Changes

An [[agnostic]] [[British]] scholar studied the Shroud and concluded in his book, ''The Sign'' (2012), that the Shroud is authentic and was even the basis of [[disciples]]' acceptance of the [[Resurrection]].<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9162459/Mystery-solved-Turin-Shroud-linked-to-Resurrection-of-Christ.html</ref> The Shroud has caused some [[agnostic]] or [[Atheism|atheist]] [[scientist]]s to convert to [[Christianity]].<ref>[http://www.shroud.com/mrinobnf.pdf]</ref>  Other scientists, who have not converted, still consider the Shroud to be the authentic burial cloth for [[Jesus Christ]].  Some refer to the Shroud as the "Fifth [[the Gospels|Gospel]]."

An [[agnostic]] [[British]] scholar studied the Shroud and concluded in his book, ''The Sign'' (2012), that the Shroud is authentic and was even the basis of [[disciples]]' acceptance of the [[Resurrection]].<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9162459/Mystery-solved-Turin-Shroud-linked-to-Resurrection-of-Christ.html</ref> The Shroud has caused some [[agnostic]] or [[Atheism|atheist]] [[scientist]]s to convert to [[Christianity]].<ref>[http://www.shroud.com/mrinobnf.pdf]</ref>  Other scientists, who have not converted, still consider the Shroud to be the authentic burial cloth for [[Jesus Christ]].  Some refer to the Shroud as the "Fifth [[the Gospels|Gospel]]."

Today the Shroud is in the Cathedral of Saint [[John the Baptist]] in [[Turin]], [[Italy]],<ref>[http://www.shroud.com/]</ref> Its same location since 1578.<ref>In 1578 the Shroud was moved by the House of Savoy to Turin from Chambery [https://www.thetravel.com/where-is-the-shroud-of-turin/].</ref> In January 2023 it went on public display for the first time in a decade.<ref name="BBC">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612315.stm</ref>

Today the Shroud is in the Cathedral of Saint [[John the Baptist]] in [[Turin]], [[Italy]],<ref>[http://www.shroud.com/]</ref> its same location since 1578.<ref>In 1578 the Shroud was moved by the House of Savoy to Turin from Chambery [https://www.thetravel.com/where-is-the-shroud-of-turin/].</ref> In January 2023 it went on public display for the first time in a decade.<ref name="BBC">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612315.stm</ref>

==Proof of authenticity==

==Proof of authenticity==

Raymond N. Rogers, a retired [[chemist]] from the [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] in [[New Mexico]], studied the Shroud and declared, "The chemistry says it was a real shroud, the blood spots on it are real blood, and the technology that was used to make that piece of cloth was exactly what [[Pliny the Elder]] reported from his time," about A.D. 70.  "It's a shroud from the right time ...," Rogers said.<ref>http://bibleprobe.com/</ref> As a miracle, the Shroud could be a gift from [[God]] at any time, but there is no record of someone suddenly discovering it, say, in the [[Middle Ages]].

Raymond N. Rogers, a retired [[chemist]] from the [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] in [[New Mexico]], studied the Shroud and declared, "The chemistry says it was a real shroud, the blood spots on it are real blood, and the technology that was used to make that piece of cloth was exactly what [[Pliny the Elder]] reported from his time," about A.D. 70.  "It's a shroud from the right time ...," Rogers said.<ref>http://bibleprobe.com/</ref> As a miracle, the Shroud could be a gift from [[God]] at any time, but there is no record of someone suddenly discovering it, say, in the [[Middle Ages]].

The most advanced technique, Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), is non-invasive and was used in research published in 2022 to analyze structural degradation of the Shroud’s cellulose fibers. This "focuses on the breakdown of cellulose chains, a process that accelerates with time and environmental conditions, making it a potentially more accurate dating method than radiocarbon dating for ancient textiles. ... [T]he degradation observed in the Shroud’s fibers suggests it is far older than the results of the radiocarbon tests indicated,"<ref name="WAXS">https://www.timothyedmoore.com/groundbreaking-research-suggests-shroud-of-turin-could-be-2000-years-old/</ref> is '''''consistent with an age of about 2,000 years'''''. "[I]f the Shroud were only seven centuries old, it would have required consistent exposure to temperatures far higher than those found in its known history to reach the observed state of cellulose degradation."<ref name="WAXS"/> Similarly, an analysis of the vanilla loss on the Shroud "suggests that the shroud is between 1300 and 3000 years old."<ref name="Vanilla">https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/01/26/1289491.htm#:~:text=Microchemistry%20reveals%20a%20different%20date,%2C%22%20D'Muhala%20says.</ref>

The most advanced technique, Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), is non-invasive and was used in research published in 2022 to analyze structural degradation of the Shroud’s cellulose fibers. This "focuses on the breakdown of cellulose chains, a process that accelerates with time and environmental conditions, making it a potentially more accurate dating method than radiocarbon dating for ancient textiles. ... [T]he degradation observed in the Shroud’s fibers suggests it is far older than the results of the radiocarbon tests indicated,"<ref name="WAXS">https://www.timothyedmoore.com/groundbreaking-research-suggests-shroud-of-turin-could-be-2000-years-old/</ref> '''''consistent with an age of about 2,000 years'''''. "[I]f the Shroud were only seven centuries old, it would have required consistent exposure to temperatures far higher than those found in its known history to reach the observed state of cellulose degradation."<ref name="WAXS"/> Similarly, an analysis of the vanilla loss on the Shroud "suggests that the shroud is between 1300 and 3000 years old."<ref name="Vanilla">https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/01/26/1289491.htm#:~:text=Microchemistry%20reveals%20a%20different%20date,%2C%22%20D'Muhala%20says.</ref>

Invasive radiocarbon dating of the Shroud is subject to several inherent uncertainties: the probability that the sample was taken from the original cloth rather than a patch, the probability that the miracle did not undermine the assumptions of radiocarbon dating, and the probability that centuries of mold, bacteria and fungi, and the 1532 fire (and drenching the Shroud to save it) that damaged the Shroud, did not distort the dating.  If each of these probabilities is roughly 50%, then the chance of radiocarbon dating of the Shroud being accurate is only (1/2)³ = 12.5%.

Invasive radiocarbon dating of the Shroud is subject to several inherent uncertainties: the probability that the sample was taken from the original cloth rather than a patch, the probability that the miracle did not undermine the assumptions of radiocarbon dating, and the probability that centuries of mold, bacteria and fungi, and the 1532 fire (and drenching the Shroud to save it) that damaged the Shroud, did not distort the dating.  If each of these probabilities is roughly 50%, then the chance of radiocarbon dating of the Shroud being accurate is only (1/2)³ = 12.5%.