Expert: Dean Gade - 3/3/2010

Question
QUESTION: I recently saw a book titled "The Turin Shroud Is Authentic" and touts evidence that contradicts the recent scientific study.  Putting all the science and emotions aside, I have trouble accepting that the shroud is the actual burial garment put on Jesus and my reasoning is in John 20:4-8.  When Peter went into the tomb he saw the garment(handkerchief) that was around His(Jesus's) head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself(New King James Version).  

The Turin shroud shows a head and body but all the translations I have read mention a separate piece of cloth around our Lord's head.  This indicates to me that the shroud could not be the burial garment of out Lord.

This is not a question that consumes me, but I have been meaning to ask someone for a different perspective, so I eagerly await your reply.

ANSWER: According to the Greek words in Jn. 20:4-8, you are correct in your reasoning that the "Shroud of Turin"  was not used on Jesus.

The noun used for the burial garments of verse 6 is  "othinia".  It is in the accusative plural case and means "linen bandages".

In verse 7 the word used for the head covering is "soudarion", (a singular noun). It means " a towel or sweat cloth used either to wipe sweat from the brow or the wrapping for the head of a corpse".

Then verse 7 goes on to  say that this towel was "koris" = "at a space from"
the "othoniown" = "linen bandages",(here a genetive plural).

There is no reason to believe that the Shroud of Turin had anything to do with Jesus.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: GREAT!  Thanks for confirming my thoughts!  I have thought the shroud was an interesting relic, but could not be Jesus's burial shroud.

This leads to my next question, what does the Greek text say about the Soudarion....some translations say it was "folded", some say "rolled"?

This seems important, as if to be proof that the body was not stolen by Jesus's persecutors.  It would seem logical that, in those turbulent times, a person intent on stealing the body would have taken the body, linens and all, and made a speedy exit to avoid detection.  Or a thief would have discarded all the linens and cloth fast and likely cast all on the floor.  It takes a few seconds longer and seems to indicate that whoever placed the cloth neatly was making a point. Of course, if someone had stolen the body, they would have crushed the movement quickly by producing the body and declaring Jesus and his followers a sham and hoax.

Thanks for your insight, Jeff

Answer
As I was answering another question which had been submitted to me, I noticed this follow-up of yours still unanswered. It somehow had not shown up earlier.  Please accept my apologies for the delay.

The word used is "entulisoe" and means "roll up, to twist, entwine," or in some way "to wind up in".  It is used in the Bible in the other following places:

Matt 27:59
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth
KJV

Luke 23:53
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
KJV

All 12 or 14 versions of the Bible I have use the same translation( i.e. "wrapped")  in the two verses above for this word.    

It does seem unlikely that any thief would take the time to do anything special with this linen on the head of a body...even to take it off and set it aside.  But the word used for HOW it was set aside is, in itself, so general that it could mean anything.
And, as you say, the thief would have quickly made it public that they had the body.