What About The Shroud Of Turin?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, October 27, 2026 (Donate)
When discussing the resurrection, the Shroud of Turin often
comes up (and I’ve commented on this before).[1]
The Shroud of Turin is no doubt a remarkable linen cloth measuring
approximately 14.3 feet long and 3.7 feet wide.
However, linking it to grave of Christ does have its
problems. First, it appeared in documented history in medieval France in AD
1357, it is now housed in Turin, Italy. The cloth contains a mysterious
negative image resembling a dead man, perhaps even crucified. Some arbitrarily believe this was
Jesus Christ and that the image formed miraculously during His resurrection.
Full length Shroud of Turin, Giuseppe Enrie, 1931, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Despite extensive scientific investigations, including controversial
carbon-14 dating and other analyses, questions remain concerning its
authenticity. But before accepting the Shroud as Christ's burial cloth, we
should examine what Scripture actually says.
Was Jesus Wrapped In A Single Linen Cloth?
Matthew 27:59, Mark 15:46, and Luke 23:53 describe Joseph of
Arimathea taking Jesus' body from the Cross and wrapping it in linen. The Greek
word sindon refers to a linen cloth.
Christ's body had suffered tremendously from scourging, the
crown of thorns, crucifixion, and the spear wound (Matthew 27:26-29; John
19:34). Consequently, this initial linen would likely have absorbed
considerable blood. And a cloth like this would be used for initial cleaning
and transporting the body. Then more linens, rages, towels, washcloths, would
be used for further cleaning before applying spices and strips of linen.
So was this same used, bloody cloth re-used for His burial?
It would violate cleanliness laws of the Old Testament if they did! Nevertheless,
the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John provides additional details that the
other Gospel writers summarize.
What Does John Reveal About Christ's Burial?
John 19:38-42 records that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
prepared Jesus' body for burial. Nicodemus brought approximately 75 pounds of
myrrh and aloes, and they wrapped Christ's body in linen cloths (e.g., strips) with
the spices, according to Jewish burial customs.
In parallel, Lazarus had been buried similarly, with his
hands and feet bound in grave clothes and a cloth around his face (John
11:43-44). Applying these spices means that the initial bloodied linen was indeed
removed. There is no biblical indication that this cloth was reused. Instead,
the account says it burial linens and spices.
John 20:3-7 describes what Peter and John discovered after
the Resurrection: linen strips or cloths (othonia) lying in the tomb and
a separate cloth that had covered Jesus' head. Luke 24:12 also mentions the
linen cloths but none mention an additional large shroud.
Some defenders of the Shroud argue that othonia encompasses
all burial cloths, including a large shroud. However, John distinguishes the
linen cloths from the separate facial covering—thus scripturally, it doesn’t
include all burial cloths. Neither account explicitly identifies another
large cloth.
Therefore, the Bible provides no clear evidence that a
large, single-piece shroud remained around Christ's body in the tomb. We can
ascertain from God’s Word that there was a large linen when He was taken off the Cross, but not in the grave.
Could The Shroud Have Been The One Used At The Cross?
Some have pondered if perhaps the Shroud of Turin was the
initial linen used when Joseph removed Christ's body from the Cross rather than
His final burial covering.
This could explain why the Shroud isn’t identified among the
burial linens. Furthermore, the reported absence of substantial burial-spice
residue could be consistent with a cloth removed before Nicodemus applied the
spices.
However, this is still problematic. First, the notable
feature in the now bloody linen when Christ was taken off the Cross is…blood.
Yet that doesn’t match the Shroud of Turin. Nor would cleaning His bloody body
yield the image impressed on the Shroud.
Nevertheless, equating the Shroud of Turin with the removal
linen is simply blind speculation. Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened to
the original linen. Nor can we establish that the Turin cloth was ever
associated with Jesus.
Conclusion
The Shroud of Turin is unquestionably an intriguing
historical artifact worthy of investigation. However, its documented medieval
appearance, disputed dating, and uncertain history warrant caution. We need to keep in mind that the brilliance of man and our ancient technology and skills often surprise us today. Could this have been made as a decorative piece for an ancient church to remind congregants what Christ suffered for us? The possibilities are likely numerous for how and what this linen was made.
Biblically, the strongest argument against this being the burial cloth of Christ is the distinction
between the initial linen used at the Cross and the burial linens described by
John. Could the Shroud have been that initial cleaning cloth? It's rather doubtful. Was it one of the burial cloths present during the Resurrection? Scripture provides no
compelling reason to conclude so.
Christians should avoid imposing interpretations of
artifacts upon God's Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Our confidence in Christ's death
and bodily resurrection rests upon the authority
of Scripture, not the authenticity of a disputed relic.
As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 reminds us, we should test all things and hold fast to what is good. And as for the things that aren’t so good, take them as a grain of salt at best.
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
[1]
Bodie Hodge, Shroud Of Turin: Was It In The Grave With Christ?, Biblical
Authority Ministries, June 20, 2025, https://www.biblicalauthorityministries.org/2025/06/shroud-of-turin-was-it-in-grave-with.html.
