At the entry of the exhibition, was the trunk of a very old olive tree. Olive wood carvings are very popular in Israel. I'm not certain why it was on display . . . perhaps for a close-up view of an old, gnarled olive tree trunk.
The Notre Dame Hotel functions under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Our tour was conducted by a sweet nun (Sister Johanna Von Siemens) from Germany. This was the first time any of us had heard about the Shroud of Christ exhibit in Jerusalem. We were all fascinated by what we saw and were eager to learn more.When we walked in, we saw a print of Jesus hanging on the wall and I immediately felt right at home. This is a print I've seen all my life in churches in America but never in Jerusalem.
Next to the print of Jesus was a photo of the marble statue, the Pieta, which is on permanent display at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. There is an interesting story behind this sculpture.
A French cardinal wanted to be remembered long after he died so he hired Michelangelo to make a memorial for his tomb of the Virgin Mary taking Jesus down from the cross. It is a beautiful life-size marble sculpture. However, proportionally, Mary is much bigger and if standing would be 7 feet tall. Nevertheless, it is an amazing sculpture. Garth and I saw this when were in Rome the summer of 1971 before it was damaged by a man who hit it with a hammer (1972).
The Shroud of Turin has been the subject of extensive research for more than 100 years. It has been scrutinized and examined over and over again by historians, scientists and theologians in the effort to test its authenticity.
The Shroud is a linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. It bears the marks of a man who bore a crown of thorns along with markings that parallel the wounds of Jesus of Nazareth when He was crucified. It is the single most studied artifact in human history and now with DNA testing, we know more about it than we ever have before.
As you read through this blog, you can decide for yourself if it is in fact the authentic Shroud that was wrapped around the bruised and bleeding body of Jesus after His crucifixion. This exhibition touched my heart in a way that I'll never forget while living in the Holy Land. The Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque) and the Galilee top my list of favorites but now I have yet one more.
According to legend, the shroud was secretly carried from Judea around 30-33 AD and was kept in Turkey and Constantinople (Istanbul) for centuries. The Crusader armies captured, looted and destroyed Constantinople in 1204 AD but the cloth was smuggled to safety in Greece (Athens) where it stayed until 1225 AD.
The Shroud was then traced to 1349 AD in France. (The Catholic Church officially recorded the existence of the Shroud in 1353 AD when it first showed up in France.) How it appeared is a mystery but the owner, a French knight, put it on display for a public exhibit in a small church. However, the shroud began to draw a lot of attention and in the coming years (1453 AD), it was traded for two castles in France. The sign below explains more.
When Pope Sixtus IV saw the Shroud, he believed it was the real burial cloth that was wrapped around the body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. In 1464 AD, a small chapel was built where the Shroud was preserved in a silver shrine. Unfortunately, in 1532 AD there was a fire in the chapel and some molten silver dropped on the folded shroud destroying part of the fabric as it burned through the layers. This explains the symmetrical pattern of triangles on either side of the image. The nuns of Chambery repaired the linen by sewing it onto a backing cloth and stitched 22 patches over the holes. This will be explained more as we go through the exhibit.
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On Easter Sunday (May 2, 2010), Pope Benedict XVI gave the following message:
Thank God for the gift of this Pilgrimage and also for the opportunity to share with you a brief meditation inspired by the subtitle of this solemn Exposition: "The Mystery of Holy Saturday". One could say that the Shroud is the Icon of this mystery, the Icon of Holy Saturday. Indeed it is a winding-sheet that was wrapped round the body of a man who was crucified, corresponding in every way to what the Gospels tell us of Jesus who, crucified at about noon, died at about three o'clock in the afternoon. At nightfall, since it was Parasceve, that is, the eve of Holy Saturday, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and authoritative member of the Sanhedrin, courageously asked Pontius Pilate for permission to bury Jesus in his new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock not far from Golgotha. Having obtained permission, he bought a linen cloth, and after Jesus was taken down from the Cross, wrapped him in that shroud and buried him in that tomb (Mk 15: 42-46). This is what the Gospel of St Mark says and the other Evangelists are in agreement with him. From that moment, Jesus remained in the tomb until dawn of the day after the Sabbath and the Turin Shroud presents to us an image of how his body lay in the tomb during that period which was chronologically brief (about a day and a half), but immense, infinite in its value and in its significance. Holy Saturday is the day when God remains hidden, we read in an ancient Homily: "What has happened? Today the earth is shrouded in deep silence, deep silence and stillness, profound silence because the King sleeps.... God has died in the flesh, and has gone down to rouse the realm of the dead" (Homily on Holy Saturday, PG 43, 439). In the Creed, we profess that Jesus Christ was "crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again."
Nuns patched the burned holes. In 1988, a radiocarbon test dated a corner piece of the shroud and dated it between the years 1260 AD and 1390 AD, which is consistent with the shroud's first known exhibit in France in 1357 AD.
Messages from the Popes who visited the exhibit in Turin.
Negative image of the Shroud.
Sister Johanna explained that when the body was wrapped, flowers were placed next to the head and along the sides of the body under the linen cloth. DNA testing has revealed that the flowers were from plants grown only in the Jerusalem area.
Everyone listened intently as more and more details were explained during the tour.
Photo: Dr. and Mrs. Lind who are over the students and housing at the Jerusalem Center.
In the days of the Romans, a crown was made in the shape of a helmet and not just as we envision a "crown" so the suffering was even greater as it was pressed down upon the head. The Shroud shows that the crown of thorns was still on his head when wrapped.
As we stood and viewed this exhibition, the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth really hit home! The Romans crucified not only Jesus but thousands of other Jews. (After Christ's crucifixion, the Romans crucified up to 500 each day.) Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to death and had him tortured by Gentile Roman Soldiers. How they were able to carry out the command was unconscionable.
The nails on display were about 6" in length and the same type used to nail Jesus to the cross as well as others who were crucified.
These are Roman whips used to scourge Jesus before he was put on the cross.
They caused great suffering and from scripture: "He was beaten with a scourge."
To the Romans, the cross was a symbol of shame and they often stoned or beheaded criminals but only those of the lowest of status were put to death by crucifixion. They thought His crucifixion would end the talk the He was the Messiah.
Sister Johanna explained if the nails were put in his hands, they would have torn through and not supported the weight of His body. Placing them through the wrists secured his position on the cross.
Coins were often placed over the eyes of a dead person to keep them closed.
There are the marks of coins on the Shroud.
There are the marks of coins on the Shroud.
We always find beautiful artwork in the ceilings of hotels,
cathedrals and many of the places we have visited in Israel.
A symmetrical pattern of Byzantine crosses adorn the walls.
On the wall in the frame above is a copy of the Shroud of Turin which bears trace of blood and the darkened imprint of a man's body. The Shroud is a 14½ foot long, 3½ foot wide linen cloth that bears the ventral and dorsal image of a scourged, crucified man. The Shroud is the property of the Duke of Savoy of the Catholic Church and has been permanently kept in Turin, Italy since 1578 AD. In the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, there is a chapel behind the altar where the Shroud is housed. This Cathedral was built specifically to keep the Shroud and adjoins the Royal Palace of the previous King's resident in Turin.
Roman soldiers were experts in torture and it usually took 3 - 6 hours for
someone to die on the cross. Bodies were also removed by sundown.
Crucifixion was abolished by the Roman empire in 337 AD.
A life-size Bronze statue on display shows the position of Christ when wrapped in the shroud and placed in the tomb.
John 19:18
There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men,
one on either side, and Jesus in between.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Very interesting and disturbing to read and contemplate as authentic.
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting. Thank you for sharing. I taught at the JC 2009-2010 and continue to realize that there is always more to see and do in the Holy Land than time and circumstances allow.
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