Attention “Quick Bible Study” readers: Our “regular programming” will resume next week. In the meantime, since the 10 Commandments have been in the news, you can read Vol.150: “The 10 Commandments Are Not the 10 Suggestions.”
Today, I am honored to interview my colleague, Shroud of Turin expert Russ Breault. His new book, “Shroud Encounter,” shares the same name as his organization. Over the decades, Russ has given over 1,000 enthralling Shroud presentations and made hundreds of media appearances. He is also a Bible scholar who has frequently contributed to our weekly Town Hall study.
The Shroud of Turin is a mysterious linen burial cloth measuring 14 feet long by 3.5 feet wide. It has been preserved in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, since 1578. The Shroud’s mystery stems from its unexplained image of a man who had been beaten and tortured, leaving needle-sharp scalp wounds. He was severely scourged, crucified, and pieced in the side. For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has been revered as the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.
Before our interview, we must acknowledge the recent passing of Barrie Schwortz, the world’s most famous Shroud proponent. In 1996, Barrie founded Shroud.com, the leading Shroud website also considered the Shroud’s “Library of Congress.” Barrie was the official documenting photographer for the groundbreaking 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP). This highly respected scientific study concluded that the Shroud “was not a product of an artist.”
For more about Barrie Schwortz, read my 2020 Townhall interview headlined “Shroud of Turin: Interview with World’s Leading Expert Who Happens To Be Jewish.”
Now let’s discuss “Shroud Encounter,” a book that will intrigue skeptics, engage those who want to know more, and delight all the “Shroudies” familiar with Breault’s life-long dedication to Shroud education and evangelism.
Myra Kahn Adams: Russ, given the abundance of old and new Shroud books, what was your unique approach?
Russ Breault: Shroud Encounter’s overall approach is an either-or proposition. The Shroud of Turin is either the burial cloth that wrapped Jesus in the tomb or the greatest hoax ever perpetrated. There is no middle ground.
Shroud Encounter opens by exploring the man’s image from the art realm. Numerous attempts have been made to replicate the Shroud, and they have all failed to prove how a medieval artist perpetrated the fraud of the millennium. That “medieval artist” hoax stems from the British Museum’s 1988 carbon-14 dating of the Shroud between 1260 and 1390. To dispel that thoroughly debunked “fake news,” I examined the skills and medical knowledge of the most capable 14th-century artists and concluded that none of them could have created the complex anatomically correct details verified by modern science and present on the Shroud.
MKA: You spent three years extensively researching and writing Shroud Encounter. Did you learn anything surprising?
RB: I learned how the Shroud impacted different cultures around the world at various epochs of time. In the early centuries, it was known as the “True Likeness” upon which all the icon images of Jesus were based. And why, even today, our understanding of what Jesus looked like with long hair and full beard is derived from the Shroud image. Sacred icons based on the Shroud essentially said, “God sent his son, and this is what he looked like.” That became the perfect answer to the hand-carved pagan idols representing various gods that permeated the surrounding culture.
MKA: What “new technology” ushered the Shroud into the modern age?
RB: The year was 1898, after being photographed for the first time. What developed was a black-and-white photo-negative (positive) image with greater life-like qualities. It was later determined that the Shroud itself is a negative image, revealing a positive image through photography. Most often, people see that “positive” image and think it is what the actual Shroud of Turin looks like, but it does not since, with the naked eye, the Shroud’s image is faint and rust-colored.
MKA: Secular and religious interest in the Shroud of Turin has never been greater. Can you explain why?
RB: My book’s subtitle is “Explore the World’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery.” Why is that? Secularists thought they were done with the Shroud after the 1988 carbon dating, which is why I have a 20-page chapter explaining the flawed science and politics of the British Museum’s medieval date. Then, I discuss new dating methodologies that place the Shroud in the first century within the geographic range of Jerusalem.
Most critically, the Shroud of Turin is “evidence” of the greatest story ever told. Some consider the Shroud to be the “first selfie.” If so, could it be true that God sent his only Son into the world to become one of us and live a sinless life that is impossible for humans? Then His Son took the penalty of man’s sin upon himself as a sacrifice and was crucified in our place. But that tortuous event has a victorious ending. His Son rose from the dead, defeating the power of death—then offered eternity to us as a gift in return for the simple act of believing in Him.
Such a “deal” sounds too good to be true. However, that is the gospel's message, as seen on the Shroud of Turin, and why Pope John Paul II said about the Shroud, “It is a mirror of the gospel” to the whole world. People want to believe in the divine love that Christ showed for us on the cross.
The simple answer to your question is that interest in the Shroud has never been greater because it offers hope to millions who may struggle with unbelief and need assurance or evidence that Jesus is real.
MKA: Your Chapter 15, titled “Hitler’s Quest for the Shroud,” is a movie-worthy story. Hitler's quest to obtain the Shroud set up a Jesus vs. Hitler (good vs. evil) confrontation during the Second World War. Miraculously, Hitler was thwarted. Can you briefly explain the circumstances?
RB: The King of Italy, who owned the Shroud (up until 1983), was aware of Hitler’s desire to possess the cloth, believing it would help him win the war.
Thus, in 1939, the Shroud was secretly moved from Turin and hidden inside the altar at Montevergine, a Benedictine Monastery about 150 miles south of Rome. In September 1943, the Nazis came looking for it, and I write about a set of divine circumstances that caused Hitler’s men to leave empty-handed.
The Hitler story is just one example of how the Shroud has survived war, fire, and the ravages of time to be a witness for all generations, tailor-made for today when we communicate more with images than with words.
MKA: Russ, on behalf of Townhall, thank you for this interview.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of SignFromGod.org and the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Both are educational donor-supported ministries dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit will host a four-day exhibit at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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