Alan, a young 17 year-old reader, asks:
Would it be fair to say that your blog calls into question everything we know about the Shroud of Turin?
Well, there is a frontal image and a backside image of a man on the cloth. I don’t think we can question that. Other than that, perhaps so.
However, rather than say, “calls into question,” which in popular usage seems to express doubt, I prefer to think that the blog seeks to reexamine our understanding of much that we know or think we know about the shroud. Hopefully, then, each of us can better weigh each item of evidence before us by asking ourselves how valid it is, does it favor authenticity or the other way around, and how significant is it in the overall scheme of authenticity?
At this time, I don’t believe enough evidence is sufficiently sound or that we know enough about how to evaluate what we have to be able to arrive at a definitive conclusion about the shroud’s authenticity. That is why I say that I think that the shroud is probably authentic. I may never know otherwise, at least not in this lifetime.
As I see it, we are not sure what we know about the Shroud. A list has been made before identifying what can be said of the image except for the – how was it made. I speak of the so-called ‘scorch’ image. No one can explain it – yet. Was it made by God as he reentered the ‘physical’ body that he inhabited while on the Earth so that he could resurrect ?
There is no backside image. The only thing that is certain when studying the Shroud (according to everyone) is there is an image on a cloth.
There is a dorsal image.
I should have used Ventral and Dorsal to be more clear.
I like the probabilities. 1X10 to the nth power that it is, in fact (as Dr Adler use to say) the photograph of JESUS, the Son of God. Suffering, death, burial and resurrection.
Simply the perfect Gospel.
Faith is the mustard seed leftover. 1X10 to the -n.
He said He loves us. Is there anything else?