Before I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theater (yeah I was that young: it was a weird weird childhood) and got hooked on archaeology, the Shroud of Turin had grasped my fascination. All I knew at the time was that it might have been the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in after His death and that somehow, His picture got transferred into the material. I've been reading every serious article and journal paper about the Shroud for most of my life and my curiosity about it has grown more and more. Especially at this time of year.
What do I think of the Shroud of Turin? Well, despite many attempts to reproduce it, those have always failed. And then there is the forensic analysis: just this week scientists announced that the Shroud is almost certainly a product of the First Century. When you figure in that pollen grains from plants found only in the region around Jerusalem have been extracted from the Shroud and well... if nothing else it is a historical relic of the utmost intrigue.
This being Holy Week, for the second time in history (the first was 1973) the Shroud of Turin is going to be televised live, beginning tomorrow. And if you want a REALLY up-close look at the Shroud, you should check out The Shroud of Turin 2.0 for iPad and iPhone.
Haltadefinizione is the studio that did the high-definition photography of the Shroud five years ago. It was the best photo documentation of the Shroud to date and now courtesy of those same folks it's all in the palm of your hand (or your lap). The Shroud of Turin 2.0 takes the 1,649 pics of the Shroud, combines them into a 12 billion pixel image weighing in at 72 gigabytes and streams it to your device (be still your heart: the actual app is only 50 MB in size). You can download a free version, or pay $4 that gives you the option for even higher-resolution images. If you want it, mash down here to find it on Apple's App Store!
What do I think of the Shroud of Turin? Well, despite many attempts to reproduce it, those have always failed. And then there is the forensic analysis: just this week scientists announced that the Shroud is almost certainly a product of the First Century. When you figure in that pollen grains from plants found only in the region around Jerusalem have been extracted from the Shroud and well... if nothing else it is a historical relic of the utmost intrigue.
This being Holy Week, for the second time in history (the first was 1973) the Shroud of Turin is going to be televised live, beginning tomorrow. And if you want a REALLY up-close look at the Shroud, you should check out The Shroud of Turin 2.0 for iPad and iPhone.
Haltadefinizione is the studio that did the high-definition photography of the Shroud five years ago. It was the best photo documentation of the Shroud to date and now courtesy of those same folks it's all in the palm of your hand (or your lap). The Shroud of Turin 2.0 takes the 1,649 pics of the Shroud, combines them into a 12 billion pixel image weighing in at 72 gigabytes and streams it to your device (be still your heart: the actual app is only 50 MB in size). You can download a free version, or pay $4 that gives you the option for even higher-resolution images. If you want it, mash down here to find it on Apple's App Store!
