Shroud of Turin

I will provide a brief rebuttal then add additional information to my argumentRebuttalFirst Appearance - I have already clearly shown that the Shroud existed in the Eastern Empire prior to its appearance in Western Europe through the descendant of a Templar. I have show that the image from the Pray Codex verifies this:http://www.debate.org...Multiple Shrouds - That there are multiples does not deny the original. Just look at all the "Flappy Bird" knockoffs out there.Obvious Fraud - The Bishop d'Arcy letter that Con refers to is more questionable than the shroud we are debating.- The letter was never signed or dated- The handwriting of the bishop has never been verified- The artist has never been named nor his confession ever found- The letter or copies of the letter have never been proven to be genuine- The Vatican has no evidence this letter was received by the Pope [1]The Shroud didn't belong to Jesus & More Biblical Evidence - Con states that wrap in the bible cannot include folded over.Wrap: To arrange or fold (something) about as cover or protectionA shroud folded over the body meets the definition just as well as one tightly bound.Con goes on to note that that sometimes the gospels note strips of linen plural and thus the shroud cannot be the actual burial shroud. Let's look at the shroud:http://www.debate.org...You will note that along the top edge there is a shorter strip of cloth. This is a separate strip of cloth made from the same piece of cloth. [2] Additionally, the hand stitching of the seam between the main Shroud and the side strip is known only from textiles excavated from the first-century Jewish fortress at Masada, near the Dead Sea. [2]Thus we can show that the Shroud we know is actually 2 strips of identical linen joined in a manner only done by 1st century Jews. If you go to 44:30 of this video [3] you can see how the shroud could be wrapped by the side strip. Thus we have strips of cloth wrapping the body. Fully in agreement with all accounts of the gospel.Evidence outside the Bible - Con argues that a body would not be buried using such a fine fabric, but would use simpler cloths. The example he cites is of a man who died of leprosy. Given first century attitudes to lepers this is hardly a reasonable comparison. We know that Joseph of Aramathea was a wealthy man so the cost of the material was not out of his reach. We also know that the Shroud has no wool in it making it a Sindonic fabric meaning the loom itself only ever wove flax.[4] The Jews were prohibited from mixing wool and linen Dt. 22:11. In TB Ketuboth 8b...it became common to spend a fortune on burialshrouds. [4] People today spend a fortune on caskets why shouldn't thy have done it 2000 years ago. C14 Dating - The C14 test has been shown to be in error, not because the test is faulty, but because of a sampling error. While 3 tests were done by 3 laboratories, they were all from the same corner of the shroud.This corner of the shroud showed that is was chemically dissimilar to the remainder of the shroud. The French had invisible reweaving techniques that could invisibly mend fabrics. However this is the only area of the shroud with dyes and cotton present. Time indexes 35:28, 37:05 of video [5].This was confirmed by the ultraviolet photographs on the original shroud during the 1978 STRUP showed that this "area was significantly darker, it doesn't fluoresce as much. And it is just this area and the area around the raw sample and where the radio carbon sample was cut." Time index 37:28 [5]Vanillin in the flax fibres depletes over time. The body of the shroud does not test positive for vanillin except in the corner where the 1988 carbon testing was performed. [6] The depletion rate of vanillin from the linen is dependent on the average storage temperature. The higher the temperature the faster the depletion. At an average temperature of 25°C it would take 1319 year to fully deplete at 20°C 3095 years. A linen produced in 1260 would still have roughly 37% of its vanillin left. [7] Thus the shroud is demonstrably older than the carbon 14 tests indicate.Painting - My opponent is quoting from Dr. McCrone. Dr. McCrone only published in his own Journal and refused to accept reasonable explanations. The image on the shroud is not paint. Walter McCrone Claimed the paint was iron oxide "jeweler's rouge" [8]. However, when the flax is retted, ions of iron (Fe) is attached to the flax from the water. The extremely pure iron oxide is present all over the shroud and not just in the image areas. Additionally, it has been proven that the blood stains on the shroud were actually blood and not pigment. [9] In 1978 the STRUP team spent 120 continuous hours conduction examinations on the shroud by top scientists in their fields. The official summary of their findings was: [10] No pigments, paints, dyes or stains have been found on the fibrils. X-ray, fluorescence and microchemistry on the fibrils preclude the possibility of paint being used as a method for creating the image. Ultra Violet and infrared evaluation confirm these studies. Computer image enhancement and analysis by a device known as a VP-8 image analyzer show that the image has unique, three-dimensional information encoded in it. Microchemical evaluation has indicated no evidence of any spices, oils, or any biochemicals known to be produced by the body in life or in death. It is clear that there has been a direct contact of the Shroud with a body, which explains certain features such as scourge marks, as well as the blood. However, while this type of contact might explain some of the features of the torso, it is totally incapable of explaining the image of the face with the high resolution that has been amply demonstrated by photography. The basic problem from a scientific point of view is that some explanations which might be tenable from a chemical point of view, are precluded by physics. Contrariwise, certain physical explanations which may be attractive are completely precluded by the chemistry. For an adequate explanation for the image of the Shroud, one must have an explanation which is scientifically sound, from a physical, chemical, biological and medical viewpoint. At the present, this type of solution does not appear to be obtainable by the best efforts of the members of the Shroud Team. Furthermore, experiments in physics and chemistry with old linen have failed to reproduce adequately the phenomenon presented by the Shroud of Turin. The scientific consensus is that the image was produced by something which resulted in oxidation, dehydration and conjugation of the polysaccharide structure of the microfibrils of the linen itself. Such changes can be duplicated in the laboratory by certain chemical and physical processes. A similar type of change in linen can be obtained by sulfuric acid or heat. However, there are no chemical or physical methods known which can account for the totality of the image, nor can any combination of physical, chemical, biological or medical circumstances explain the image adequately. Thus, the answer to the question of how the image was produced or what produced the image remains, now, as it has in the past, a mystery. We can conclude for now that the Shroud image is that of a real human form of a scourged, crucified man. It is not the product of an artist. The blood stains are composed of hemoglobin and also give a positive test for serum albumin. The image is an ongoing mystery and until further chemical studies are made, perhaps by this group of scientists, or perhaps by some scientists in the future, the problem remains unsolved. Crotch Test - Now repeat the test with something under your head (like a pillow) and your knees slightly bent (rigamortis from the crucifixion) and you'll find that your hands fit nicely (unless you're belly is too big, then you need some exercise for it to work). See attached photo:http://www.debate.org...This tilting of the head than the wrapping of the cloth will explain the additional "artistic" issues Con mentioned.Additional evidenceArt History of the ShroudThere are 15 markings on the face of the Shroud known as the Vignon markings. It can be shown that by following the historical path of the Shroud that I detailed in Round 2 that we can see that art imitated the shroud."Beginning in the sixth century, eastern icons of Christ underwent a radical change and followed the form set forth by this relic" [11]The Christ Pantocrator resides in the St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai. See photo: http://www.debate.org... This image dates back to the 6th century - which you will recall is when the image of Edessa was found in the walls over one of the gates. it was likely a gift to Emperor Justinian the Great who reigned between 527 and 565. [11] In a court of law 45-60 points of congruence are enough to declare that the faces are the same. [11] Over 170 points on the face and 250 points including areas around the face have been identified. [11] Thus it is quite obvious that whomever painted the Pantocrator had seen the shroud.The gold solidus minted between 692 and 695 has 145 points of congruence: [11]http://www.debate.org...I could keep bringing up additional examples however I believe that the point of artistic similarities to the shroud in the Easter Empire has been established.I'll try to get into the science in round 4.[1] http://shroudofturinnews.com...[2] http://tinyurl.com...[3] http://www.youtube.com...[4 ]http://tinyurl.com...[5] http://www.youtube.com...[6] http://tinyurl.com...[7] http://tinyurl.com...[8] http://tinyurl.com...[9] http://tinyurl.com...[10] http://tinyurl.com...[11] http://www.shroud.it...