Posted on 01/19/2005 11:46:04 AM PST by blam
New Chemical Testing Points to Ancient Origin for Burial Shroud of Jesus; Los Alamos Scientist Proves 1988 Carbon-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin Used Invalid Rewoven Sample
Wednesday January 19, 8:32 am ET
DALLAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Shroud of Turin Association for Research (AMSTAR), a scientific organization dedicated to research on the enigmatic Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial cloth of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, announced today that the 1988 Carbon-14 test was not done on the original burial cloth, but rather on a rewoven shroud patch creating an erroneous date for the actual age of the Shroud. The Shroud of Turin is a large piece of linen cloth that shows the faint full-body image of a blood-covered man on its surface. Because many believe it to be the burial cloth of Jesus, researchers have tried to determine its origin though numerous modern scientific methods, including Carbon-14 tests done at three radiocarbon labs which set the age of the artifact at between AD 1260 and 1390.
"Now conclusive evidence, gathered over the past two years, proves that the sample used to date the Shroud was actually taken from an expertly-done rewoven patch," says AMSTAR President, Tom D'Muhala. "Chemical testing indicates that the linen Shroud is actually very old -- much older than the published 1988 radiocarbon date."
"As unlikely as it seems, the sample used to test the age of the Shroud of Turin in 1988 was taken from a rewoven area of the Shroud," reports chemist Raymond Rogers, a fellow of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Rogers' new findings are published in the current issue of Thermochimica Acta, a chemistry peer reviewed scientific journal.
"Pyrolysis-mass-spectrometry results from the sample area coupled with microscopic and microchemical observations prove that the radiocarbon sample was not part of the original cloth of the Shroud of Turin which is currently housed at The Turin Cathedral in Italy," says Rogers.
"The radiocarbon sample has completely different chemical properties than the main part of the shroud relic," explains Rogers. "The sample tested was dyed using technology that began to appear in Italy about the time the Crusaders' last bastion fell to the Mameluke Turks in AD 1291. The radiocarbon sample cannot be older than about AD 1290, agreeing with the age determined in 1988. However, the Shroud itself is actually much older."
Rogers' new research clearly disproves the 1988 findings announced by British Museum spokesperson, Mike Tite, when he declared that the Shroud was of medieval origin and probably "a hoax." The British Museum coordinated the 1988 radiocarbon tests and acted as the official clearing house for all findings.
Almost immediately, Shroud analysts questioned the validity of the sample used for radiocarbon dating. Researchers using high-resolution photographs of the Shroud found indications of an "invisible" reweave in the area used for testing. However, belief tilted strongly toward the more "scientific" method of radiocarbon dating. Rogers' recent analysis of an authentic sample taken from the radiocarbon sample proves that the researchers were right to question the 1988 results.
As a result of his own research and chemical tests, Rogers concluded that the radiocarbon sample was cut from a medieval patch, and is totally different in composition from the main part of the Shroud of Turin.
Contact: Michael Minor (972) 932-5141
What a crock.
Original source must have been The Sun tabloid.
Understand that to obtain permission and a shred of another piece from the Church is very hard. With this new evidence, researchers will be wanting to obtain another piece of the fabric. It'll be easier trying to win the lotto.
He's a Mithras Kook...
>>I would hope this would pave the way for performing another radioactive carbon dating test of the main cloth.<<
Would a reasonable person take this seriously?
This is one of those areas where anti-Christians look at Christians as just as goofy as Muslims. Another would be "Mary" apparitions.
Gosh, I'm sorry... I was unaware that to be a Freeper one had to give up any semblance of skeptical thought.
Errrr. Wrong, but thanks for playing.
Guinness Stout? Rolling Rock? Killian's Red? Something more esoteric?
I never have particularly cared whether it's legit or not. I tend to doubt it.
> Another would be "Mary" apparitions.
I've always thought that a winning business idea would be to market toasters and tortilla-makers that would burn the face of The Virgin Mary into 'em. Would probably sell well in Latin America.
Now, make an iron that could burn the shroud image into a bedsheet, and that'd *really* be something!
First they claimed there was pollen contamination. When that didn't pan out, they claimed there was smoke contamination. Now it's the invisible weaving patch. (It may be a patch though. One would have thought that this would have been noticed earlier.)
As usual, they will need more grant money to overcome this controversy. Of course, there's a scenario that the main piece is actually older and the "forger seamstress" got ahold of something older to make the patch.
And define "older". Ten years, one hundred years? No matter how you "cut it", the goal is GRANT MONEY. No one really wants a solution.
(I think it's likely fake, anyway.)
Dan
Biblical Christianity web site
Biblical Christianity message board
Biblical Christianity BLOG
ping
Whew. I was thinking the antihistamines were impairing my reading.
Thanks Dan.
Irrespective of whatever the date of this shroud may be determined to be, it will not change my faith one iota.
2005 years give or take 30 years.
Secondly none of the apparitions anti-Catholics are so fond of ridiculing counterdicts one word of divine revelation to the apostles or the teaching tradition of the Church.
I remind you that this divine revelation is the same source that brought us the Bible courtesy of the Catholic Church.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.