DNA exam does not clarify mystery about the origin of the Shroud

The Holy Shroud, as you know, is one of the most fascinating and famous religious relics in the world, as well as one of the most controversial. This is because the linen handkerchief has been extensively analyzed by teams of scientists who first determined that some parts of the cloth date back to the Middle Ages - suggesting that it would be an elaborate hoax - and later that the material was produced between 280 BC and 220 BC. AD, that is, much closer to the time of Christ.

For, according to Tia Ghose of the Live Science website, further analysis on the Shroud, while revealing a number of interesting things about the relic's past, did not help unravel the mystery of its true origin. The handkerchief was subjected to DNA testing by researchers at the University of Padua, Italy, and the tests confirmed that the only certainty we have is that the tissue traveled a lot and was heavily touched before stopping in Turin.

Holy shroud

As we explained in a previous article here from Mega Curioso, the Holy Shroud consists of a linen handkerchief about 4.5 meters long and 1.1 wide that bears the image of a recorded 1.83 meter tall man. on its surface - and its identity is supposedly attributed to Jesus Christ.

The earliest references to the relic appear in the Bible itself, and since the 14th century the piece has been regarded as the fabric surrounding the body of Jesus. However, the famous image that appears on its surface was not discovered until 1898, when Italian photographer Secondo Pio found the sharp figure of a man in the negative of a photo he had taken.

Today, the Holy Shroud is kept in Turin, Italy, and although the Catholic Church has never taken an official stance on the authenticity of the handkerchief, thousands of faithful and curious gather before the play each time the relic is shown to the public. .

From Judea to Europe

According to Aunt, according to legend, around the year 33, the Shroud was secretly taken from Judea to Edessa, Turkey, before heading to Constantinople - present-day Istanbul - where it remained for several centuries. Later, in 1204, when the knights of the crusades invaded the city, the handkerchief was taken to Athens, Greece, and remained there until 1225.

The first record made by the Catholic Church dates from the mid-14th century, when the relic appeared in a tiny church in the town of Lirey, France; and after practically making a pilgrimage through Europe, the Shroud found its last address at the Turin Cathedral in the year 1578.

Traveled Cloak

The current analysis of the handkerchief was carried out with carefully collected dust particles from the surface of the tissue and pointed out that the Shroud is “loaded” with plant genetic material (from Europe, the Mediterranean region, Asia etc.) and people from mainly four groups. different ethnicities.

Scientists have determined that the most abundant traces of DNA are from people of Egyptian origin who currently reside in areas between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine - that is, not far from where Jesus was buried. Also, among the oldest samples, the researchers found lineages from India, suggesting that the fabric may have been made there.

Mystery continues

Unfortunately, the results did not completely eliminate the suspicion that the Shroud is an elaborate piece in the Middle Ages, nor did it prove that the fabric was used in Christ's burial. In addition, although fascinating, some researchers have contested the study, pointing out that since it is a handkerchief that has been manipulated and publicly exposed for centuries, pollen analysis is not very reliable.

After all, the particles may have come from anyone who touched the relic, and to determine where exactly the fabric was produced, it would be ideal to perform genetic analysis of the flax seeds used in its manufacture. However, critics believe that DNA testing, along with other more sophisticated scientific techniques, may one day allow the mystery of the Shroud to be unraveled.

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