The Messianic Seal

The Bible mentions that King David and King Solomon imported cedar wood from Lebanon to build their palaces. King Solomon’s Temple also used cedar wood.

In late 1960s an antique cedar tree of 12 meters(40 ft) long and 1.2 meters(4 ft) in diameter was exposed after a landslide in the hills of Lebanon. The University of Pennsylvania in USA examined this wood and estimated its age. It had only 188 growth rings, but the age varied from 973 to 1040 B.C (+/- 40). Apparently the tree had grown for only a few hundred years before it fell.

This is the first confirmation of the biblical reference to ancient cedar wood, and the age measured falls in the reign of David and Solomon. The ancient Cedar artifact s preserved in the Bierut National Museum.

(Information kindly provided by Dr. Malek Basbous, Lebanese Heritage Society, Beirut, Lebanon)

The Lost Ark

What was the most important and precious object ever made on Planet Earth? The answer is, ‘The Ark of the Covenant’, essentially a box of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and a flat gold cover with two gold cherubs on either end facing each other. The reason for its value was that it was above the Ark, on the golden cover lid called the Mercy Seat that God manifested Himself, as told in Exodus 25:22, for over eight hundred years to His people in Old Testament times. Inside the Ark was kept the two Tablets of Stone containing the Ten Commandments that Moses had received on Mt. Sinai. Other items such as the manna and Aaron’s rod were also in it as keepsakes.

Many people all over the world have heard about the Ark of the Covenant as a most sacred relic too holy to go near with penalty of death for anyone venturing to look into it, let alone touch it. The movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark popularized the Ark in recent times, though in Hollywood style. The movie has no element of truth except for the aura of mystery it generates for its viewers.

The holy Ark has been lost for 2,600 years which I shall explain late. Before its disappearance it had been kept in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, a totally unlit cubical room at the very back entered only by the High Priest once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). On that day the High Priest sacrificed a goat and sprinkled its blood on the Mercy Seat as an atonement for the sins of Israel. This Ark was the same as the one built by Moses for the Tabernacle while in Mt. Sinai where God descended and gave the Law (see previous section, ‘Holy Places’ article 1). The command to build this Ark may be found in Exodus 25: 10-22. The plan of the Tabernacle and the placement of the Ark are shown below.

How did the Ark look?

There are no drawings or pictures or other representations of the Ark that has come down to us. It was not meant to be viewed or copied in any manner! We have, however, some detailed description of its construction from which we can get some idea. Yet, there is uncertainty about some details such as how the Cherubim looked like and how they were positioned. Some illustrations of the Ark show the Cherubim with human form and stretched wings standing on top of the Mercy Seat. In other representations the Cherubim are like winged lions with human head and stretched out wings, again standing on top of the Mercy Seat. The Cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Gen. 3:24 as appointed by God to guard the gates of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled. Other mysterious angelic Beings mentioned in Scripture include the Seraphim (Isa. 6:2) and the Living Creatures (Ezek. 1.5; Rev.4:6).

The Ark’s construction is detailed in Exod. 25:17-22 and 37:1-9. Its top was 2½ cubits long and 1½ cubits wide. Its height was also 1½ cubits. The two cherubim on opposite ends of the cover had their wings spread upward and they faced each other. The cherubim and the Ark cover were made of beaten gold, all one piece. The Ark itself was of acacia wood overlaid with gold.

This Ark, kept in the Tabernacle for five hundred years, was finally transferred to Solomon’s Temple. However, 2 Chr.3:10-13 describes two cherubim made of olive wood, overlaid with gold, each ten cubits high with wings stretching five cubits each way; the cherubim faced toward the front of the Temple, and one wing of each touched each other while overshadowing the Ark, while the other wings touched the wall of the inner sanctuary. In other words, these two cherubim were much larger than the cherubim Moses had built, and filled the Holy of Holies. We shall not confuse the cherubim on the cover of the Ark with the larger cherubim Solomon had built.

Let us continue with the story of the Ark. In King David’s time the Ark was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 15-16). His son, King Solomon, built the Temple of larger size, twice the original size (2 Chr. 3:4-13). The Ark was transferred from the tabernacle to the temple where it stayed for 400 years until the Temple was burned by the Babylonian invasion in 586 B.C. as described in 2 Kings 25. The Babylonians took whatever valuables they could find from the Temple. Forty years later Babylonia came under Persian rule, and the Persian ruler Cyrus, in his first year, issued an edict to rebuild the Temple and to return all the articles taken away by the Babylonian ruler. This was about 538 B.C. In the list of articles returned (Ezra 1:9-10) we do not read about the holy vessels in the Holy Place and of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place. Apparently the Babylonians never got them.

What Happened to the Ark?

For the last 2,600 years there have been one speculation after another where the Ark could be, assuming it was not destroyed. Was the Ark secretly smuggled out of Jerusalem to some other country? You have heard of such speculations that the Ark is in Ethiopia, in Egypt, in Scotland, and so on. The Ethiopian version is that the True Ark was secretly taken there in Solomon’s time and a replica Ark was placed in the Temple. These speculations are absurd! Can you imagine mortal men stealing the Ark? Would God have manifested on the Ark if it had been a fake? Since only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies, how would anyone take it out?

So where is the Ark? Did God allow it to be destroyed? There is no scriptural indication of the Ark being destroyed. However, there is reference to the Ark being forgotten. Jer. 3:16 says,

"And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the Covenant of the LORD; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more"(KJV).

This revelation was given to Jeremiah while the Ark was still in the Temple. In Jeremiah’s time, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem took place as he had foretold. So Jeremiah knew well before they came to Jerusalem, but he, like others, were trapped inside the city walls. No one could take anything in or out of the city. But we know the Babylonians did not take the Ark with them. If the Ark had been in the Temple, they would have known where it was. Did they go and look for it before they burned the Temple? One could argue that God did not allow them to enter the Holy of Holies but let the Ark destroy itself in the fire. But none has ever seen a speck of gold from the Ark which should have survived the fire. The Tablets of stone would also have survived, but could not be found either. So this is the mystery of the disappearance of the Ark. Finding the Ark has become an obsession with some people, particularly the Orthodox Jews of Israel who want to rebuild the Temple.

Is the Ark in Jerusalem?

If the Ark has not been destroyed and could not be taken out of Jerusalem, it must be somewhere in Jerusalem, so goes the argument. However, there is no specific ancient record of it being in Jerusalem. The Second Book of Maccabees, part of the Apocrypha, mentions in chapter 2 (verses 4-8) that Jeremiah the prophet by divine revelation secretly removed the Ark and other valuable items from the Temple before its destruction to the mountain which Moses had climbed on before his death. He then sealed the passageway so that nobody could find it till the end times. It would appear from this passage that the Ark and other items are hidden under Mt. Nebo. Ron Wyatt thinks there is a translation error here. The mountain referred must be the mountain Moses saw from where he stood, and this must be Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem. The Apocalypse of Baruch has an account of an angel removing the Ark and putting it away in a secret place underground.

In his book, ‘Temple Treasures‘ (Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 1994), Bible scholar and explorer Dr. Randall Price states that at least three rabbis in Jerusalem have claimed they have seen the Ark or have been very close to it. Their accounts(not identical) indicate the Ark is kept in a room or cave deep underneath the Temple Mount, but directly beneath the Holy of Holies. A secret excavation was under way in 1981 to close in on the Ark when the Moslems heard of it and sealed the tunnel entrance with concrete with the blessing of the Israeli government. During my Israel trip in December 1998 our tour group passed through the ‘Rabbi’s tunnel’, the passage way between the hidden part of the Western Wall to the north and the Jewish buildings. At one point we were shown by our Israeli guide the closed entrance way at right angles to the tunnel we were in, pointing to the direction of the Holy of Holies. Upon subsequent interviews with these rabbis the interviewers found that the claims of seeing the Arks were not reliable.

Ron Wyatt’s Claim of the Discovery of the Ark

I have introduced Ron Wyatt several times in my previous articles. He founded the Wyatt Archaeological Research (W.A.R.), which is based in Tennessee. During his spare time after work in a local hospital he visited eastern Turkey, Mt. Sinai, Red Sea Crossing, and other places with biblical history and events. Ron was a devout Christian who carried out his exploration from own savings and with contributions from others without trying to cash on his discoveries. My wife and I joined a tour with him in Israel, Jordan and eastern border of Sinai, Through his newsletters (published since September 1992), his videos and booklets I had gathered much information of his discoveries. Ron departed this life at God’s appointed time on August 4, 1999 at the age of 66 after a period of illness. The trip he made to Israel in December 98 which I had joined was his last.

His first article on the Ark of the Covenant appeared in the fourth issue, July 1993 with a sketch of the Ark and a mention of the dried blood he collected from the Mercy Seat. This was more than eleven years after his ‘discovery’ of the Ark. The next major article appeared in July 1995 (#12) which is available as a booklet. This article detailed his explorations and initial sighting of the Ark on January 6, 1982. However, Ron had to find another way to enter the cave in which the Ark is kept. This took apparently another ten years, hence the delay in reporting about the Ark. His reluctance to reveal more details is due to confidentiality agreements with the Israeli authorities who are aware of his findings.

The articles Ron specifically mentioned as found in the Chamber or nearby include: the stalactite blocking his entrance in January 1982 when he entered the top space of the chamber; an ivory pomegranate, partly broken and an oil lamp with drawing of a ram or a goat standing on its hind legs (reminds us of the ram in the thicket in the story of Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac). The whereabouts of this pomegranate is not known. Interestingly, an ivory pomegranate with inscriptions in ancient Hebrew (‘Holy to the priests, belonging to the house of Yahweh’) came to the possession of the Israeli museum in 1988 (which the authorities now disclaim as fraud without convincing reason) The museum piece was exhibited as the only relic from Solomon’s Temple at a special exhibit in Washington, DC November 1993 with detailed pictures and description. That this is not the same item Ron described is obvious from the fact that Andre Lemaire the famous French scholar had published articles about it in 1979 and 1984 with pictures, the second one in BAR January 1984 issue. The picture of the pomegranate in the picture collage below is of the Israeli museum piece. The oil lamp mentioned above was against the original entrance at the bottom of the chamber. The soot on one side indicated the wind pattern, and from this Ron traced the original entrance. Those who brought the Ark items used oil lamps, and there were several found left in the chamber. A collage of these items, made from pictures published in Anchor Stone Insider, February 2002 issue by Bill Fry is shown below with permission. The stalactite piece and the oil lamp are in the custody of Ron’s group.

In my recent trip to Israel, Ron took our tour group to an underground quarry known as Zedekiah’s Cave which I have mentioned in a previous article. The passageway he found to enter the Cave was through a tunnel of about 400 ft long out of Zedekiah’s Cave (actually quarry), but he did not show us the entrance. So far he has visited the Cave where the Ark is about twenty times. He told us that people who tried to find their way, sixteen of them so far at various times, never made it; they all died.

Ron had divine permission to see the Ark, he believes. His first sighting of the Ark in 1982 was through a narrow opening through which he had to crawl, and he found he had entered the top clearance of a nearly filled up cave. He recognized golden items through animal skins covering everything, and then a stone box with a lid that had separated a bit to allow him to shine a light through. He recognized the Ark was in that stone box. There was nothing much he could do. Later on, miraculously, the Ark was found to have been taken out of the stone box, and Ron was allowed by a guarding angel to examine its contents. The entire cave chamber had been cleaned up, and the Ark and the Temple objects placed on the floor in their proper positions in the Temple. There was a mysterious illumination in the chamber. The closed passageway Ron was looking for was found open, and he could exit from the cave that way to Zedekiah’s Cave. For more details, see Bill Fry’s web site, www.anchorstone.com/wyatt, Research update May 16, 2000 on the Ark of the Covenant. He found the Cave was protected by God’s angels, at least four of them. They helped him to examine the Ark and its contents. The two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, a large sword, an ephod (the High Priest’s outer garment) and four of the five scrolls of the Books of Moses in original language were all inside.

Although Ron took a video with permission from the angel speaking to him, he decided not to take it with him home because he was told not to release it until God’s time has come. Ron did take the video to his hotel, watched it and then returned to the chamber where the angel placed it in a niche in the wall.

Ron did take some sample of the blood from the crack above the chamber (also perhaps from the top of the lid) and I understand that this is the sample he took to the Israeli lab for chromosome analysis. Another sample taken from the crack near the Cross hole was brought back home where some ultramicroscopic inspection was done that showed ‘live’ sub-micron size particles (‘somatids’) in it (as shown in the Wyatt video on the Ark of the Covenant, Part I). However, this sample did not show any evidence of chromosomes.

What did the Ark look like? Ron got an artist to draw a sketch of the Ark, and that is all we have now to get an idea of how the Ark looks like. The representation of the Ark shown below (Courtesy: www.wyattmuseum.com) may be found in the Wyatt museum in Cornersville, TN.

Contrary to popular representations of the Ark, the two golden Cherubim are standing on the ground facing each other and seem to hold the Ark’s lid which fits on the box when lowered. The edges of the top lid have pomegranate and bells moulded on to it. The Ark is 4 ft and 3½ in. long and its height is 2 ft and 7 in. The Ark is described in Exod. 25:17-21. Upon the golden Mercy Seat was found puddles of dried blood on the right and left sides.

The Ark and The Cross

We know the High Priest sprinkled animal blood once every year on the Mercy Seat after entering the dark Holy of Holies. There must have been the light shining there from the Presence of God, the Shekinah Glory. That is why there was no need of artificial light inside.

The New Testament declared that Christ’s shedding of blood on the Cross was the real culmination of the animal blood sacrifices which merely pointed to the shedding of the Precious blood of the Savior. Only Christ’s blood could really atone for mankind’s sin.

The Jewish High Priests continued the blood sacrifices even when Jesus was on earth. They did not recognize Him as the Son of God, the Supreme Sacrifice. They continued the sacrifices till AD 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem City. But the apostles preached salvation through the atoning death of Christ after His resurrection. The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament elaborates and establishes the Sacrifice of Christ which made it unnecessary to continue animal sacrifices.

Christ’s Blood Literally Fell on the Mercy Seat

I have kept the best part for the last purposely. So far the Ark was presented in isolation, having no connection with the Cross except for the symbolic death of Christ and the shedding of His blood. But can you believe that God wanted a literal fulfillment of Christ’s atonement for mankind? This fulfillment would involve Christ’s blood literally falling on the Mercy Seat of the Ark.

For a short video clip of Ron’s talk of the analysis of the blood in an Israeli lab, click here.

Let me take you back to the Crucifixion scene. You may want to go back to the article, ‘The Real Calvary and the Real Holy Sepulcher‘ under ‘Holy Places‘ on this website. The very last picture there showed the site Ron Wyatt discovered of the Crucifixion in front of the Calvary escarpment. The present ground level is 10-14 ft above the Roman level. The Cross was erected on the bedrock which had a square hole cut into it. Ron found this rock had a crack in it and the crack extended 25 ft down.

Now I can tell you the rest of the story. When Ron found his way to the upper part of the cave in which the Ark is kept, he noticed dried blood above through a crack. This was verified to be the same crack he had seen on the bedrock. Then he found that the stone box in which the Ark was resting had its lid broken into two and separated. The implication is obvious. When the soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, his blood flowed down through the crack and drops of blood fell on the Mercy Seat! Later on, when Ron was able to go into the cave and inspect the Ark, he found dried blood on the Mercy Seat, with animal blood on one side and human blood on the other. This was verified by blood analysis on samples he brought back to America. In a two page leaflet Ron issued in mid-1993 and on his video, ‘Presentation of Discoveries’, based on a live presentation a few years back, the blood work results are mentioned. Essentially, it was human blood of a male; there were only 24 chromosomes in the white blood cells (the red cells do not have genetic information). What this implies is that Christ had only half the number of chromosomes normal humans have, half of 46, plus a Y chromosome which had to come from a non-human source, and that source has to be the Heavenly Father! It is possible that further blood analysis will be done in the future, but Ron would prefer the scientific world confirm that the sample he brought is from the Ark, and presently there is no way to do that. So any further blood analysis results would be subject to the same kind of skepticism that Ron’s critics have raised. I shall mention another blood analysis on Christ’s blood in the next article on the Shroud.

A representation of the Cross – Ark Connection is shown in the sketch below. Ron’s Museum in Cornersville, Tennessee has a display of his sketch. The following sketch is my own drawing based on Wyatt’s concept of the flow of blood from the Cross to the Mercy Seat.

THE ARK AND THE CROSS

When the Romans erected the Cross on Calvary, they had no idea of the significance of the location. When the earth shook and the rocks split when Christ died, no one realized the ultimate purpose of it. When Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army destroyed the Temple in 586 B.C. they had no idea what happened to the Ark. But God had a Master Plan. The Ark signified God’s presence, but when Jesus walked on the earth, God’s bodily presence was with man, hence the Ark was not needed in the Temple. Furthermore, Christ;s blood had to literally fall on the Mercy Seat. All these were wonderfully fulfilled when Christ died on Calvary!

Would the Ark be Reinstalled?

In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel there is a detailed description of a future Temple (Ezek. 40-48), considered to be the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem built after Christ defeats the Antichrist and establishes His kingdom on earth and restores the Chosen People fully. There is no mention of the Ark in this description. There is no need for blood sacrifices. If the Ark is restored, it could be kept as a memorial. If the glory of God is to be manifested again on it, it would simply mean that God’s presence would be in the Temple all the time. The Temple Scroll discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls does indicate that all the holy vessels lost from the First Temple will be recovered in the end times. There is the possibility of the Jewish people building a Temple in Jerusalem before Antichrist appears as inferred from Revelation Chapter 11.

The World Net Daily Internet newspaper published a cover story on the Ark of the Covenant on August 9, 1999, just a few days after Ron’s death. WND had done a telephone interview with Ron whose last days were far approaching. Even at his deathbed he affirmed his statements on the Ark of the Covenant.

Ron Wyatt Speaking in Zedekiah’s Cave on the Ark of the Covenant, December 1998

UPDATE October 2004
A new book, The Blood of Jesus on the Ark of the Covenant by J. L. Harris (Publish America, 2003) narrates the author’s journey from near ignorance to full understanding of God’s plan for the blood of Jesus, that it should literally fall on the Mercy Seat. The final revelation to him came when he found Ron Wyatt’s name associated with the rediscovery of the Ark in a cave and Ron’s further discovery of the blood of Jesus having fallen on the Mercy Seat. Harris recognized Ron Wyatt as an ‘apostle’ of Christ in these last days. Harris has never met Ron. He was led to conduct a Bible code search on Ron, and sure enough, he found RONWYATT coded (both in the English and the Hebrew texts) in several places in the Bible. He found also ‘Arkcave’ and ‘Arkfound’ encoded in the Bible. Harris considers these findings reinforce his belief of the divine nature of the revelations received by Ron Wyatt.

UPDATE: January 30, 2006: Ron Wyatt Bible Code ties to Ark of the Covenant

Ron Wyatt who is featured on this site for his discoveries is a target of the skeptics for his astonishing claims, especially regarding the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant. Yet he has withstood the assaults time and again. It is only a matter of time before his discovery of the Ark of the Covenant in Jeruslalem in a cave chamber beneath the Crucifixion site will be fully vindicated. Bible Codes have been used to strengthen the credibility of important past events and personalities. Recently Friedhelm Turnwald from Germany has found several RONWYATT codes in the KJV OT: Words and word combinations found associated with the RONWYATT name include ARK OF THE COVENANT, BLOOD, and JERUSALEM. See examples below.

Special Presentation on the Ark of the Covenant
A special slide show is available on the Ark of the Covenant which examines its history, reperesentations, significance and discovery in recent times. This show may be conducted separately or in association with a show on Bible Discoveries (see Flyer on Home Page). Please contact the author.

The Most Sacred Piece of Cloth

The most sacred and priceless piece of cloth on earth is a rectangular piece of ancient linen cloth 14 ft 3 in. long and 3 ft 7 in. wide (434 cm x 109 cm, almost 4:1 ratio), kept with great care in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Duomo San Giovanni) in Turin, Italy. Why is it so sacred and priceless? I shall show below that it is the actual burial cloth of Jesus which has a miraculous imprint of his full body with all the wound marks and body contour registered on it as a faint sepia colored image. This cloth shows how Jesus looked, what types of wounds he received at the Crucifixion, and it proclaims the resurrection of Jesus in great power.

How did this piece of cloth reach Turin? What kind of evidences exist to prove it is the burial cloth of Jesus? You have heard of a 1988 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud which showed it was only less than 700 years old, and is not the real Shroud of Christ. How do we counter that? In the following paragraphs I shall summarize the Shroud history and research to the present.

For those of you have access to the Internet, there are many Shroud sites, and perhaps the most extensive is http://www.shroud.com. There are Shroud conferences taking place all the time in different parts of the world where Shroud experts present the latest findings. Books on the Shroud (both pro and con) are also available. My interest in Shroud study started in the early 1980s and ever since I have been following the Shroud history and research.

How Does the Shroud Look?

For starters a picture of the Shroud would be most appropriate. For the last 450 years until 1998 the Shroud had been kept rolled in a silver casket. When I first visited the Cathedral in April 1993, the Shroud in the silver casket was protected by bullet proof glass walls. Pictures of the casket and the Cathedral are shown below.

From June 21-July 23, 2002 a major restoration of the Shroud was undertaken with permission from the Archdiocese of Turing and the Vatican. The patches on the Shroud from the 1534 repair after the fire in the Chambery Chapel where the Shroud had been kept were removed by textile restoration experts, and the Holland backing cloth was also removed. The creases were straightened. A lighter Holland cloth was used as the new backing and also to fill the removed areas by invisible patching. The repair experts were Mechthild Flury Lemberg (Swiss) and Irene Tomedi.

The photograph released on September 21, 2002 of the ‘new’ Shroud is shown below. For more information visit www.shroud.com

The first public exposition of the Shroud that I could attend was the one held in 1998 April through June for two months in the same Cathedral. It was a most memorable event, and 2.6 million pilgrims came to see it. The exhibition was carried out in a most reverential manner, yet without fanfare. Crowd control was by advance free tickets issued before travel. The long line of viewers were led in small groups in front of the Shroud, as close as 10 ft, for a few minutes. That was enough time for me to take some non-flash pictures and video. The pictures taken in such short time cannot be expected to match those of professional quality; the video gave surprisingly clear image. The Shroud image shown below may be found in many Shroud publications. The image contrast has been increased for better viewing. The top corner patch is after removal of linen samples for radiocarbon dating.

You may be able to see the faint image in the picture, but close-up pictures are available for further inspection. The left half of the body image is the front view; the right half gives the back view. The feet are at the extremes.

The Shroud image shows the full front and back side of an unclothed male nearly 6 ft tall, with a beard and moustache. If the image does not look realistic, it is because it is a negative. The positive image is obtained by viewing the negative film! The positive image is shown below. The image, in black and white, is what one would see on the negative. Some image enhancement has been done to increase contrast.

It was in 1898 the first photograph (black and white) was taken. Secundo Pia of Turin, a lawyer and amateur photographer photographed the Shroud using glass plates. When he washed the negative plates he was overwhelmed to find a positive image, and realized he was watching the body of the Crucified Jesus!. I have seen the bellow type large box camera Pia used, now kept in a Shroud Museum in Turin. It was in 1931 the first colorized photograph was taken (by Giuseppe Enrie). The true color photo was taken in 1969.

There have been public expositions of the Shroud from time to time. In the 20^th century there were expos in 1931, 1933 and 1978. The last one was a phenomenal event attended by three million people, but the crowd control was poor, with long waiting. After the expo, in October, about 40 scientists (a good many from USA) were allowed to do non-destructive tests on the Shroud for five days, though some threads were removed for microscopic examination. This study group is known as STURP. The next major study of the Shroud was a destructive test done in 1988 by removing postage stamp size pieces of the Shroud linen from a non-image area from a corner. The Shroud shows several patches of dark areas following a fire in the chapel where it had been kept in 1532 AD. The Shroud was in a folded state, and the spacing of these patches reveal how the cloth had been folded. There is a backing cloth also to protect it. The edges are protected by strips of linen. Since the 1998 expo, the Shroud is kept in a climate controlled frame, fully stretched and readily viewed. However, it is stored away when not shown. The most recent public expo was held August 12 to October 22 of AD 2000, and close to a million pilgrims viewed it. One has to wait another 25 years for the next expo planned for AD 2025. The Shroud is now kept locked behind a curtain in the Turin Cathedral in the new showcase made for the expos.

How Did the Shroud Get to Turin?

If the Shroud truly originated in Jerusalem, how did it reach Turin in northwestern Italy? We know for sure that the Dukes of Savoy owned the Shroud since 1453 AD, and when their capital was moved from Chambery, France to Turin in 1578, the Shroud was brought to Turin. The last King of Italy, Umberto II of the Savoy family was its final individual owner. He ruled only for a month in 1946 and spent the rest of his life in Portugal where he died in 1983. Before his death he gave the control of the Shroud to the Pope. The Archbishop of Turin is the local custodian of the Shroud.

This leads us to the next question: how did it get to France? The Shroud was first publicly exhibited in a small church in Lirey, France in 1357, and again in 1389. At that time bishop Pierre d’Arcy protested it was a fake, but the Pope ignored it because the charges could not be substantiated. A painting of the Shroud image was made in the 17^th century (some time after the fire), which also showed how Jesus’ body was wrapped in the Shroud. See below.

While the Shroud was kept in Chambery, in 1532 a fire broke out in the chapel where it had been kept, as already mentioned. Molten silver burned the corners (the Shroud was kept folded, not rolled). It was rescued quickly; fortunately no damage was done to the image area. The next big fire occurred exactly a year before the last expo in 1998. Though the Shroud chapel was nearly burned out inside, the Shroud was rescued after breaking open the glass case.

Ian Wilson, the renowned Shroud historian in his book ‘The Shroud of Turin’ (1979) has put together a complete history of the Shroud, filling up the missing years. Wilson’s book is a classic. The Shroud came to France from Constantinople when the city was sacked by the Latin Christians from the west in 1204 AD. The Crusader knights played a big part in this raid. The Knight Templars had great reverence for holy objects, and they knew about the Shroud. It is believed they secretly smuggled it to France, their country of residence. The name of Geoffrey de Charny, the Knight Templar has surfaced, and we know he was beheaded by the King of France along with other Knights. The Lirey exhibit was carried out by the widow of another Geoffrey de Charny, suspected to be related to Geoffrey. In other words, the Shroud was passed on for safe keeping in the same family. The last survivor of this family bequeathed the Shroud to the Duke of Savoy in 1453 AD.

How did the Shroud arrive in Constantinople? The Byzantine empire capital was Constantinople (now, Istanbul, since its capture by the Moslems in 1453 AD). The emperor had it delivered it to him from Edessa 944 AD by the Sultan there under threat of a siege. It was in Constantinople the Shroud first was taken out of its show box and fully spread out. For the first time the faint front and back image was noticed. Paintings were made. The Shroud was reverentially exhibited periodically.

The final track is the Edessa connection. Where is Edessa? It is in southern Turkey under the name, Urfa. Would you believe this Urfa was the real Ur of the Chaldees where Abraham was born? Archaeologists have misled us by showing us another Ur near the mouth of the Persian Gulf as the birth place.

Edessa became a Christian center probably in the middle of the first century. The legendary King Abgar who had sent for Jesus to come and heal him became a Christian after he was healed by a cloth that was put on him (St.Jude or Addai is believed to have brought the cloth from Jerusalem). This cloth was most likely the Shroud. Unfortunately, after his death, the next rulers became anti-Christian, and the devout people hid it in the city wall till 525 AD. The Shroud had never been fully opened, but was folded again and again to show only the face, which came to be known as the Mandylion. A flood in 525 revealed the Mandylion which was moved to the Church of Hagia Sophia. In the following years the Shroud face was copied into paintings and on to coins. Later on, Edessa came under Moslem rule and the Shroud came to the possession of the Sultan there. The map below shows the main locations where the Shroud resided.

How Do We Know the Shroud is Genuine?

This is a valid question that needs to be answered satisfactorily in our scientific age. The Shroud image has been studied with the aid of the most sophisticated scientific instruments and analytical techniques. Further investigations have been carried out by forensic analysis, numismatic (coin) studies and by checking ancient crucifixion and burial customs, particularly in first century Roman Palestine, The gospel accounts provide a most valuable resource in identifying the Shroud image as that of Jesus of Nazareth. The total amount of investigative work to too large to be covered here; only highlights will be presented. Detailed information may be found from books published on the Shroud and from Shroud websites such as http://www.shroud.com.

The Gospel evidence (see also Shroud pictures to follow)

Let me start with the gospel evidence first before I deal with the scientific and other investigations.

All the four gospels cover vividly the trial, torture, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus, though some gospels give more details than others. No one else in history passed through all these five phases. In Roman times criminals were hastily sentenced to death by crucifixion. In the case of Jesus the trial was a mockery of justice, and the torture was excessive. Jesus had wounds received by scourging, the crown of thorns, the fall on the way while he was alive, and a spear wound after he was dead. It was his tortured dead body that was placed hastily on the linen cloth (instead of the usual garment) for a quick burial because of the approaching Sabbath. Yet there was time for a quick washing followed by anointing with spices and adorning with some flowers.

The following is a tabulated list of gospel references and comparisons with the Shroud. In Greek of the New Testament the Shroud is ‘Sindon’ (Italian, ‘sindone’). It may be pointed out that the gospel of John mentions smaller pieces of cloth (‘Othonia’) used as chin bands. There is a facial cloth piece known as the ‘Oveido cloth’ kept in a cathedral in Oveido, Spain. This cloth does not show any image, but some blood marks are seen. There is evidence that this also came from the Tomb of Jesus. It is most likely the sudarium mentioned in John’s gospel (John 20:7).

Gospel account	Reference	Shroud evidence
1. Jesus was scourged	Matt. 27:26 (also Mk. & Jn)	Body covered with severe scourge wounds, as many as 120 on the back (including the legs). Whipping was done probably a Roman flagrum. Evidence for two men whipping from two angles.
2. Jesus was struck a blow to the face	Mt. 27:30 (also Mk, Lk, Jn)	Severe swelling below the right eye; nose is swollen or broken.
3. Jesus was ‘crowned’ with thorns	Matt. 27:29 (also Mk, Jn)	Bleeding from the scalp; thorn fragments.
4. Jesus had to carry a heavy Cross	Jn 19:17	Shoulder wounds
5. Jesus’ Cross had to be carried for him after a while	Mt.27:32 (also Mk, Lk)	Knees appear to be severely damaged as if from repeated falls.
6. Jesus was crucified by nailing hand and feet	Jn 20:25	Clear blood flows from nail wounds in the wrists and feet.
7. Jesus’ legs were not broken, but a spear was thrust into his side	Jn 19:31-37	The legs are not broken; there is an elliptical would on the right between the 5th and the 6th side rib and appears to have been inflicted by a Roman lance.
8. Jesus had a Jewish lineage	Matt. 1:16	Shroud face resembles that of a Sephardic Jew.

The man of the Shroud was about 6 ft tall; had a beard and moustache. Perhaps parted hair. Middle aged (ca. 30 years old). Eyes appeared to be closed with something round.Medical evidence

Death probably occurred by asphyxiation as happens with crucifixion victims. But other causes could also be cited. The body image would suggest no decay, hence no prolonged stay in the tomb. The thumbs do not show because they would be pulled inward by reflex action of nerves when nailing through the wrists. Nailing through the wrists alone would have supported the body weight. Popular medieval Crucifixion painting show nailing through the palms. Blood flow pattern confirms crucifixion. The lance would have penetrated the heart.

Pollen and flower fragments; wood cells

Max Frei, a Swiss criminologist examined the Shroud fibers between 1973 and 1983, and identified 58 types of pollen from plant species on the shroud from Jerusalem, Turkey, France and Italy. Some of the flower fragments point to flowers blossoming in the Jerusalem area in March-April. Jesus’ crucifixion date is believed to be April 6, 30 AD. More recently tiny wood cells from the scalp area have been identified with Oak (commonly used wood for Crucifixion). A recently published(1999) book, ‘Flora of the Shroud of Turin’ based on Israeli botanist Avinoam Danin’s work clearly identifies flowers and plant stems found on the shroud as originating from Israel; even the thorny plant used for the ‘crown of thorns’ has been identified.Fabric weaving

The weaving pattern is described as a ‘3:1 herringbone’, a rather expensive type. There is evidence of the previous use of the same weaving mill used for cotton, and points to a Middle Eastern origin.Scientific tests

The 1978 study of the Shroud revealed the image was not a painting or the result of vapor action. The outermost fibrils of the cloth on the body side show the light yellow-brown color. The fibers appear to have been discolored by dehydration and oxidation of the topmost fibers closer to the body, resembling but not identical to a scorch image. The intensity of the discoloration varies in inverse proportion to the distance from the body. If some type of radiation was the source, it appears to have acted perpendicular to the body surface. The image has no distortion. The cloth had to be stretched flat to produce this effect! Furthermore, the hair appears to be flowing down as if the body were vertical. There is some indication of something like x-radiation producing image of the bone structure of the teeth and other areas. No one really knows for sure what types of radiation were involved in the image formation.

Reddish stains near the wound marks have been confirmed to be due to human blood. An AB type male blood has been identified (common in northern Palestine). DNA analysis has been possible but only about 350 of the three billion base pairs have been left in the blood fragments.Archaeological evidence

In 1968 a skeleton of a Jewish male belonging to the time AD 70 was excavated from the area near Jerusalem. There was a 7 inch (18 cm) long nail found pinned to the feet. The wrists had pierced marks. The Shroud image indicates the nails were struck through the wrists, not through the palms of the hand as popularly shown (one medical doctor recently has questioned Barbet’s 1931 theory of nailing through the wrists, and suggests that the nail went obliquely from the thumb side of the palm to the lower back of the palm). Iconographic evidence

Early Christian art and some Byzantine coins portrayed the holy face of Christ, and the earliest of these date back to AD 550, and is a painting kept in St. Catherine’s Monastery in Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa). This is the renowned Christ Pantocrator painting made with reference to the Shroud facial image. Then we have a gold solidus coin struck by the Byzantine emperor Justinian II in AD 692-95 with the face of Christ. Some holy face paintings held in reverence by the medieval knights also should be mentioned. Using a Polaroid overlay technique, former Duke University professor Alan Whanger and his wife Mary have studied these carefully and compared to the Shroud face. The points of congruence are significantly high, indicating that it is the Shroud face that is represented on these paintings and coin. This means the Shroud, at least in its folded form, the Mandylion, was known then. The picture below shows the Pantocrator painting, the gold solidus and the Shroud face for comparison. Other sixth century icons include the mosaics found on the ceiling of the Cathedral of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

Here is a later Byzantine bronze coin (‘Follis’) you can find with coin dealers. I acquired one recently. On the one side is clearly the Shroud face, and the other side has the inscription, ‘ihsus KRISTUS BASILE BASIL’ which means ‘Jesus Christ King of Kings’. This coin belongs to the period AD 976-1025 during the reigns of Basil and Constantine. Since the Shroud is reported to have arrived Constantinople in AD 944, this coin may be considered to commemorate the event.

Numismatic evidence

The two suspected coins placed on the eyes are believed to be Pilate coins, small bronze coins issued AD 30 or 31. Earlier attempts to identify the right eye coin seemed to reveal the letters UCAI and a lituus (the auger wand with a top end like a shepherd’s crook) at the center. All available Pilate coins with the lituus show the name of the Roman emperor at the time, Tiberius Caesar in Greek letters, TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC where the C, P and Y should sound like our S,R, and U respectively. It was thought that UCAI is an altered or even a mis-spelled form of Y KAI. A coin in the collection of Fr. Filas in Layola University in Chicago seemed to show the same letters. Later on, the coin on the left eye was conjectured to be a Julia coin (also issued by Pilate) with a simpulum (like a ladle) at the center. See pictures of these earlier identification below

Canadian numismatist Jean-Philippe Fontanille questions the above identification of the letters, and the identification of the left eye coin. He points out that the C letter is never found used in place of K in all the known Pilate coins. By enhancing the coin areas he has shown that both eyes were covered by similar Pilate coins; the right eye coin had the letters OY KAI APOC of the full name TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC (note the spacing between Y and K; the space between I and A should have the letter C which is missing) ; the left eye coin shows the letters TIBEPIOY. The obverse of the Pilate coins usually have the date indicator LIZ or LIH corresponding to the year 30 and 31 of the Christian era(LIZ and LIH mean Year 17 and Year18 respectively, from the accession of Tiberius Caesar). However, this side cannot be seen on the image. Two possible dates for the Crucifixion are April 6, AD 30 and April 1, AD 33 The LIZ coin may have been in circulation in April 30, and was definitely available in April 33. The LIH dated coin would also be available in AD 33. An interesting bit of information that may be added is that the birth of Christ is also given two possible dates: Sep 11, BC 3 (according to Dr. Earnest Martin) and Sep 27 BC 2 (according to Dr. Jerome Johnson). The latter date gives exactly 33½ years for the life of Christ and may be the more reliable dating . For more details on these dates, read ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ by Martin (ASK Publications), and ‘At The Right Time’ by Johnson (Bathkol Books, 1998).

The following picture collage is based on images extracted from the Shroud eye area image by Jean-Philippe Fontanille in Montral, Canada and sent to the author. In his book, ‘The Coins of Pontius Pilate’ (Shangri La Publications, July 2001), Jean-Philippe has identified the right eye coin as in the collage, but the left eye coin was not clearly identified, though an attempt was made to identify the AD 29 Pilate coin known as Julia lepton with three barleys and a simpulum as claimed by Dr.Alan Whanger who had used his polarized overlay technique (see pp. 92-96 of the above book). His later identification of the left eye coin as shown in the collage, not in his book, indicates that it is a Pilate lepton with a lituus similar to the one on the right eye.

Image magnification and enhancement

With the aid of a VP-8 Image analyzer, Sandia Laboratory scientists John Jackson and Eric Jumper were able to show that the Shroud image has three dimensional features unlike a photographic image. The 3-D reconstruction of the body is shown below. The manufacturer of the VP-8 Analyzer who watched it had a life changing experience!

Radiocarbon dating of the shroud

Radiocarbon (C-14) dating of the Shroud was conducted in 1988 on almost identical samples taken from it. Three labs capable of conducting the newly developed AMS (accelerometer mass spectrometry) carbon dating were the university labs in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona. They all came up with an age of 1260 to 1390 AD, and not 30 AD or earlier as expected. This was the most damaging evidence brought against the authenticity of the Shroud.

Shroud Skeptics

There are some stubborn skeptics of the Shroud out there who have published articles and books denouncing the Shroud as the work of a medieval artist. Chicago microscopist Walter McCrone examined a few Shroud fibers and concluded the image was made up of iron oxide and vermilion paint, and that the Shroud should be of medieval origin. McCrone has been repeatedly proven wrong about this, yet he adheres to his belief. Joe Nickell is another avowed skeptic. Some others, including some university researchers, have tried to create an image using ‘medieval’ techniques. There is also the view that the Shroud image was created by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 16^th century. A primitive photographic exposure has been proposed (even attempted) by another set of Shroud critics. The radiocarbon dating gave medieval age as mentioned before, and the general public has been made to believe it is true.

The truth is, the Shroud image still baffles the scientists. They cannot duplicate it and they cannot explain it. The attempts by the critics to discredit the Shroud have not been successful. We should, however, look into the radiocarbon dating of the Shroud more critically, and this is where I am leading you.

To the skeptics list may be added new names as time goes on. One can read the more recent publications about a ‘reproduction’ of the shroud image by carbon dust (not really a close match!), an attempt to prove that Jesus did not really die but was in a coma, and so on.

What went Wrong with the Radiocarbon Dating?

Various theories have been proposed on how the radiocarbon dating could be in error. Among the views are: (1) C-14 was formed during the radiation event supposedly associated with the dematerialization of Christ’s body. (2) linen fibers may show higher proportion of C-14 with respect to C-12 (normal carbon isotope), (3) the samples taken were from later patch-ups. (4).the 1532 AD fire effect: that the overheated fabric reacted with new carbon dioxide produced in the fire, and changed the C-12 to C-14 ratio to higher C-14 content. Two Russian scientists have some experimental evidence to support this theory. (5) the specimens were contaminated (the samples were taken from a corner which had scorch and water marks nearby).

While the above proposals are of speculative nature, a remarkably new finding has been made of ancient fibers handled by human hands. Dr. Garza-Valdes, a San Antonio (Texas) medical practitioner and microbiologist has found evidence of a ‘bioplastic’ coating on ancient fibers made by certain bacteria. This coating is invisible, solvent resistant and claimed to be significantly thick.

The bioplastic coating theory and how the coating would have significantly altered the dating have been challenged by some scientists. More study is needed. There is also the need to repeat the Russian study on overheated linen.

Quite recently (later 2001), the speculation about taking the sample from a medieval patch has been resurrected by Joseph Marino and Sue Benford who attempt toshow by photographs that the sampled area indeed is a medieval patch (article posted Dec 23, 2001 on www.shroud.com website. If this is true, the radiocarbon dating is not to blame, but the sampling.

Conclusion

The overwhelming evidence is that the Shroud image is that of Jesus who was crucified by the Romans, but buried by Jewish disciples. The formation of the image is nothing short of phenomenal, and is still a mystery. To produce the perfect image we see, a lot more than we know had to take place.

As a believer in the authenticity of the Shroud, and as a Christian, I am excited about this most valuable relic which validates the fateful events in the last days of Christ on this earth. It also proclaims to the world the Resurrection, for without it there would be no image.

Like all the other Bible evidences that God has given to our generation, the Shroud should be considered a gift from God to validate His Word and to enlighten us with wonderful truths.

Further reading

In addition to the Shroud websites (which contain numerous articles) you can visit, there are excellent informative articles published by Shroud researchers and enthusiasts. A few years ago, there were ‘Shroud shows’ going around the USA with exhibit panels including a life size Kodak transparency of the Shroud, and it happened to come in 1989 to a Church in Pennsylvania and I was able to watch it. The exhibit items are now stored away except for the full size image panels..

(From the most recent to 1979):1. DNA of God?2. The Shroud of Turin3. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin4. The Blood and the Shroud5. Unlocking the Secrets of the Shroud6 The Mysterious Shroud7. Report on the Shroud of Turin8 Verdict on the Shroud9. The Shroud of Turin

Videos on the Shroud: excellent videos are available on the Shroud. Perhaps the best so far is the TLC video (The Learning Channel), ‘In Pursuit of the Shroud’, released 1998 by Discovery Communications Inc.

by Ian Wilson (Doubleday, 1979) by Kenneth E. Stevenson and Gary R. Habermas (Branbury Books, 1981) by John H. Heller (Houston Mifflin Company, 1983) by Ian Wilson and Vernon Miller (Double Day, 1988) by Gilbert R. Lavoie (Thomas More Press 1997) by Ian Wilson (The Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 1998) by John C. Iannone (Alba House, NY, 1998) by Mary and Alan Whanger (Providence Home Publishers, 1998) by Dr. Leoncio A. Garza-Valdes (Double Day, 1999)