Hymn of the Pearl and the Shroud of Turin - 1st Century description

http://www.shroudofturin4journalists.com/pearl.htm ^ | Shroudie

[Swordmaker]

Shroud of Turin and the Resurrection of Jesus : Voice from the Past   The Hymn of the Pearl Deep within the Hymn of the Pearl, itself deep within the Acts of Thomas, some very interesting lines of poetry are found. These words are translated, and understood, many ways. This is but one interpretation, one reflection, one point of view interpolated from different translations and analyses:   TWO IMAGE - Within the Hymn of the Pearl - Suddenly, I saw my image on my [burial a] garment like in a mirror Myself and myself through myself [or myself facing outward and inward b] As though divided, yet one likeness Two images but one likeness of the King[ of kings c]   Pondering a connection to the Shroud Biblical scholar Albert Dreisbach poses asks us . . . to ponder what these seemingly strange expressions might mean, if they do NOT have reference to the Turin Shroud . . . The images on the garment described, which by historical circumstance seems to be the Shroud of Turin, are said to be "like in a mirror." The images on the Shroud of Turin, while ghostly and negative are also presumably mirror images. There are two images on the garment. Are they the  head to head positioned ventral and dorsal images we see on the Shroud of Turin? We need not be concerned, for our purposes here, with shades of Gnosticism of the Act of Thomas; for in all Christian traditions there are kernels of history. It is history that is our concern. We need not join the debate among scholars about when the Act of Thomas were written or how much if the epic story is allegorical. The Hymn of the Pearl is our concern. It doesn't matter if the Hymn, specifically, was first written in Syriac or Greek, or if the version in Acts is an evolved version. Many scholar think that the Hymn of the Pearl might be early 1st Century. When is not our concern. What it says is. There is little question that the Hymn of the Pearl, at least as it was written down, originates in the Mesopotamian city of Edessa. And it was in Edessa, in 544 AD, that the Edessa Cloth was discovered -- the cloth that we now know, from solid historical records, was a full burial cloth in which . . . You can see [not only] the figure of a face, but [also] the figure of the whole body. - The Codex Vossianus Latinus    Note on this interpretation: justifiably, burial garment from other prior references to burial garment. And this phrase is pregnant with meaning: "And when I had put it on, I was lifted up unto the place of peace (sahltation) and homage." possibly, myself facing out and facing in as in frontal and dorsal views. possibly, the "King of king" as in Hans Jonas translation.

Translation by Hans Jonas:

(The Two Images Segment)

it seemed to me suddenly to become a mirror-image of myself: myself entire I saw in it, and it entire I saw in myself, that we were two in separateness, and yet again one in the sameness of our forms?And the image of the King of kings was depicted all over it.

 

Translation by M. R. James:

(The Two Images Segment)

but suddenly, [when] I saw the garment made like unto me as it had been in a mirror.

And I beheld upon it all myself (or saw it wholly in myself) and I knew and saw myself through it,

that we were divided asunder, being of one; and again were one in one shape.

Yea, the treasurers also which brought me the garment

I beheld, that they were two, yet one shape was upon both, one royal sign was set upon both of them.

 

Translation by William Wright:

(The Two Images Segment)

on a sudden, when I received it,
the garment seemed to me to become like a mirror of myself.

I saw it all in all,
and I to received all in it,

for we were two in distinction
and yet gain one in one likeness.

And the treasurers too,
who brought it to me, I saw in like manner

to be two (and yet) one likeness,
for one sign of the king was written on them (both),

 

From a version edited by Quaker scholar Hugh McGregor Ross:

(The Two Images Segment)

But suddenly when I saw my garment reflected as in a mirror,

I perceived it was my whole Self as well,

and through it I recognized and saw myself.

For, though we derived from one and the same we were partially divided;

and then again we were One, with a single form.

 

Unknown Popular Translation:

(The Two Images Segment)

But all in the moment I faced it
This robe seemed to me like a mirror,

And in it I saw my whole self
Moreover I faced myself facing into it.

For we were two together divided
Yet in one we stood in one likeness.   

 

 

 

 

[Swordmaker]

Now the serious part: does there exist a map of what-was-taken-from-where-when?

Somewhat. Since the inception of scientific examination, records have been kept. The worst of this "scientific" examinations occurred in the secret "restoration" in which uninformed restorers, in an attempt to put out the fire of 1532 (someone told them that the charred areas could still be expanding), snipped away all of the charred edges and "vacuumed" the rest of the shroud for contamination, and put the results in plastic baggies according to defined zones - which destroyed any in situ evidence that could have been garnered in the future.

[Torino_Shroud]

That isn't yet another wrinkle. Iron traces are observed in all of the data, so it being 2006 so you may know of a POD book that came on to the shroud landscape. To be honest I haven't read it I have very very recently bought the book entitled "R A P E of the Shroud"; and though I have yet to read it. One of the main issues is about if there is a need for additional dating. I'd like a link or email of a initial paper that questions the (scientific) competence and honesty of "shroud science" early on:Hey, Did anyone ever own the article where "[They] ..present results of X-ray fluorescence measurements on the Shroud of Turin X-ray fluorescence and visible light examination of .. as uniform background distributions. Iron traces are observed in all of the data spectra but their local concentrations vary. Comparisons between image and off-image areas reveal no differences, within the precision limits of the data, that would indicate the presence of pigments or dyes containing high-C elements. . regions the measurements show significantly higher concentrations of iron., in the reported "blood" stained region" X-ray fluorescence has no link on the Web so, share it with us, K ?