The Shroud of Turin Proves the Resurrection
Could the most extraordinary claim in Christianity be backed by physical evidence? Dr. Jeremiah Johnston thinks so. In this episode of Almost Heretical, he takes us deep into the Shroud of Turin, the mysterious linen bearing the image of a crucified man, and explains why he now believes it proves Jesus rose from the dead.
Is it just a relic, or is it the most important archaeological artifact in human history?
From Skeptic to Shroud Defender
Jeremiah Johnston didn’t always believe in the Shroud of Turin. In fact, he once dismissed it as a Catholic relic and left it out of his own scholarly work on the resurrection. That all changed during a visit to Notre Dame of Jerusalem just days before the Hamas attack, where he wandered into the Shroud of Turin exhibit and saw the evidence for himself.
What he found wasn’t religious hype. It was data, peer-reviewed research, and physical studies. Scientists who began as skeptics had ended up stunned.
Take a second look at what we’ve written off too quickly. Reexamining dismissed ideas often opens the door to surprising new insights and breakthroughs.
Reconsider the role of evidence in faith-based claims. Faith doesn’t require rejecting reason, and thoughtful examination can enhance spiritual conviction.
Approach ancient traditions with open eyes and modern tools. Using today’s resources to explore yesterday’s stories may deepen both historical understanding and faith.
The Image with No Explanation
One of the most baffling aspects of the Shroud is the image itself. It’s not paint, dye, or pigment. It’s a 0.2 micron-thick discoloration of the fibers—so shallow it could be scraped off without damaging the linen underneath.
Physicists like Paolo Di Lazzaro at ENEA Laboratories in Frascati, Italy, say replicating it would take 34,000 billion watts of energy delivered in 12 billionths of a second. And even then, we can only recreate it on a tiny patch of cloth. The full-body image remains impossible to reproduce.
Question the limits of scientific replication. Not all phenomena are easily repeatable, and some historical events may never be fully reproduced in a lab.
Allow mystery to inform, not just confuse, our understanding. Mystery doesn’t diminish truth—it invites humility in the face of the unknown.
Consider how something physical might point to something beyond physics. When material evidence hints at the immaterial, we may be encountering the edge of divine activity.
Tracing Its Journey Through Time
The Shroud’s provenance is complex. Critics cite its first uncontested appearance in medieval France, but pollen and soil analysis tells a different story. Max Frei, a criminologist involved in the STURP team, traced pollen spores found on the cloth to Jerusalem, Edessa, Constantinople, and Athens—all locations that match its supposed historical journey.
Even the dirt found on the nose, knees, and feet matches the geology of Jerusalem, suggesting the man in the Shroud may have collapsed multiple times on stone streets.
Trust physical evidence as a thread in the historical record. Scientific analysis can sometimes confirm what tradition has preserved for centuries.
Revisit ancient paths with modern analytical tools. Today’s technology allows us to follow the journey of sacred objects in unprecedented ways.
See tradition not as static but as evolving with discovery. Our understanding of faith deepens when we welcome new insights rather than resist them.
A Resurrection You Can Touch
Jeremiah argues that the Shroud provides physical evidence of a physical resurrection. The image may have resulted from a “fall-through” moment when Jesus’ body passed through the cloth in a flash of light and energy. Shroud scholars describe this as a natural response to a supernatural event.
This wasn’t just disappearance. It was transformation. And the linen recorded it.
Rethink what resurrection means beyond metaphor. If resurrection involves actual transformation, it reshapes how we view both death and life.
Imagine a world where divine action leaves measurable traces. God’s involvement in the world might be more tangible than we think.
Explore how theology and physics might not be enemies. The more we learn, the more we may find them speaking to the same mysteries from different sides.
What About the Carbon Dating
The 1988 carbon dating test placed the Shroud between 1260 and 1390 CE. That sounds conclusive—until you learn the sample came from a single corner, likely repaired with cotton after a 16th-century fire. Chemist Ray Rogers, once a skeptic, demonstrated that the tested corner was chemically different from the rest of the cloth.
Other methods—like vanillin testing and wide-angle X-ray scattering—suggest the linen is much older, likely from the first century.
Look at the full body of evidence before reaching conclusions. A single test rarely tells the whole story.
Stay open to new findings, even when they challenge past assumptions. Scientific progress depends on our willingness to revise what we thought we knew.
Avoid placing total trust in a single test when others tell a different story. The weight of multiple disciplines often offers a more accurate picture.
The Probability Problem
Bruno Barberis, a mathematician and former director of the International Center of Sindonology, has examined the Shroud over 100 times. Based on all available data, he concluded that the odds of the man in the Shroud being anyone but Jesus are 1 in 200 billion.
That’s not theology. That’s statistics.
Take probability seriously as a form of evidence. Numbers can reveal truths our intuition might overlook.
Ask what it means to believe when the odds are overwhelming. When evidence mounts, it may be time to reexamine what we’re resisting.
Reflect on whether belief is about data or desire. Honest faith holds room for both the mind and the heart.
Why This Conversation Matters
For some, the Shroud is a hoax. For others, it’s sacred. For us, it’s a challenge. It forces us to think, to ask questions science alone can’t answer, and to reckon with the possibility that something miraculous might also be measurable.
Maybe the resurrection isn’t just a story you believe by faith. Maybe it’s something you can see—etched in linen, backed by science, and inviting you to wonder.
Recommended Resources
STURP (Shroud of Turin Research Project)
Body of Proof – Dr. Jeremiah Johnston
Shroud.com – Official Shroud of Turin Education Project
Scientific Papers on the Shroud
The Sudarium of Oviedo
