In Search of Historic Jesus (1979)

[Applause] [Music] [Music] the date April 6th 33 AD the place a hillside just outside Jerusalem in this sealed tomb lies the body of a man who was brutally beaten repeatedly tortured and finally killed in an agonizing crucifixion his name was Jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] did Jesus of Nazareth rise from the dead almost 2,000 years ago that is probably one of the most controversial questions in the history of man over the centuries Christianity has grown from a handful of disciples to one of the world's major religious forces today one-fourth of the world's population over 1 billion people believe that Jesus is the Son of God still there are those who insist he never existed that he was a myth and others who say he was a teacher or prophet but not the son of God doubts like these have been expressed for centuries but today new questions have captured the imagination of millions of ordinary people as well as scholars and scientists for on August 27th 1978 the most sacred relic of the Christian world went on display in Turin Italy it is known as the Holy Shroud the faithful claim it is the actual burial cloth of Christ and it has become the center of a raging controversy why when a photograph is taken of the shroud the blurred image on the cloth is somehow mysteriously transformed into the remarkably sharp image of a man and many people believe that this is the face of Jesus Christ what is the Shroud canach it light on man's constant search for the truth or is it just an elaborate hoax did Jesus really exist was he the expected deliverer of the Jews the prophets called the Messiah did he perform miracles as the Bible reported and what about the missing 18 years of his life that the Bible didn't report what happened during the so called silent years is the shroud authentic and if it is is it proof that Jesus rose from the dead in search of answers we have interviewed scores of scientists and scholars spent years in research and sent film crews around the world in this motion picture you will see the results of those efforts most of what we know about Jesus is contained here in the Bible and so our search for historic Jesus must begin here with the Bible itself but just how accurate is this document can the Bible be treated as history or a collection of fables is there any modern evidence to support these writings which go back 4,000 years in time to find out we will study the Bible itself beginning with the first chapters of Genesis and the story of Noah we are told that God was displeased with the world he created only Noah and his family and one male and female of every living creature found where to be safe [Music] finally after 375 days the ark came to rest on the slopes of Mount Ararat where Noah went forth to repopulate the world a story of Noah according to the Bible is it true is there any scientific support to this Bible account of a worldwide flood in 1929 during an excavation at Abraham city of Ur archaeologist sir Leonard Woolley discovered that beneath layers of successive civilizations there was about 18 feet of mud mud without a trace of human presence and beneath that traces of an earlier civilization many scientists believe these discoveries proved there was once a worldwide flood so the story of Noah according to the Bible is given historic validity the Bible tells us that God told the descendants of Noah to dispense and multiply but instead the people decided to build a tower which would reach to heaven and make the people equal with God by their disobedience recently archeologists have discovered what is said to be the actual site of the Tower of Babel here we can see the ruins of the foundation the Bible also tells us the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho God instructed Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for six days and on the seventh day here under the ancient city of Jericho scientists have discovered the remains of the wall but the most substantial proof discovered to date to authenticate the Holy Bible was made in 1947 by a goat herder it was in the cliffs of the Wadi Qumran near the Dead Sea where a goat herder was searching for a lost animal what he found instead was one of the most remarkable archaeological finds of all time [Music] inside an earthen jar was a leather scroll wrapped in linen what he discovered would be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls but the use of carbon dating we know that the Dead Sea Scrolls were made between 168 BC and 233 ad their importance well they corroborate almost every book of the Old Testament and they predate all other existing records by hundreds of years so the Old Testament proves to be a remarkable historical document and it is here that we shall begin our search for hundreds of years the prophets of the Old Testament foretold the coming of a messiah they said he would be born in Bethlehem and raised in Galilee he would be known for his ministry of healing and the miracles he performed but he would be rejected by his own and put to death but the question remains was the expected Messiah Jesus Christ it was here in Bethlehem exactly as prophesied eight hundred years earlier that Jesus was born we are further told that a new star was recorded in the heavens to announce the birth of the Messiah and three wise men from the east saw it and followed it to Bethlehem Shepherd's in the field brought their flocks and came to find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes for an angel had told them that in the City of David there has been born a savior who is the Messiah word of the Messiah's birth reached an angered Herod king of Judea what is the meaning it is the fulfillment of the ancient Hebrew prophecy where was this child born it is said Bethlem what has been done our soldiers have searched but the Hebrews seem to know little Hebrews always the Khurshid Hebrews they mocked me zealots dare to rise against me how you tell me they have a messiah surely wise Herod you do not believe in these Hebrew prophecies I'm the king of Judea I heard o Hebrew will never rise against my rule perhaps and we should consult our own astrologer about that stock know where this Messiah is now how would you know the Hebrew prophecies are true surely they would hide and protect this Messiah shall order further searches know sure kill them all all the newborn Hebrew mam's majesty up to the age of two that will bring down the wrath of challenge make a man I am the game and no Hebrew will ever contest [Music] [Music] [Applause] the Star of Bethlehem it signaled the birth of Christ and heralded the deaths of thousands of innocent children did it really exist is there some scientific explanation for this astronomical phenomenon to find out we came here to talk to dr. Robert MacLean in his observatory well there are three astronomical theories which could explain the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem or fireball the star that appeared was so bright that it washed out all the other stars from the sky now fireball is an extremely brilliant meteor when it lands upon the earth turns into a meteorite do you mean that this meteor might have hit the earth that's right and if it was a fireball we're left with a fascinating thought that the Star of Bethlehem may be buried on the earth itself and the second possibility is Nova or the appearance of a new star where no star was ever seen before ancient Chinese records show that a Innova appeared in April of 4 BC in the constellation of Aquila the Eagle now the third and most promising possibility was proposed by Johann Kepler in 1603 he discovered that at the time of Christ's birth there was a conjunction between mercury Saturn and Jupiter which would have produced the effect of an enormous ly bright light in the heavens then you believe they may very well have been a Star of Bethlehem definitely so there is scientific support for the biblical story of the Star of Bethlehem and our story can continue Jesus was saved from death at the hands of Herod soldiers when Joseph had a dream warning him to flee he took his family to Egypt and they did not return to Israel until after Herod was dead and as prophesied Joseph Mary and Jesus settled in the town of Nazareth in the province of Galilee in the years that followed Jesus grew with a wisdom beyond his age on Passover he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast and when he was twelve he came to the attention of a man who would be intimately involved in his life and Joseph of Arimathea was a Pharisee and member of the temple council known as the Sanhedrin you young men have made up your mind to become a rabbi here yes master now you prepare to learn my boy to spend many hours with your head in studies and prayer until one day you raise your bearded chin like one of us well you have asked profound questions now tell us what kind of a teacher would you be what kind master yes there are those who teach religion with arrogance those who teach that we must do our duty to God those who teach that we must obeyed your home out of fear and those who teach the love I know what kind of teacher I wish to be you know the story of the pagan who came to a rabbi and said I'm willing to become a Jew but I'm in a hurry and you must teach me the whole law well I stand on one foot the rabbi sent him away then the pagan went to a second rabbi and said I'm willing to become a Jew but you must teach me the whole law while I stand on one foot the second rabbi said do unto others as you would them do unto you that is the whole of the law the rest is commentary I wish to be like him master Nicodemus senior he speaks like the bearded one already [Music] and why have you treated us this way your father and I have been anxiously looking for you why is it that you are looking for me did you not know where would be about my father's business [Music] since the New Testament was written many years after Jesus death there are certain gaps in the story of his life the largest of these gaps is called the missing years the ages between 12 and 30 of these 18 years the Scriptures tell us almost nothing but other sources and legends have come to light which seek to fill this gap the result is a collection of fascinating possibilities the Aquarian gospel written in 1907 and said to be derived from the Akashic records states that Jesus left Israel at the age of 12 this map shows the route taken by Jesus the Akashic records say his journey included a visit to Persia modern-day Iran according to the Aquarian gospel it was here that Jesus stopped to see the Three Magi who had visited him at his birth their meeting was a great holy occasion and a light brighter than the light of day surrounded the Magi such an event is called a Transfiguration another possibility comes from a remarkable discovery made by the Russian Explorer Nikolayevich at the end of the 19th century in a Tibetan lama Cerie not a [ __ ] learned of the visit of the Prophet ISA who taught that all humans are equal before God these ancient scrolls said that ISA or the Christ was a divine child born of poor parents who talked of a one and indivisible God how he journeyed from Jerusalem and joined a caravan of merchants headed toward India here he sought to improve and perfect himself in divine understanding and to study the laws of the prophets while no tangible evidence exists of Jesus life to illuminate the missing 18 years there is one legend which seems anchored in more than just conjecture and curiously enough its roots go once again to Joseph of Arimathea these are the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset England as they stand today centered around this Evie is a widely accepted legend it is said that the young Jesus had left India and then traveled to Britain with Joseph of Arimathea who was a merchant seeking 10 at the time Britain was the major provider of the world's tip Joseph of Arimathea has been referred to as a do curio a common Roman term designating an official in charge of metal mines medieval sources report that a church was built there under the direction of the young Jesus a semblance of credibility is given this legend by the fact that here's stand the ruins of a church which dates back to about the time of Christ the Glastonbury legend goes on to say that after Christ's death Joseph of Arimathea returned to Britain among the group that supposedly accompanied him were Lazarus and Mary Magdalene tradition tells us that Joseph weary from his travels thrust his staff into the ground and that the staff became part of the earth and in time blossom today this 2,000 year old tree stands at Glastonbury the only thorn tree in the Northern Hemisphere to bloom at Christmas time Joseph of Arimathea is said to have been buried on this site and in 1367 a Lincolnshire monk recorded that the body of Joseph of Arimathea was found at Glastonbury the crypt and body reportedly that of Joseph of Arimathea were rediscovered in 1928 and today reside here in the chapel of st. Catherine's at Glastonbury in matter of historical fact the events of the missing years must be largely conjecture but we can assume that it was during this period that he developed his mental and spiritual powers the Bible mix tells us of Jesus when he goes to visit jerem the Baptist John the Baptist was a noted prophet in Judea his sermons had been so moving that he soon had a growing band of followers but his pronouncements angered Herod Antipas the Roman ruler of Judea as well as the Hebrew high priests who were jealous of John the Baptist growing popularity repent and believe in the one true God repent and reform your life what should we do let the man with two coats give to him who has none let the man with food share with him who has done God we come from Jerusalem at the request of the Sanhedrin we wish to ask one question are you the Messiah No then who are you a voice in the wilderness crying out to be heard you have not answered our question i baptize with water but there is one who is to come after me whose sandals I am unworthy to touch he will baptize with the Holy Spirit and in fire he dares to herald the Messiah they believe him yea he excites the people he also excites Herod Antipas was speaking out against for that shall be forced soon to pay dearly repent and cast away your sins repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand John will you baptize me [Music] come forward I should be baptized by you and yet you come to me this is the way it must be if we are to fulfill God's commands a kingdom of heaven is at hand [Music] you are my beloved son and then you I can very proud [Music] there is the Lamb of God is he whom you must follow now mission is fulfilled he must increase while I must decrease shortly after this meeting John the Baptist paid the ultimate price for his beliefs when an enraged Herod Antipas and him beheaded next Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights of Prayer [Music] go now my son among the people of Israel as you have gathered in this wild beast so now shall you gather in your own flock of believers and now my son that it shall not be an easy task but if you follow my ways all will come to pass [Music] following God's command Jesus came here to the synagogue of Nazareth where he had lived as a child to begin his ministry while many look on he reads the prophecy of Isaiah the Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he has anointed me he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim Liberty to captives recovery of sight to the blind and comfort to those who mourn and to announce a year of favor from the Lord today in your hearing this scripture is fulfilled the prophecy of the scripture can be fulfilled only by the coming of the Messiah behold the kingdom of God is upon you it comes in a way not foreseen by man Jer a carpenter's son from Nazareth claim to be a prophet no private gains acceptance in his native place hail the house of the Lord blessed is he who accepts me I come not to abolish the laws and the prophets but to fulfill them Master I am Andrew this is Peter we come at the request of John the Baptist we wish to serve you where are you from Capernaum we are fishermen come in I will make you fishers of men look at the birds the sky they do not sow they do not reap they gather nothing into barns and yet your father it help feed them he knows all that they are you me seek him and his way of holland and all will be given t you are the light of the world a man does not light a lamp and then hide it under a bushel he sets it up on a stand to light the way in just such a way your light must shine for all men are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and Jesus went out among the people to spread hope and teach of a better way of life as God had told him to do for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek my they will inherit the earth to the blind he gave sight blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God [Music] can you help me place and He healed the sick [Music] dear Heavenly Father I asked you to cure this man [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] if you stand pure before God you are cured and he raised the dead there god you know I've been here I know my brother would never have died I am the resurrection and the life whoever believes in me even though he should die will come to life and whoever believes in Me and is alive will never die take away the stone Lazarus come out [Music] [Music] [Music] he is the Messiah worlds could bring a man back from the dead they must tell Caiaphas yes but who would believe it I myself saw Lazarus dead typhus must be told word soon spread about the wonders performed by Jesus and his popularity grew you have heard it said that you should love your neighbors and hate your enemy but I say unto you love your enemies bless those that curse you do good for those that hate you for your father in heaven makes the Sun Rise on the evil and the good and causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God [Music] blessed are those that have been persecuted in the name of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven during his ministry Jesus went from village to village preaching the kingdom of God it was on one of these trips that he met a woman who would play an important part in the rest of his life her name was Mary Magdalene where is he the likes of you please please was it his sin are there of his parents which caused him to be blind this man has not seen neither have his parents rather it was for the works of God to show forth through him she's the son of David have pity on me I have been blind from birth you see Caiaphas he continues to gather crowds some people think upon him as the Messiah I have ordered all her so proclaim Bard's in the temple [Music] donar and wash in the pool of Siloam [Music] [Music] I can see I can see [Music] word continued to spread about Jesus his teachings were repeated by his followers and the tales of his healing has convinced many that he was the Messiah but the most talked-about feats performed by Jesus were the miracles wait Lord will come to shore No God's power will bring me to you Jesus taught that faith was a prerequisite to miracles he promised his disciples that they too could do wondrous things as long as their faith did not falter [Music] through the miracles of Jesus his disciples soon learned that he had mastery over the elements of the earth the bird is taking on water wait here [Music] the Apostles Peter James and John held a special position of leadership among the quorum of the twelve often Jesus would take them with him when he went into the hills to pray [Music] you have done well my son you have said it an example for all to follow but your great mission has only just begun for now he will face the true test you must show that through me or may achieve eternal life and everlasting salvation no myself that you will suffer mightily for the way of the Lord is not always an easy one [Music] best Jesus fame increased herod antipas grew to fear the growing reputation of Jesus as the Messiah but your highness I saw it with my own eyes a sham a lie a fabrication a veritable charade I say yes sire it might have been you take me for a fool I'm a pagan like you one must be hysterical to believe in the miracles of this Jewish God yet there are some who say that this Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead they also call him the Messiah even the temple priests fear Him only last week the Jewish high priest Caiaphas demanded that I arrest him for blasphemy but they have no authority in Galilee they would have me send him to Judea let Pontius Pilate crucify him Pilate would never kill Jesus not for the priests he despises them what about treason is there truth in that this Jesus Harbor zealots among his followers yes in fact we caught one just this morning seeking sanctuary with him good then he plots against Rome shall I have him arrested on those charges no no not yet will lay this back into the hands of Caiaphas Herod says he'll go along with whatever we decide to do about Jesus well where we stand we must act against Jesus of Nazareth perform the such miracles as would have the people believe he is the Messiah if we allow this man to continue soon all the people will follow him Tiberius Caesar will think that we approve and accuse us all of the Romans will destroy the temple and may pagans of a soul just as they have done with other nations there is another way let this self-appointed Messiah die for the people no Caiaphas no why should the whole Jewish nation perish the nation will not perish listen to me I know this man no harm must befall him I will not jeopardize the safety of our people for the life of one man is sure to come to Jerusalem on the Passover he watch advise me of us whereabouts at the time is right proceed [Music] what misguided your wrist but the whole city is waiting [Music] smells like spy canard it is Judah waste of money my lord money that would best be given to the poor that used in this manner I would have her sell it let her be Jewish she has bought it in preparation for my barrier [Music] Jesus arrival was heralded by the people of Jerusalem they were convinced that he was the Messiah and would freedom from Roman enslavement [Music] [Applause] however when Jesus entered the temple and found it had been turned into a marketplace his pronouncements surprised his supporters is it not written in the scriptures that my house shall be a house of prayer for all the people well they have turned it into a den of thieves he where those scribes who neglect justice and mercy know who take the savings of widows and then recite lengthy prayers just to keep up appearances beware they're parading and their fancy robes their front seats in all the synagogue's their places of honor at the banquets for they are hypocrites behold then your house will be left to empty and you will not see me again the people were shocked instead of leading them to freedom from Rome Jesus had attacked the high priests their belief that he was the Messiah was shaken sensing this opportunity Caiaphas and the other priests made their plans [Music] it was the first night of Passover and the Apostles gathered with Jesus for the meal but a feeling of fear and apprehension filled the room for each disciple knew that Jesus actions in the temple had sealed his fate what they didn't know was that one of them whose faith had faltered had been influenced by Caiaphas and lured by the promise of money into becoming a traitor I have so looked forward to sharing this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins take this bread and share it among yourselves this is my body given for you eat it in remembrance of me this cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood blessed art Thou O Lord master of the universe who has given us this fruit of the vine my brothers there is one among you who will betray me who is that one among us Lord Lord it is one who dipped his hand with us in the ball [Music] [Music] what you do do it quickly [Music] later that night Jesus and a few of his disciples went to a garden called Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives stay here keep watching [Music] [ __ ] if it is possible let this cup pass by mist but if it may not pass away from me unless I drink and your will be done the time is at hand my son for your great trial to begin as your suffering increases remember that what you do will act as a light to show the way for all mankind [Music] Peter [Music] master [Music] with Judas Kiss the soldiers provided by Caiaphas knew which of the men was Jesus [Music] well it is crying Jesus that you raised me from my bed he has subverted our people's belief in our God and in the laws of Moses yes but religious matters are hardly any concern of mine you deal with him according to your laws we have procurator but under Roman law only you can pronounce the sentence of death dad what over a religious matter co-curator if you were not a criminal we would not have disturbed you but he has opposed the paying of taxes to Caesar and he calls himself the Messiah a king bring this king before us King of the Jews those are your words no those are their words your own people handed you over to me but it is you who call me King well then what are you the reason I was born the reason I came into the world was to testify to the truth I find no case against this man a threat to the authority of Rome in the interest of justice Caiaphas yes why then do we not let your own people decide isn't there a custom whereby I may release one prisoner at your Passover time as an act of mercy yes and did I not condemn for murder one of your pellets Barabbas for office yes I will give them the choice a messiah or a murderer hmm and the decision will be theirs not fine bring Barabbas into me [Music] hearing of pilots decree joseph of arimathea and Mary Mother of Jesus hurried to the temple but Caiaphas had instructed his priests to fill the crowd with their supporters so he could be sure of the outcome in honor of your custom of Passover to release one of these two prisoners as an act of Roman mercy you shall tell me which one shall it be Jesus King of the Jews any one for him will know the wrath of the temple or shall it be Barabbas guilty of murder [Applause] this is your responsibility I wash my hands of this man's blood [Applause] though the Romans had no real interest in the crucifixion of Jesus the soldiers made a great sport of torturing the so-called Messiah they crowned his head with thorns they whipped him repeatedly then led him through the streets of Jerusalem crucifixion was a common punishment of the time and on this fateful Friday two thieves were to be crucified at Christ's side [Music] get up come on hit me [Music] [Music] under normal circumstances men were tied to the cross as was the case with the two thieves but the Romans have Jesus to his cross to further humiliate the king of the Jews [Music] [Music] on Friday morning at nine o'clock the second day of Passover Jesus was crucified [Music] he saved others yet he cannot save himself King of the Jews if you were the Son of God show us come down from the cross and we will all believe you at noon the bright Sun became obscured by clouds and it began growing dark you're on the side why don't you save yourself a few no fear of God we deserve to die but he's done nothing wrong Jesus remember me when you reach your kingdom today [Music] you and I will be together in paradise [Music] [Applause] [Music] please weird family [Music] woman behold your son [Music] I've seen enough king of the Jews [Music] Oh God my god do not despair myself you have performed your mission well and soon you will be by my side into your hands my father I commend my spirit [Music] [Music] I'll make certain these men [Music] it was almost sundown when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus returned with a cloth in which to wrap Jesus body for burial as Hebrew law forbade burial after sundown on the Sabbath Joseph had to work very quickly once the body was removed from a cross there was no time to wash it they hurried to assume that Joseph had originally intended for himself [Music] the body was then prepared according to Hebrew custom the shroud and the body were treated with oils and spices and a cloth was wrapped around the face of Jesus then the whole body was covered by the shroud [Music] it was three days later when the greatest miracle of all took place [Music] [Music] [Music] the Bible tells us that Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection the first appearance was made on the evening of that Sunday but Thomas one of the twelve was not there [Music] when the others told Thomas of Jesus visit Thomas was unbelieving eight days later Jesus came again to the doubting Thomas he showed the marks of the nails in his wrists [Music] and he showed Thomas the wound in his side [Music] as you have seen you believe blessed are they who do not see and yet the story of Jesus according to the Bible Jesus appeared a third time to his disciples at the sea of galilee but other sources have claimed that later he appeared in many other places some documentation to this effect is to be found in the Book of Mormon 3rd Nephi chapter 15 verse 21 the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints believed the American Indians are descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel and the Jesus appeared saying and I said of you I have other sheep who are not of this fold and they also will hear my voice and there will be one Shepherd and one fold did Jesus visit the new world this jade head of Quetzalcoatl an Aztec deity bears a remarkable resemblance to the Jesus image on the Shroud of Turin Indian tribes in both North and South America refer in their folklore to a bearded white guard who visited them years before the known arrival of white men to America the Algonquin Indians tell the story of the pale one whose name they repeated as best they could Jesus and they named the dawn for him a tribe of Navajo still of a healer who visited them and spoke of the one God was named Wes Yehovah there are many other stories about a bearded white man always wearing a robe healing and teaching similar stories come from India Japan and England these stories are told too frequently to be ignored there seems little doubt that Jesus did exist that he was not a myth but what about the crucifixion is there any physical evidence to substantiate the Bible on the death of Jesus did he die on a cross was a spear thrust through his heart and what tangible evidence could there possibly be for Jesus resurrection the answers to all of these questions might have been lost forever in time except for one thing sing away the Shroud of Turin [Music] the modern story of the shroud begins in this small attic room of secundo pia an attorney and skilled amateur photographer he had been invited by church fathers to take the first picture of the shroud what he was about to see was the most amazing and puzzling picture in the history of photography instead of a negative appearing on his place the unbelievable image was a positive this meant that the image on the shroud had the qualities of a photographic negative pia stared in awe at the miracle on the plate for this picture taken by secundo pia 80 years ago actually be a picture of jesus or is it just an elaborate hoax to find out we must go back and trace the lone history of the shroud history records that around 30 ad a burial shroud which contained what was believed to be the image of christ was discovered in odessa Turkey this unusual relic came to be called the manned ilium [Music] but his Christianity grew so did the persecution and church officials began to worry that the Shroud will be destroyed soul church officials had it hidden in a wall [Music] in 525 ad a devastating flood swept through Odessa men were sent from Constantinople to repair the city walls and the shroud was rediscovered next the man Dillian was taken to Constantinople where it was displayed periodically it was during this period historians feel that the mandelian was first unfolded revealing the force rod it remained in Constantinople until the beginning of one of the bloodiest periods in world history in the 11th century European Christians took up arms and went to war to take control of the Holy Land from the Moslems this holy war was known as the Crusades then in 1204 Constantinople was captured the Crusaders began to sack the city it is believed that this is when the shroud was first seen by Westerners supposedly it was taken back to Europe where it came into the possession of the de journee family who first exhibited it in 1357 the first documented evidence of the shroud came to light in 1398 when a French bishop wrote a letter of protest to pope clement the seventh it seemed a public display of the shroud was being planned for the array france since the rise of Christianity Europe ended flooded with phony relics a practice that flourished well into the Middle Ages against this background the Bishop of Troyes had branded the shroud a painted fake nevertheless the shroud was sold to the Duke of Savoy in 1452 and on June 11 1502 it was placed in the Sainte Chapelle chapel the chambre but in 1532 a fire broke out threatening to destroy the shroud [Music] miraculously the shroud escaped destruction but the molten silver from its box badly scorched the fabric at the edges which in places had to be patched by the nuns in 1578 the shroud was moved to Turin Italy and later placed in a special shrine designed by Garino Guarini in the Cathedral of st. John the Baptist it has remained here ever since the shroud has been displayed periodically over the years in 1978 over 3 million people came for glimpses of this remarkable relic what they saw was a linen cloth 14 feet 3 inches long by 3 feet 7 inches wide on the cloth are two head-to-head negative impressions of a human form both the back and the front of the body are clearly visible as one moves closer to the shroud what he sees defies explanation the dark areas are the burn marks from the 1532 fire framing the pale subtle pattern of shifting shades which clearly show the image of a man is this fascinating relic genuine or is it a gigantic hoax foisted on people who want desperately to believe in it exactly how was this remarkable negative image form and what form it to find out we went to see ray Rogers physical chemist Los Alamos connect early in October of 1978 a team of researchers from the United States were allowed five days to study the Shroud of Turin a classical scientific method involves the development of hypotheses how can something have occurred and testing these hypotheses against hard observations a number of things can be learned about the shroud before the shroud itself is actually observed there are four main hypotheses concerning the appearance of the image on the shroud the first of these brought forth by Bishop Henry and of poitiers in 1357 is that the Shroud was a painting the second is that the image was produced by direct contact of cloth with a body or a statue something of this sort that was coated with a material the third one is the vapors or liquid products from a decaying body were absorbed by or reacted with a claw and the fourth one is that the image is the result of some kind of a heating or scorching phenomenon now you can observe with regard to the painting hypothesis that the heated scorched area from the fire 1532 has not caused any change at all in color or total density of the image in the area that was scorched water was dumped on the shroud as it was being destroyed in 1532 to put out the fire the water migrated through the cloth and nothing in the image moved with the water this says that chemically there cannot be cannot presume to be any of the kinds of painting pigments vehicles or media that would have been available to a forger before 1350 and the nothing was produced by or used that could have been water-soluble now this rules out almost all of the things we can think of that could have been used in a painting mode as far as the hypothesis of paper causing the image is concerned you can see that the image is the result of many little individual spots of color these are not connected if material had diffused or percolated by capillary flow into the cloth the color should be continuous the spot should all be in contact one with the other this is not the case strangely enough the only hypothesis that is left at the moment is that or the most likely one at the moment that the image could be the result of some kind of a heating scorching phenomenon ray Rogers told us he thought the image was formed by some sort of heating or a scorching phenomenon for more information on that we went to see British author and journalist Jeffrey Ashe what you can see is the body of Christ could have formed that image if something extraordinary had happened to it so that it released a burst of radiation producing an a scorching effect at all now of course this does not happen human bodies in the ordinary course of events but according to Christian doctrine of course something extraordinary did happen to this particular body by some process we cannot understand it came to life again resurrection so perhaps that miraculous change would have released a burst of radiation which marked the floor but here we are getting into something where science must be silent we can only say on the basis of my experiment the shroud could be as it is if it once enrapt human body to which something extraordinary happened so according to mr. Ashe the events of the resurrection do offer a logical explanation for the appearance of this image but is it the shroud that Jesus was buried in after all thousands of people were crucified in and around Jerusalem in that time is there any way to prove that this is the image of Christ to find out we travel to Scotland Yard and spoke to Professor James Cameron as a forensic pathologist he uses his expert knowledge of the human body to examine corpses and help the detectives solve crime we asked him to examine the shroud professor you mentioned finding evidence on the Shroud that the body was whipped how do you know as is known if it were a Roman that was being flagellated they would been whipped with a cane or a rod if it was a non room probably 40 strokes but for the Jew it could be anything up to a hundred and twenty or more and in this particular shot it has been calculated that there are marks of a hundred and twenty lashes so we can be sure that the image on the cloth is most certainly that of a Jew what other identifiable marks did you find also a one sees that there are marks on the head here which have come from the crown of thorns this would suggest that be more in keeping with the Gospels that he was crowned the King of the Jews oh yes the blood stains can be seen very clearly on the forehead are there any additional marks which correspond to the biblical account first it was the normal practice when one had to when one was crucified if one was walking and was being pushed and shoved one would automatically possibly fall more onto the left knee and the left forehead and it is surprising that one can see that there is an abrasion on the four on the left forehead swelling of the left cheek bruising of the upper right lip and there is also an abrasion over the left knee and all this can be seen on the image of the shroud yes professor that does support the Bible story which says that Jesus fell while carrying the cross beam and the soldiers made a Cyrenian named Simon help him carry it to Calvary what evidence have you found relative to the crucifixion itself if one regard working from the Gospels or one realizes that a person who was crucified in the first hundred years ad there was no heel bone and therefore he would have to be suspended by the nail through his feet or through his heel but in this image his case it was obviously through the feet what about his hands in this particular image rather than through the palm of the hand as many artists depicted it is through the wrists but remember that in many times on the past unconsidered the wrists as part of the hand so if the nail was through the the middle of the hand and the body was suspended on hand there was only the minor ligaments between the joints between the fingers and the nail would quickly slip through but if the nail was through the wrist bones and the multiple bones of the wrist it would have to fall through the hole of the hand and this would be impossible so in every case withing the crown-of-thorns bruises from carrying across and the scars on the feet and wrist in every case the person who was wrapped in this shroud has marks which matched perfectly with what the Bible says happened to Jesus professor Cameron do you believe the Shroud is authentic I do not believe that anybody actual about the time the finding of this cloth in the beginning of the 14th century that there would be anybody with enough in the know-how of the tech anatomical photographic and painting and forging ability to be able to forge this shroud and that would have lasted to this day so we know that the shroud has been scientifically placed in Jerusalem during the 1st century AD and we know that the image must have been put on the Shroud by some incredible burst of energy such as might have been generated by the resurrection and now we have seen forensic evidence that shows that the marks on the body depicted by the shroud match in every detail the biblical account of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus modern science continues to try to give us clearer and clearer pictures of the Shroud of Turin in 1976 using the technique of computer image enhancement to scientists John Jackson and Eric jumper discovered that the density of the image on the shroud buried in intensity and direct relationship to its distance from the body this is the result of their experiments a three-dimensional likeness of the body within the shroud and this is the three-dimensional face of the shroud created by British photographer Leo Vella combined we are given a remarkably clear image of the man buried in the shroud an image that many believe is that of the man known as Jesus the Shroud of Turin is an incredible help to us in our search for historic Jesus and as our knowledge increases the world of science promises more startling discoveries from within the fibers of this incredible cloth but the Shroud is only one aspect the historic Jesus we must never forget the essence of the man himself we have his teachings his healing the sick raising the dead his miracles and his final sacrifice for the sake of man Jesus was all of these and more his words and his actions have been a model for billions of people for almost 2,000 years [Music] you became a believer because you saw me blessed are they who have not seen and have believed [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: reelblack

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Id: 3gXYqPH7Or4

Length: 91min 33sec (5493 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 01 2020