Italian researchers have recently uncovered evidence suggesting that the Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, may indeed date back to the time of Jesus. This finding adds a new layer to the long-standing debate over the authenticity of the Shroud, which has been the subject of intense scrutiny.
The age of the Shroud has been heavily debated, with previous studies, including a radiocarbon dating analysis conducted in the late 1980s, suggesting a medieval origin. This study concluded that the linen dates to between 1260 AD and 1390 AD, which coincided with the Shroud's first documented appearance in France during the 1350s. These results led many to believe that the Shroud was a medieval forgery
However, recent research conducted by Liberato De Caro and his team at the Institute of Crystallography in Italy challenges this earlier conclusion. In a study published in Heritage, researchers used a method of dating linen threads by analyzing degradation with Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering. This technique was applied to a small sample from the Shroud, which is currently housed in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, according to Newsweek.
The researchers found that the results of their analysis were "fully compatible" with measurements obtained from a linen sample dating to 55-74 AD. This suggests that the Shroud could indeed be a 2,000-year-old relic, consistent with the time of Jesus.
While the study’s findings do not conclusively prove that the Shroud was the burial cloth of Jesus, they cast doubt on the medieval forgery theory and reignite the possibility that it could be an ancient artifact from the time of Christ.
Due to the fact the results contradicted previous dating research, the study’s authors clarified that "a more accurate and systematic X-ray investigation of more samples taken from the Turin Shroud fabric would be mandatory to confirm the conclusions of our study."
