WND (World Net Daily) reminded us that twelve years ago under the headline Scientists: Relic authenticates Shroud of Turin . . .
WND reported on the gathering of scientists and forensic specialists in Oviedo, Spain, to examine an obscure relic that many have claimed authenticates the Shroud of Turin – believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.
The Sudarium of Oviedo is reportedly the other linen cloth found in the tomb of Christ, as described in the Gospel of John. The relic, whose dramatic history is intertwined with the Knights Templar, Moors, El Cid, saints and bishops, has been in Spain since A.D. 631.
The efforts to authenticate the claims made about the cloth are fascinating – like an episode of CSI Jerusalem A.D. 30.
“The only reasonable conclusion,” says Mark Guscin, author of “The Oviedo Cloth,” “is that the Sudarium of Oviedo covered the same head as that found on the Shroud of Turin.” Guscin, a British scholar whose study is the only English language book on the Sudarium, told WND, “This can be uncomfortable for scientists with a predetermined viewpoint; I mean, the evidence grows that this cloth and the Shroud covered the same tortured man.”
Picture is of the Ark of the Sudarium of Oviedo
Last Sept 21, as usual the Oviedo Sudarium was exhibited once again. I attended the mass in which it was shown and at the Cathedral’s shop I bought the proceedings of the Second Intenational Conference on the Oviedo Sudarium of 2007 (in Spanish).
I have the feeling that while most of the reseach on the Shroud has been carried out in English, research on the Oviedo Sudarium has been in Spanish. In my view, this has been a major problem to connect and put in common all the amazing coincidences taht exist and also, the research lines followed.
For example, while reading the proceedings I have known that Ray Rogers analyzed and prepared a report for the Oviedo Ecclesiastic authorities on the Oviedo Sudarium. He sent it one month before passing way, after receiving some sample from Oviedo.
The point is that the content of his research is not related to chemistry but to another research line: the impact of natural radiation on the degradadtion of linen fibers!! (above mentioned proceedings, paper by Cesar Barta, pp 147 onwards)
Out of the comparison of the fibers from the Sudarium with fibers from the Shroud and additional ancient cloths, he concludes that there is a high probability that both cloths (Sudarium and Shroud) may share the same geographical origin and also be of the same age.
Perhaps the involvement of Rogers in the analysis of the Sudarium is widely known but for me at least, this is news and I would appreciate any indication of where this report by Rogers could be found.
I wasn’t aware Rogers did this study on the Sudarium. Thanks for that information, Gabriel. I will go to the one source who will probably know: Barrie Schwortz and will let you know what I find.
Perhaps Guscuin’s work was the first on the Sudarium in English. I would like to get that as I told Mark a couple days ago after being introduced to him by Yannick. There have been others since such as Janice Bennett’s work, referenced here #3 (http://shroudnm.com/docs/SEAM-Turin-Shroud-Presentation-References.pdf) published in 2001 in English. I have used this information in my talks on the Shroud since reading this most delightful book.
Check out this interesting article spurred on by a search for Mark Guscuin’s book originally from “Ireland’s Own” magazine. http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/03/sudarium-of-oviedo-and-shroud-of-turin.html
Gabriel ~ Is this the paper you are looking for? http://www.shroud.com/pdfs/rogers9.pdf I found it using http://shroudnm.com/search.html to search Shroud.com. If not, I’ll e-mail or better yet call Barrie.
Andy, thanks for the link. I guess that the report he sent to Oviedo was a development of the paper you mention, because the contents are similar. However, the final report included additional cloths but, surprisingly enough, this report seems to have been lost in Oviedo.
To me, however, the most important think is the way he opens to analyze the role of natural radiation on linens.
Could we find the signature of heavy radiation events through history? http://phys.org/news/2012-06-tree-japanese-scientists-8th-century-mystery.html
If so, it would be helpful for datation and many other thinks too.Thanks again.
Gabriel, think of the implications of the solar burst mentioned in your link http://phys.org/news/2012-06-tree-japanese-scientists-8th-century-mystery.html, to the c14 test results done on the Shroud!…It can be astronomical! …Was there anyother ‘bursts’, unknown to science in the last two millennium? Solar Flares that could raise questions to the practicality or precision of the radiocarbon dating method? It is well understood that not only solar bursts but volcanic activity, can also influence the rate of c14 isotopes in the atmosphere and these cannot be calculated properly into c14 equations…Just a thought in passing and something to ponder.
R
I was humorously thinking Colin Berry wouldn’t like this since he obviously has no respect for Ray Rogers. Ray was known for being politically incorrect. Who would be more politically incorrect, Ray or Colin?
Why didn’t Rogers write more on what he called “different kinds of radiation”?
That would be impossible to answer unless Ray left us one before he passed away.