Dating Evidence
In 1988, three radiocarbon laboratories dated samples of the Shroud of Turin and boldly announced that it was a medieval forgery, dating to the period 1260-1390AD. This conclusion was completely incompatible with the findings from the previous ninety years of Shroud studies, but as far as the radiocarbon scientists were concerned, and most of the world’s media, this was now the only evidence that mattered.
This dating result and the conclusion that the Shroud was a medieval forgery made headlines worldwide and was devastating news for the millions who had believed the Shroud to be a sacred relic. However, shortly after the publication of the test report, many scientists began to raise concerns that this test had fallen short of acceptable scientific practice, with several breaches of agreed test protocols and a controversial statistical interpretation of the dating measurements. Sadly, these revelations failed to generate a fraction of the publicity given to the controversial C-14 dating result.
This dating result and the conclusion that the Shroud was a medieval forgery made headlines worldwide and was devastating news for the millions who had believed the Shroud to be a sacred relic. However, shortly after the publication of the test report, many scientists began to raise concerns that this test had fallen short of acceptable scientific practice, with several breaches of agreed test protocols and a controversial statistical interpretation of the dating measurements. Sadly, these revelations failed to generate a fraction of the publicity given to the controversial C-14 dating result.
Fortunately, there are other ways of determining the age of historical objects. The Shroud has a number of very distinctive markings, such as the body and facial images, wounds, bloodstains and scorched areas and this has lmade it possible to obtain Relative Dating Evidence as outlined in the tab below. Various historical artefacts have been discovered which contain features which bear the hallmark of having been copied from the markings seen on the Shroud. It’s possible to determine the age of many of these artefacts and so these are the ancient world’s equivalent of date-stamped photos, which record the Shroud’s existence at various points in time.
In the years since 1988, scientists have also developed new and innovative ways of measuring the age of ancient linen fabric and these have been used to date small samples of material from the Shroud. These new dating methods are outlined in the Direct Age Measurements tab below and provide alternative age measurements to be considered alongside the result previously obtained using the radiocarbon dating method.
- Relative Dating Evidence
- Direct Age Measurements
Relative Dating Methods
It’s only comparatively recently that scientists have discovered ways of making an absolute measurement of the age of certain materials, such as the linen fabric used to make the Shroud. Carbon dating is of course the most well-known of these methods and is a technique which was conceived and developed in the nineteen-forties. There are, however, other ways of determining the age of historical objects and archaeologists have traditionally used relative dating methods to date their finds. These methods are often used where different objects are found at an archaeological site. If they can determine the age of one such item found at the site, perhaps some pottery that has a style which indicates its date, then this can be used to help date other items found at the same site.
This is a technique which has been used by researchers studying the Shroud. Various historical artefacts have been discovered which bear an extraordinary resemblance to the image markings seen on the Shroud, in particular, the way that Jesus is represented. These include paintings, coins and iconography created by artists who appear to have previously studied the Shroud. Clearly, if this is true, then the Shroud must be older than these items and so if any of them have been reliably dated, that marks a point in time when the Shroud’ must have existed.
The chart above shows some of the most relevant of these items and it’s interesting to note the earliest of these date from the 6th century. According to historical texts, this is a period when an image of Jesus ‘not made by human hands’ was first displayed in the Anatolian region of Turkey, which was then part of the Byzantine empire.
Alternative Methods of Dating Linen Fabric
Most people are aware that scientists can use carbon dating to calculate the age of ancient organic materials, such as the linen fabric used to make the Shroud of Turin. However in recent years, scientists have discovered other properties which can be used to measure the age of linen fabric. For example, linen is largely composed of cellulose, which degrades slowly over long periods of time and the amount of degradation can be measured using various scientific techniques. Scientists have used these techniques to develop reliable new methods of measuring the age of linen fabric.
The chart below shows the results obtained when these methods were used to measure the age of small samples of material that had been removed from the Shroud when it was examined by scientists in 1978. These results show that the Shroud is much older the 1260 to 1390 AD radiocarbon dating measurement made in 1988. They are all however consistent with a first century origin and add to the weight of evidence that the Shroud was the burial cloth used to cover the body of Jesus Christ.
Understandably, there has been a degree of caution from many Shroud scholars over the individual results obtained from each of these five innovative direct dating techniques. They are all still at a relatively early stage of development and so have not been thoroughly tried and tested, particularly when compared to radiocarbon dating. The world’s leading radiocarbon laboratories are today using mature technology that has been refined by over seventy years of ongoing development. However, even the best technology will fail to work effectively if not used correctly and as we have shown elsewhere on this website, there is clear evidence that the radiocarbon test was severely compromised by poor management and flawed decision-making.
It is however highly significant that every one of these five new dating methods has obtained a result for the Shroud that not only contradicts the radiocarbon dating result but is also compatible with claims that the Shroud originated in the first century. These methods may still be in their infancy but the consistency of the age measurements obtained by these innovative techniques is extremely impressive. They are also compatible with the considerable amount of relative dating evidence found in depictions of Jesus Christ seen in ancient art, manuscripts and coins that were clearly inspired by the image on the Shroud and which pre-date the C-14 dating result by hundreds of years. This is a huge weight of evidence which completely contradicts the radiocarbon dating test conclusion that the Shroud is a medieval fake produced in the period 1260 -1390 AD.
The Shroud radiocarbon dating result remains an isolated anomaly.
