Is the Shroud of Turin not real? New evidence uncovered about the famous cloth.

Debates over whether the Shroud of Turin is genuine have been ongoing for years. Belgian scholar Nicolas Sarzeaud has uncovered writings by a 14th-century theologian that may prove crucial to the debate.

The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth in which the body of Jesus Christ was supposedly wrapped immediately after his death.

The cloth remains an important object for believers, but its authenticity has been disputed for years. The Shroud has undergone numerous advanced tests, including radiocarbon dating , X-ray analysis , and radiocarbon spectroscopy .

Full-length negatives of the Shroud of Turin. Photo: Author unknown / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 (Public domain)

Even earlier this year, a 3D analysis showed that the cloth was wrapped around a sculpture, not a human body. Yet the topic continues to generate interest among both scholars and the Christian community .

Historians have long relied on a 1389 letter from the Bishop of Troyes , Pierre d'Arcis , to Pope Clement VII . The author argued that the cloth was a fake and expressed outrage at the fact that the faithful were being deceived for financial gain. However, it turns out that this was not the only instance of criticism of the Shroud of Turin .

Nicalas Sarzeaud , a specialist in medieval relics from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium , came across the writings of Norman theologian Nicole Oresme dating from the 1370s. At that time, the Shroud had not yet arrived in Turin; it was in a church in Champagne .

Miniature from the treatise Traité de l'espere, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. Photo: Nicole Oresme / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 (Public domain)

Sarzeaud is the author of an article published in the Journal of Medieval History , which addresses Oresme's allegations. The work is based on the theologian's work, " Problemata," in which he rationally explained then-mysterious phenomena such as sleepwalking and magical practices, using well-known examples. He cited the famous Shroud as an example of ecclesiastical fraud.

Oresme openly criticized the clergy who exploited the faithful to obtain donations for their churches.

- This is undoubtedly the case with the church in Champagne , where the Shroud of the Lord Jesus Christ was said to be located - he wrote.

Nicalas Sarzeaud emphasizes that Oresme's publication is important evidence in the case.

"The newly recorded reference sheds light on the appearance of the Shroud in Lirey , Champagne , and confirms the thesis, supported by other 14th-century sources, that the Shroud is a medieval artifact," Sarzeaud wrote.

Will this change anything in the perception of this mysterious material? Probably not. Some will still believe that the Shroud came into contact with the body of Jesus Christ , while others will believe it's pure fiction.

What is the Catholic Church's view on this matter? It does not take a clear position and leaves it to all believers and scholars to make their own individual judgments.