I’m reading a fascinating new book that came out last year on the Shroud of Turin.
I did not realize the scientists who conducted the C14 dating refused to release all the data, and it was only obtained from Oxford in 2017 after someone filed a freedom of information act claim.
I also did not realize the date range from Oxford was so different from the other two labs, and placed the cloth well before the lifetime of the bishop who claimed to have interviewed the creator of the shroud. Or that the bishop had a mistress and was trying to raise money to build a cathedral and was worried pilgrimages to the shroud would eat into his revenue.
I also did not realize the Oxford team removed some of the sample because it was “contaminated” by cotton threads from medieval repairs, but the other two labs didn’t.
Or that the reported weight of the samples if extrapolated out to the entire shroud would make it significantly heavier than it is.
Or that several statisticians reviewed the calculations and determined they were significantly flawed.
Or that scientists have been able to take ancient cloths and manipulate them through radiation so their C14 date reflect the middle ages.
Or that new x-ray tests conducted on the shroud indicate an age closer to 2,000 years old.
Unfortunately, the book is in French, so it may not be accessible to many people. But I highly recommend it. Hopefully, an English translation comes out soon.
I did not realize the scientists who conducted the C14 dating refused to release all the data, and it was only obtained from Oxford in 2017 after someone filed a freedom of information act claim.
I also did not realize the date range from Oxford was so different from the other two labs, and placed the cloth well before the lifetime of the bishop who claimed to have interviewed the creator of the shroud. Or that the bishop had a mistress and was trying to raise money to build a cathedral and was worried pilgrimages to the shroud would eat into his revenue.
I also did not realize the Oxford team removed some of the sample because it was “contaminated” by cotton threads from medieval repairs, but the other two labs didn’t.
Or that the reported weight of the samples if extrapolated out to the entire shroud would make it significantly heavier than it is.
Or that several statisticians reviewed the calculations and determined they were significantly flawed.
Or that scientists have been able to take ancient cloths and manipulate them through radiation so their C14 date reflect the middle ages.
Or that new x-ray tests conducted on the shroud indicate an age closer to 2,000 years old.
Unfortunately, the book is in French, so it may not be accessible to many people. But I highly recommend it. Hopefully, an English translation comes out soon.
