, published this week in the journal Archaeometry, show that the shroud’s distinctive pattern could only have been produced by a sculpture.
In his paper, Mr Moraes wrote: ‘The Shroud’s image is more consistent with an artistic low-relief representation than with the direct imprint of a real human body.’ …
Mr Moraes told Live Science: ‘The image on the Shroud of Turin is more consistent with a low-relief matrix.
‘Such a matrix could have been made of wood, stone or metal and pigmented – or even heated – only in the areas of contact, producing the observed pattern.’
The first recorded mention of the Shroud of Turin dates back to the 14th century, and the relic was almost immediately accused of being a fake.
Modern carbon dating, a way of measuring the age of natural materials using radioactive isotopes of carbon, carried out in 1989, placed the Shroud’s creation between 1260 and 1390 AD.
That would mean the linen in the Shroud was still growing over 1,000 years after Jesus’ death, making it impossible that the Shroud is a genuine relic. …
forensic analysis has shown that the ‘blood stains’ on the shroud are inconsistent with someone lying down and could only have been made by a standing figure.
This doesn’t match the Biblical account in which Jesus was wrapped in the Shroud after being removed …
Likewise, scientists have questioned whether the blood was part of the original Shroud.
Dr Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic scientist who is a professor emeritus at John Jay College, previously told the Daily Mail that the ‘blood’ was likely a ‘secondary thought.’
Indeed, American chemist Dr Walter McCrone, who analysed the tape strips in 1978, found the image consisted of red ochre and a gelatin solution. …
Jesus … The earliest depictions show him as a typical Roman man, with short hair and no beard, wearing a tunic.
It is thought that it wasn’t until 400AD that Jesus appears with a beard.
This is perhaps to show he was a wise teacher, because philosophers at the time were typically depicted with facial hair.
The conventional image of a fully bearded Jesus with long hair did not become established until the sixth century in Eastern Christianity, and much later in the West. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14962049/Shroud-Turin-not-laid-Jesus.html
The Shroud was not used on Jesus’ body.
Furthermore, Jesus 1) did not have long hair (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:14) 2) nor was Jesus possibly as tall as the man’s image in the Shroud (cf. Luke 4:28-29).
People claiming to be Christians should not promote it as a relic of Jesus, because it is not!
The Continuing Church of God also has the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
The Shroud of Turin has been a mystery to many for a long time. In April of 2018, a possibly full-sized 3-dimensional replica of the 5′ 11″ man in that Shroud was shown to the public. Could the Shroud of Turin have been the actual burial cloth of Jesus? In this video, Dr. Thiel goes over 12 reasons to consider about the possible authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. These include the belief that blood residue as a result of Jesus being tortured is on it, its age, claimed blood type, presence of pollens native to Israel/Palestine and Turkey, the fact that the Shroud is not a simple stain or painting, location of nail marks, 100 whip lacerations, the appearance of a spear wound, the use of myrrh and aloes in Jewish burial customs (John 19:39-40), the hair shown in facial/head image and practices in that day (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:14), and the size of the man in the Shroud (cf. Luke 4:28-29; Matthew 26:48). Do the reasons, in the light of scripture, prove or disprove that the Shroud of Turin is real or a fake? What do early drawings/painting suggest that Jesus looked like? Should Christians venerate it?
Here is a link to our video: Could the Shroud of Turin Be Real? 12 Reasons to Consider.
It is NOT possible that Shroud of Turin was the burial cloth of Jesus.
That said, there is REAL proof Jesus is the Messiah (see the free online book Proof Jesus is the Messiah). Do not, however, base your faith on fakes.
Those interested in early Christianity may wish to study the following documented items and presentations to learn more:
Clear Proof that the Shroud of Turin is Fake: Debunking the ‘reasons’ that the Shroud of Turin is real There is NO proof that the Shroud of Turin has Jesus’ image and those who are willing to believe the Bible can prove it is fake. Here is a link to a related video: Could the Shroud of Turin Be Real? 12 Reasons to Consider.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book.
Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? What message did He bring? Is there evidence outside the Bible that He existed? Here is a YouTube sermon titled Jesus: Son of God and Saviour.
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 Do they matter? Most say they must, but act like they do not. This article contains some history about the Church of God (sometimes referred to as the continuation of Primitive Christianity) over the past 2000 years.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?