Many people concluded that the Shroud of Turin must be a clever forgery once the carbon 14 dating test results of 1988 were announced. Those results apparently established a date of origin for the material ranging between 1260 and 1390 A. D. The three laboratories selected to perform the tests had impeccable reputations. They worked independently, yet achieved remarkably similar results -- all three labs declared the shroud had a medieval origin, more than a thousand years after the death of the Christ. Assuming their work was stellar and the results were accurate, the Shroud could not possibly have been used to cover the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. So why has it been preserved and continues to be venerated, if the shroud is nothing but a fake? And why have people continued to study a forged relic? These and several other questions came to mind while watching the History Channel special (link to full program here) titled "The Real Face of Jesus": Is it possible to still believe the shroud could be real, given the results of carbon dating experiments performed in 1988? Should the veracity of the scientists and the results of the tests be trusted? If the Shroud really wrapped the body of a dead human being, was that man the crucified Christ? If the Shroud is genuine, can it be used to somehow determine what Jesus looked like? The first three questions enumerated above will be answered in this article, and the fourth question will be addressed in the fourth and final installment of this series. In my personal opinion, the integrity nor … [Read more...]