![]() A smudge of dried blood or clot appears below the chest wound. The presence of a clear pleural effusion and subsequent cardiac rupture is also suggested in the biblical description ( John 19:34). Copious drainage from the chest wound suggests blood mixing with a pleural effusion (fluid collection around the lung, typically clear). The chest wound is consistent with spear penetration, which would collapse the lung and rupture the right chambers of the heart. The scourge marks are also bidirectional, appearing to come from both sides of the body, suggesting a team of executioners ( John 19:1 Mark 15:15–16). Scourge marks match the size and shape of the lead pieces Romans sewed into the ends of their whips. Blood streams from the scalp indicate puncture wounds consistent with a crown of thorns ( Mark 15:17). The Shroud of Turin images depict multiple blows to the face consistent with descriptions in the biblical account ( Matthew 26:67, 27:30). 13 Blood flow is visible from the chest wound, scalp, and both hands and feet. 12 There is a large oval chest wound between the right fifth and sixth ribs. The right shoulder is lower than the left with abrasions noted on both shoulders. 11 Hands are placed below the umbilicus (navel). There is swelling of the forehead, brows, right upper lip, and jaw. Tortuous streams of blood are noted in the matted hair, front and back. 8 The man likely weighed approximately 70 kg (~154 lbs). The Shroud of Turin bares front and back images depicting a naked, bearded, long-haired man about 183 cm (~6 feet) tall. According to biblical accounts, the women found burial cloths in the tomb, but Jesus’s body was gone ( Luke 24:12 John 20:2–9). Women returned to Jesus’s tomb on Sunday to complete the burial preparation with spices and perfumes they had compounded ( Luke 23:52–24:1). Jesus was buried hurriedly after a cursory and incomplete preparation due to his death occurring late on Friday, the eve of the Jewish Sabbath during Passover week. The Gospels state that his body was wrapped in linen cloth ( Matthew 27:59 Mark 15:46 Luke 23:52). 7 Jesus was buried according to the Jewish customs of his time ( John 19:40). ![]() Spices were placed within the shroud, sprinkled over the bier, or left in the burial site. The body was washed, anointed with oils or perfumes, and wrapped in a shroud. Burial was completed the same day as the death. 6 This is consistent with known Jewish funerary customs in the Second Temple period. It appears that the man in the Shroud of Turin was washed before being wrapped. Additionally, the Roman governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate required verification of Jesus’s death before the body could be released for burial ( Mark 15:45). 5 Accordingly, before Jesus’s body was taken down a spear was driven through his chest ( John 19:34). Prior to the body being released, it was likely common for the executioners to administer a coup de grâce to assure the victim was dead. In most cases, the corpse was left on the cross to be eaten by scavenging animals, 4 but upon request it could be obtained for burial instead. They then nailed the victim’s feet to the stipes. After nailing the victim’s hands to the patibulum, they lifted it with the victim attached and placed it on top of the stationary vertical section (the stipes) secured by a mortise and tenon joint. Roman executioners forced the condemned victim to carry the short, horizontal section of the cross (the patibulum) to the execution site. This title heightened the ire of his Roman executioners who would have perceived Jesus’s crime as defiance of Caesar ( Mark 15:16–20). Jesus was sentenced to death as a political insurgent: “the King of the Jews” ( Matthew 27:37). 2 Jesus’s beatings were doubly severe since he was beaten at the home of the Jewish High Priest before being delivered to the Romans for scourging prior to crucifixion ( Matthew 26:67). Multiple soldiers participated in scourging the victim. Scourges were made of leather strips with lead balls sown into the ends. The crucifixion process began with the condemned being placed in the custody of a specialized team consisting of a group of soldiers supervised by a centurion. Later, in part 2, we’ll examine the physical characteristics of the cloth, its age, and how the image may have formed. ![]() In this post, we’ll focus not on the Shroud of Turin’s origins but rather on a medical description of the man whose image it bears, including a forensic analysis and a comparison to known Roman crucifixion practices. Others wonder whether it’s merely an elaborate hoax. Many believe it to be the cloth used to wrap Jesus’s body after crucifixion. 1 Controversy surrounds the Shroud of Turin. It’s a linen cloth containing the front and back images of a crucified man matching the biblical descriptions of Jesus. The Shroud of Turin is a relic extraordinaire.
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