Scientists at the Institute of Crystallography in Italy have announced groundbreaking results regarding the age of the Shroud of Turin, a highly debated relic long believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, Fox News reports.
This week, the Institute shared their findings, reigniting discussions about the Shroud’s authenticity and historical significance.
The Shroud of Turin is considered one of the most studied relics in history, with skepticism surrounding its origins dating back centuries. According to a 2023 study from Harvard, it remains a focal point of both reverence and doubt. The latest research utilized a technique called Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), which allowed scientists to analyze the fabric’s composition and provide a more accurate dating.
The Institute reported that their findings suggest the Shroud may be over 2,000 years old, aligning with traditional Christian claims about its origin.
“The experimental results are compatible with the hypothesis that the Turin Shroud is a 2,000-year-old relic, as supposed by Christian tradition,” the Institute stated on its website.
Further details revealed that the Institute obtained one-dimensional integrated WAXS data profiles for a sample from the Shroud, which closely matched measurements taken from a linen sample with historical records dating it to between 55 and 74 AD, during the Siege of Masada in Israel.
These new results stand in stark contrast to a 1988 radiocarbon dating study, in which the Shroud was analyzed by three independent laboratories. That study concluded the cloth dated back to approximately 1350, casting doubt on its authenticity and leading to widespread skepticism among scientists and historians alike.
The Institute of Crystallography stressed that their latest findings indicate “the Turin Shroud fabric is much older than the seven centuries proposed by the 1988 radiocarbon dating,” suggesting the potential for a significant reevaluation of the relic’s historical timeline.
