14th century document rocks the Shroud of Turin: Clear and Patent Fraud

A recently discovered medieval document is shaking centenary beliefs about the Turin Shroud, the famous linen cloth that many believe has involved the body of Jesus. One of the most respected scholars of the Middle Ages considered him a deliberate fraud.

Long before in recent years scientific studies began to release doubts, the authenticity of the famous was outright rejected by Nicole OresmeNorman theologian of the fourteenth century that later became Bishop of Lisieux.

In a recently discovered document, Oresme described the Shroud as a “Clear and patent mistake”which would have been orchestrated by clerics to obtain donations from the faithful.

Oresme’s analysis, detailed in a published on Wednesday in the Journal of Medieval History, It’s now the older formal rejection known to the authenticity of the Shroud – preceding previous reports for decades.

The Shroud of Turin presents a fresh image of the front and the back of a man, coinciding with the traditional representations of crucified Jesus.

But skepticism has grown over time. Modern studies, including a 3D analysis recently conducted by the Brazilian facial reconstruction expert Cicero Moraes and published in Archaeometrysuggest that the cloth was and not over a human body.

Radiocarbon dating also indicates that the linen originated in the late 13th or 14th century – Centuries after Jesus.

Nicolas Sarzeaudhistorian at Université Catholique de Louvain and the main author of the article, says that Oresme evaluation is remarkable for its rationality. “He applied critical thinking to a reliquary Widely venerated, evaluating the credibility of witnesses and rejecting allegations without evidence. ”

Andrea Nicolotti, a reference specialist at the Shroud at the University of Turin, considers the discovery “one more proof thateven in the Middle Ages, people rechoed the shroud as false”.

The shroud is currently one of the most famous relics of Christianity, being only occasionally.

But skepticism about its authenticity is centenary, and the analysis of a scholar who evaluated miracles with reason instead of devotion It now reinforces the doubts that were being posed. And in fact, the fame of the Turin Shroud may have survived faith in its genuineness.