The Shroud of Turin: Tracing its Early History and Provenance

  

 The Shroud of Turin, an enigmatic and venerated relic in Christian history, has fascinated believers and skeptics alike. Known for its mysterious image of a crucified man believed by many to be Jesus Christ, the Shroud has been the subject of extensive research and is one of the most studied objects in the history of the world. The STURP Project, the only sanctioned study of the Shroud concluded, "We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist." 

    While it gained widespread public attention in the 14th century, numerous references and depictions suggest that it existed long before this period. Here, I will delve into the documented mentions and illustrations of the Shroud prior to its public reveal, tracing its journey through various historical contexts and geographies, clearly antedating the carbon-14 dating. Special thanks to Joe Marino, who collected many of these mentions in his list on Academia.edu.

The Image of Edessa

    One of the earliest potential references to the Shroud is associated with the Image of Edessa, also known as the Mandylion. The Mandylion was reputedly a miraculous image of Jesus' face imprinted on a cloth, which was kept in Edessa (modern-day Urfa, Turkey). This relic was venerated and played a significant role in the Christian East. According to some scholars, the Mandylion could have been part of the larger Shroud, folded in such a way that only the face was visible.

    Historical accounts mention the arrival of the Mandylion in Edessa. Eusebius of Caesarea, a 4th-century church historian, recounted the story of King Abgar V of Edessa, who wrote to Jesus seeking a cure for his illness. According to the legend, Jesus responded with a letter and a cloth bearing his image, which miraculously healed the king. This cloth was then preserved in Edessa. The tenth-century Latin sermon "De Imagine Edessena" describes how the cloth was displayed and venerated in a golden chest during major Christian festivals.

The Doctrine of Addai

    An even earlier reference that may pertain to the Shroud is found in the "Doctrine of Addai," a Syriac document from the 4th century. This text tells the story of Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the seventy disciples, who brought the sacred cloth bearing the image of Jesus to King Abgar. The description of this cloth closely aligns with the narrative of the Mandylion, suggesting that these early references might be interconnected accounts of the same relic.

The Acts of Thaddeus

The "Acts of Thaddeus," another early Christian text from the 6th century, recounts how Thaddeus (Addai) brought the holy image to Edessa. This text provides additional context to the narrative of the Doctrine of Addai, reinforcing the notion that a sacred cloth bearing the image of Christ was venerated in Edessa. This cloth, believed by some to be the Shroud, was considered a miraculous relic and an integral part of early Christian traditions in the region.

Evagrius Scholasticus

    Evagrius Scholasticus, a 6th-century Byzantine historian, provides another early reference to the Shroud. In his ecclesiastical history, he describes a miraculous image of Christ, known as the "acheiropoietos" (not made by human hands), which protected the city of Edessa from Persian invaders in 544 AD. While Evagrius does not explicitly mention the Shroud, his account of a protective image of Christ in Edessa aligns with the narrative surrounding the Mandylion and suggests the presence of a revered cloth image in the city during this period.

The Journey to Constantinople

    In the 11th century, significant changes occurred due to political and religious upheavals. The Shroud is believed to have been moved from Edessa to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Historical records from this period indicate that numerous relics, including the Shroud, were transferred to Constantinople to protect them from invasions and desecration.

    One such record, the "Narratio de Imagine Edessena," an anonymous Latin text, notes that the Shroud was kept in Constantinople in a golden case and was shown only to the Emperor, highlighting its significance and the care taken to preserve it. Additionally, the Tarragona Manuscript, dated between 1075 and 1099, confirms the Shroud's survival through the Byzantine iconoclasm and its esteemed status in the imperial relic collection.

The Hungarian Pray Manuscript

    A critical piece of evidence supporting the Shroud's existence before the 14th century is the Hungarian Pray Manuscript, created between 1192{ and 1195. This manuscript, named after its discoverer György Pray, contains illustrations that remarkably resemble the Shroud of Turin. Among these is the depiction of Jesus with crossed arms over his pelvic area, and thumbs tucked under the hand, details unique to the Shroud. The manuscript also shows what appear to be L-shaped burn marks, identical to those on the Shroud. These similarities strongly suggest that the Shroud was known and perhaps even seen by the manuscript's illustrator.

The Menaion

    Further supporting the Shroud's existence in the Byzantine period are liturgical references. The "Menaion," a liturgical book of the Eastern Orthodox Church, includes hymns and prayers that reference the burial cloth of Christ. These texts, dating back to the 12th century, describe the cloth in terms consistent with the Shroud, indicating that it was an object of veneration and incorporated into the religious practices of the time.

The Relics of Constantinople

    In the 12th century, the Shroud's presence in Constantinople is further corroborated by various inventories and descriptions of relics. William of Tyre, a medieval historian, documented that during King Amaury I of Jerusalem's visit in 1171, Emperor Manuel I Comnenus displayed numerous relics of the Passion, including the Shroud (referred to as the "sindon"). This entry reinforces the notion that the Shroud was part of the imperial relic collection and venerated as a significant artifact of Jesus' Passion.

The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople

    The Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople in 1204 marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Shroud. The city was ransacked by Crusaders, and many relics were looted and transported to Western Europe. Robert de Clari, a French knight who participated in the Fourth Crusade, wrote in his chronicle that he saw the Shroud of Christ in the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae in Constantinople. He described it as a cloth on which the image of Christ could be seen clearly, reinforcing the presence of the Shroud in the Byzantine capital prior to its dispersal.

The Knights Templar and the Shroud

    The Shroud's disappearance following the sack of Constantinople in 1204 and its reappearance in the 14th century is a period shrouded in mystery. Researcher Barbara Frale has found evidence in the trial records of the Knights Templar that suggests the Shroud was in the possession of the order before it was suppressed. According to these records, the Shroud had disappeared during the sack of Constantinople and did not surface again until 1353, when it was displayed in a church at Lirey in France by the nephew of Geoffroi de Charney, The Templar Preceptor of France.

Arnaut Sabbatier's Testimony

    An intriguing account supporting the Templar possession of the Shroud comes from Arnaut Sabbatier, a young Frenchman who entered the order in 1287. He testified that as part of his initiation, he was taken to a secret place accessible only to the brothers of the Temple. There, he was shown a long linen cloth on which was impressed the figure of a man and instructed to venerate the image by kissing its feet three times. This testimony provides a compelling link between the Templars and the Shroud, suggesting that they may have safeguarded it during the period it was thought to be lost.

Thirteenth Century Mentions

    Throughout the 13th century, references to a burial shroud of Christ appear in various texts and inventories across Europe. These references, while not always directly naming the Shroud of Turin, describe a cloth bearing the image of Christ, suggesting that the relic was known and venerated in different locations.

For instance, a 1205 letter from Theodore Angelos, the ruler of Epirus, to Pope Innocent III mentions the sacred burial cloth of Christ. This letter indicates that the relic was highly valued and sought after by Christian leaders during this period.

The Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) and Carbon-14 Dating

    In 1988, the Shroud of Turin was subjected to carbon-14 dating by three independent laboratories, coordinated by the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP). The results indicated that the linen cloth dated to between 1260 and 1390 AD, suggesting it was a medieval creation rather than a relic from the time of Christ. However, many researchers and scholars have questioned these results, citing potential contamination, repair patches, fire, and the presence of a bioplastic coating on the linen as factors that could have skewed the dating process.

   In 2013, Dr. Giulio Fanti conducted infrared dating on threads from the Shroud of Turin, concluding that the fibers dated between 300 BC and 400 AD, potentially placing the Shroud within the timeframe of Jesus’ life. More recently, in 2022, Italian scientist Liberato De Caro used a Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) method to date the Shroud. This technique examined the natural aging of cellulose fibers and suggested that the Shroud is around 2,000 years old, aligning with the period of Christ’s death and resurrection. 

   Despite the carbon-14 dating results, the historical references and depictions of the Shroud prior to the 14th century provide compelling evidence for its existence and veneration well before the medieval period. The early references to the Image of Edessa, the accounts of Evagrius Scholasticus, and the illustrations in the Hungarian Pray Manuscript all contribute to a rich historical narrative that supports the Shroud's antiquity. Additionally, new dating techniques such as the infrared test and the WAXS x-ray test have firmly placed the dating of the Shroud in the first century, in a repeatable, testable way.

 Conclusion

    The Shroud of Turin's history prior to its 14th-century public reveal is supported by a variety of references and depictions from different periods and regions. From its early association with the Image of Edessa to its presence in Byzantine Constantinople and its depiction in the Hungarian Pray Manuscript, the Shroud's journey is actually quite well documented. The 12th-century inventories and the testimonies of crusaders further attest to its significance in medieval Christianity. The accounts of the Knights Templar, particularly the testimony of Arnaut Sabbatier, provide a fascinating link between the Shroud's disappearance and reappearance. While the 1988 carbon-14 dating results have sparked controversy and debate, these historical traces provide a visible narrative of the Shroud's existence and significance throughout time.