The forensic details on the Shroud fully agree with the Scriptures regarding the passion, death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus. The alignment is so complete that Pope John Paul II called the Shroud “A Mirror of the Gospel”.
Let’s compare what the Bible says about the Passion of Jesus with the evidence on the Shroud.
Jesus was struck in the face
What the Gospels say:
“Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?’” Matthew 26:67
“And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, ‘Prophesy!’ And the guards received him with blows.” Mark 14:65
“Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him.” Luke 22:63
What we see on the Shroud:
Evidence on the Shroud shows that Jesus was struck in the face with either a fist or a rod about 1.5 inches or 3.8 cm thick.
- Visible evidence of trauma to the face
- Severe swelling of the upper right cheek under the eye socket (more apparent on image enhancement)
- Deviated septum – the cartilage of the nose has been broken
- Matthew and John both mention that Jesus was struck in the face again as the Roman soldiers mocked him and crowned him with thorns. (See Matthew 27:30 and John 19:3)
Jesus was scourged
What the Gospels say:
“Then he [Pilate] released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” Matthew 27:26
“So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” Mark 15:15
“Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.” John 19:1
What we see on the Shroud:
- 360 separate wounds on the body
- The wounds are located on the back, buttocks, arms, and legs
- The markings from the wounds have a shape and pattern matching a Roman flagrum (a whip with three leather straps tipped with metal balls or bone fragments)
- Forensic analysis shows that the man of the Shroud was beaten by two men, one on each side, and of differing heights
- The man was affixed to a low pillar during the scourging, given the angle of the blows
- The blood has high levels of creatinine and bilirubin which are produced in the blood when the body is under immense physical stress and the liver and kidneys are not functioning.
Jesus was crowned with thorns
What the Gospels say:
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” – Matthew 27:27-29
“And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him…” Mark 15:17-19
“And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.” John 19:2-3
What we see on the Shroud:
- Numerous puncture wounds around the forehead, top of the head, and nape of the neck
- A large wound on the head bled profusely can be seen on the man of the shroud’s forehead in the shape of the number 3
- The wounds from the cap of thorns are independent of the wounds from scourging
Jesus carried his cross
What the Gospels say:
“He went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.” John 19:17
What we see on the Shroud:
- The impression of a rectangular object pressing on the wounds in the left shoulder
- Abrasions on the right shoulder and left shoulder blade show that the man carried a heavy object.
- The rubbing from the heavy object abraded the scourge markings in those areas.
Jesus was nailed to the cross
What the Gospels say:
“And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them… And it was the third hour, when they crucified him.” Mark 15:24-25
“And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.” Luke 23:33
What we see on the Shroud:
- Three wounds of Roman crucifixion
- A large puncture wound visible in the right wrist (the other is concealed by folding of the hands)
- Neither thumb is visible on either hand, indicating a retraction caused by nerve impingement in the wrist from the trauma of a spike
- Puncture wounds in both feet
- Blood flow on the arms indicating the man was upright at the time of death
Jesus was pierced in the side
What the Gospels say:
“Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” John 19:31-34
What we see on the Shroud:
- A large puncture wound between the fifth and sixth ribs, matching the width of a first-century Roman lance
- The largest amount of blood on the Shroud flowed from this wound – down his side and across the small of the back
- When the Shroud was photographed under UV Fluorescent light in 1978, the clear serum halos became visible around the bloodstains. This was the result of the separation of the red blood components from the clear serum when the heart stopped circulating the blood after death.
Takeaway
The incredible detail in the Shroud image matches the Gospel accounts, right down to the smallest details.
This is why Pope John Paul II called the Shroud “a mirror of the Gospels.” Most recently, Pope Francis referred to it as “a perfect icon of a man scourged and crucified.”
