Thursday, January 27, 2005

REENTER THE SHROUD OF TURIN?

Turin shroud 'older than thought' (BBC)
The Shroud of Turin is much older than suggested by radiocarbon dating carried out in the 1980s, according to a new study in a peer-reviewed journal.

A research paper published in Thermochimica Acta suggests the shroud is between 1,300 and 3,000 years old.

The author dismisses 1988 carbon dating tests which concluded that the linen sheet was a medieval fake.

[...]

The author, Raymond Rogers, who has been working on the Shroud for years, claims that the 1988 tests accidentally included threads from a medieval patch used to repair it.

UPDATE (28 January): Over at Hypotyposeis, Stephen Carlson, a man of many talents, has a detailed discussion of the chemistry and methodologies behind these claims. Bottom line: he's skeptical.

UPDATE: On the ANE list, Joe Zias says that it is obvious to anyone who knows about first-century Jewish burial customs that the Shroud is a medieval relic.

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