1: Both the Shroud of Turin, which I believe is a photographic capture of the resurrection of Jesus, and the Sudarium of Oviedo, which was wrapped around Jesus's face when He was taken down from the cross, contain type AB blood, which is rare but found more frequently in Jewish Populations. Both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish communities have a higher occurrence of the AB blood type. This is significant given the historical and cultural context of the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo, which are believed to be linked to the region where these populations have historically lived. The presence of the AB blood type in these populations aligns with the historical context of the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo, which are traditionally believed to have originated from the region surrounding Jerusalem. This higher frequency in the Middle East supports the notion that the blood found on these relics could indeed be from a person of Middle Eastern origin, consistent with the historical and biblical accounts of Jesus of Nazareth.
2: The bloodstains on both cloths correspond in their shape and flow patterns, suggesting they came from the same types of wounds. The Sudarium shows stains from blood and pleural fluid, consistent with injuries from crucifixion. The correspondence between the bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo in terms of their shape and flow patterns provides compelling evidence that they might have covered the same body. Here’s a detailed look at how these bloodstains align:
How the bloodstains correspond:
A. Location and Shape of Stains on the Head Area:
The Sudarium contains stains that cover the nose and mouth area, as well as the back of the head. It shows distinct patterns that match the outline of a face.
The Shroud depicts bloodstains on the face and head, including the forehead, temples, and scalp, which correspond to wounds that would have been caused by a crown of thorns.
The bloodstains on both cloths show similar patterns around the nasal and mouth area, suggesting they were applied to the same face. The Sudarium's bloodstains on the back of the head align with those on the Shroud, indicating that the same head was wrapped by both cloths.
B. Blood type and composition:
Both cloths contain blood type AB. Additionally, the bloodstains on the Sudarium include pleural fluid, which is a mixture of blood and fluid from the lungs, typical of a person who has suffered asphyxiation, such as crucifixion victims. This mixture is also observed in the stains on the Shroud, particularly those that flow from the side wound and other areas consistent with respiratory distress and fluid buildup in the lungs.
C. Flow Patterns from the Forehead:
Bloodstains on the Sudarium show a pattern that indicates the cloth was wrapped around a head with wounds bleeding from the forehead.
The Shroud has blood flows on the forehead, consistent with puncture wounds, likely from a crown of thorns. These flows match the paths seen on the Sudarium, suggesting both cloths were in contact with the same set of injuries.
D. Nosebleed and Mouth Stains:
The Sudarium shows evidence of blood that would have come from the nose and mouth, suggesting it was used to cover a face immediately after death, when blood would still be flowing from them.
The Shroud also shows stains around the mouth and nose area, and the pattern of these stains corresponds to the flows seen on the Sudarium. This is especially apparent in the alignment of the stains, indicating that both cloths covered the same face, with blood flowing in a consistent manner.
E. Blood flow on the Back of the Head:
Bloodstains on the Sudarium’s back area match the pattern and location of stains found on the Shroud's back of the head region. This includes flows that align with gravity's effect on blood, indicating similar head positions for both cloths when the blood was deposited.
3. Forensic Analysis: Detailed Comparison:
Researchers, including Mark Guscin, have conducted detailed forensic comparisons of the bloodstains, using overlays and digital imaging to match the stains from both cloths. The congruence of the stains' locations, shapes, and flow directions strongly suggests they resulted from the same injuries.
4: Scientific Studies:
Studies using various forensic techniques, such as infrared and ultraviolet imaging, have further confirmed that the bloodstains on both cloths align in a manner consistent with having covered the same body. This includes specific angles of blood flow and clotting patterns.
The detailed correspondence in bloodstain patterns between the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo, in terms of location, shape, flow direction, and composition, provides compelling evidence that these cloths were used on the same body. This evidence aligns with the belief that both cloths were involved in the burial process of Jesus of Nazareth, with the Sudarium covering the face shortly after death and the Shroud being used to wrap the entire body later.
5: Facial Image and Stain Correspondence:
The bloodstains on the Sudarium align with the facial features and wounds seen on the Shroud of Turin. This includes the positioning of stains from a crown of thorns and other facial injuries.
Detailed forensic analysis has shown that the stains on the Sudarium map to the face and head in a way that matches the dimensions and features of the face on the Shroud.
6: Pollen Evidence:
Pollen samples taken from both the Shroud and the Sudarium have been found to include types of pollen that are native to the Jerusalem area, supporting the idea that both cloths originated from the geographical region of Jerusalem.
7: Historical and Traditional Connections:
The Sudarium of Oviedo has a continuous history that dates back to at least the 7th century in Spain, and it is traditionally believed to have been brought from Jerusalem to Spain. Since both cloths wrapped the same body, this further calls into question the medieval dating of the Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud of Turin’s earlier history is less clear, but there are traditions that link it to early Christian relics and suggest it was venerated in the Middle East before being brought to Europe. I suggest watching David Rolfe's newest documentary, Who Can He Be? Or at least my earlier videos on the Shroud of Turin. You can find out more details about the botched C-14 dating and Shroud history, especially in David Rolfe's newest documentary, Who Can He Be?
8: Geographical and Cultural Context:
Both the Shroud and the Sudarium are associated with early Christian communities and were highly revered. Their preservation and veneration by these communities add to the belief that they were considered sacred objects from the same event.
Taken together, these points highlight the significant connections between the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo. The belief that both cloths wrapped the same body is supported by both scientific and traditional evidence.
It's impossible to imagine all that Jesus suffered on the cross. The nails in His wrist would have been driven through the medial nerve. This would have caused the thumbs to retract, and it explains why we don't see thumbs on the Shroud of Turin. Imagine the pain of having a nail driven through one of your nerves. Imagine the pain of not being able to breathe. Jesus was suffering acute respiratory distress on the cross. Once he had been nailed to the cross, His shoulders would have been pulled out of joint, as Psalm 22 details. He would have needed to push up on the nails in His feet in order to inhale. He was already in a weakened condition from being beaten, flogged, dragged all over Jerusalem, kept awake, mocked, stripped, crowned with thorns, and then nailed to a cross.
I can only imagine how weak and exhausted He was. I think it's a miracle He even made it to the cross. The skin of His back had been ripped off by the Roman flagrum, possibly exposing bones and organs. He had fallen repeatedly under the weight of the rough crossbeam that He carried to His crucifixion. And then His tattered back was scraping across the rough wood of the cross in order to catch a painful breath. In addition to all this, the sinless Son of God was weighed down with the sins of the entire human race. My sins alone are difficult to bear. I can't even imagine carrying the sins of everyone who has ever lived.
That's bad news. The good news is He came down from that cross, rose from the dead, appeared to hundreds, gave His followers the Great Commission, and then ascended into Heaven. In His last sermon on the Mount of Olives, He told His disciples that this Gospel would be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end would come. If this gospel has not yet been preached to all nations, it soon will be. How close are we to the end? How close are we to the day when Jesus returns? What does that tell us about how we should be living our lives? He has not left us. He did not suffer all of that to just forget us and leave us to ourselves. He will finish what He began. He will return, and we should be watching for that day. As He commanded.
And we need to occupy until He comes. Few of us will have the reach of Dr. David Wood, who is almost like this generation's Apostle Paul, but all of us can reach someone.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is what God did for you and me. What can we do for Him in return?
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