The enigma of the Shroud
The figure imprinted on the Shroud is that of a naked man, with a beard and long hair down to his shoulders, apparently dead or, at the very least, in a state of unconsciousness and complete immobility at the moment the image was formed. The wounds he bears seem to have been inflicted by a professional torturer.
The only way to fully understand the Shroud is to attempt to reproduce a copy.
..."First, we spread a white linen sheet on the floor, then we covered the naked body of a man with black paint and, after laying him on the sheet, we wrapped him from head to toe in the fabric."...
- On the part reproducing the back of the figure, the imprint of the legs between the buttocks and the calves was practically absent.
- The area of the back just below the shoulders left no trace.
- The man's right hand is positioned about 15 cm higher than in the Shroud.
- Except for the tip of the heel, the footprint is completely absent.
- Unlike the Shroud, the shoulders appear at the same height.
The dorsal imprint shows that the body touches the cloth at only five points: the head, the shoulders, the buttocks, the calves, and the heels. In the intermediate areas, despite the large amount of paint used, no imprint is detected. While a convection-based image formation method could explain the front imprint, no similar process could explain the back imprint, which is obtained only through direct contact.
The only possible conclusion is that the man of the Shroud was not laid on a hard and flat surface but likely on a soft mattress that supported his body. The "soft bed" theory can also explain the seemingly disproportionate length of the arms, which appear to extend too low along the body.
Repeating the experiment using a mattress led to important conclusions:
- It is possible to obtain a dorsal imprint of the entire body only if it rests on a soft surface.
- The soles of the feet leave an imprint only if they rest on a cushion.
- By raising the shoulders about 15 cm above the hips, the hands slide into the same position seen on the Shroud, provided that the upper part of the arms is also supported by cushions.
- The angle formed by the position of the head in relation to the chest is irrelevant; since the Shroud follows the contours of the body, the face will always appear square to the observer. The more the head is tilted backward, the longer the neck appears.
- If the body were resting on a flat surface, the hair would tend to fall downward, whereas it would frame the face if the head were resting on a pillow.
The only logical conclusion, therefore, seems to be that, after being taken down from the cross, the man was laid on a soft surface. But at this point, it is reasonable to ask: why would someone flog and crucify that man only to lay him on a bed, wrapped in a burial shroud?
source: The Second Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasonry
