Ancient burial cloth used weaving pattern not seen in controversial linen By Rossella Lorenzi
updated 12/17/2009 12:08:04 PM ET
It is dotted with Roman-era burial tombs carved out of caves in the rock face.
In ancient times, pagan tribes burned children alive there as offerings to the god Moloch.
The ancient Israelites called the valley Gehinnom - the Hebrew for 'Hell' - and it was the site where the scapegoat was driven over a cliff on the Day of Atonement in Solomon's Temple.
Evidence: Archaeologist Shimon Gibson, centre, said tests had revealed the man suffered from leprosy and died from tuberculosisProbably a Jewish high priest or member of the aristocracy, the man suffered from tuberculosis and leprosy, as DNA of both diseases was found in his bones.
"This is the earliest case of leprosy with a confirmed date in which M. leprae DNA was detected," the researchers, from Israeli, Canadian, Australian, U.S. and British institutions, wrote in the journal PloS ONE.
Although the molecular identification of these diseases is significant for the geographical and temporal distribution of tuberculosis and leprosy in the past, "what marked this tomb as unique from the other tombs in the Akeldama cemetery was the discovery of degraded shroud textile," said the researchers.
Tests: DNA analysis of the fibres of the Jerusalem shroud, left, have revealed it dates back to the time of Christ's death. Experts say it casts doubt on the authenticity of the Turin Shroud, right
The first of their kind discovered in Jerusalem, the shroud fragments date from the same time of Christ's death, but are very different than the Shroud of Turin.
Radiocarbon tests and artefacts found in the cave prove almost beyond doubt that it was from the same time of Christ's death.
Professor Shimon Gibson, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb, said ancient writings and contemporary shrouds from other areas had suggested this design, and the Jerusalem shroud finally provided the physical evidence. It was made with a simple two-way weave - not the twill weave used on most controversial relics in Christendom, the Shroud of Turin , which textile experts say was introduced more than 1,000 years after Christ lived.
It wasn't one continuous sheet,' said Gibson, pointing out the Turin Shroud is a single rectangular sheet measuring about 14ft by 3ft.
And instead of being a single sheet like the famous item in Turin, the Jerusalem shroud is made up of several sections, with a separate piece for the head.'What our shroud shows is that the practice of having a separate shroud or wrapping for the body and for the head was common practice.
'There was a separate wrapping for the head itself, which was very important because when they brought someone to burial they would place the head wrapping separately on the face in case the person wasn't actually dead and woke up again, they would be able to blow off the face wrapping and shout for help,' said Gibson.
The Turin Shroud, which measures 14ft by 3ft, is unlike the burial practice of the time which used separate sheets for the head and body of the deceased
Find: The new shroud was discovered in a sealed cave in the Hinnom Valley near Jerusalem's Old City
'This did occur quite a lot in antiquity because they didn't have the medical means we have today.
Ancient rabbinical writings mention people who woke up, apparently miraculously and lived for years afterwards.
It was the custom at the time for the family to visit the tomb after three days to check their relative was indeed dead.
Gibson said this was probably the source of the Gospel story about Jesus's followers visiting his tomb three days after the Crucifixion, when they found it empty.
Discovery: The shrouded body of a man was found in this sealed chamber of a cave in the Hinnom Valley, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem
Video: Shrouds of doubt
If the remains in the Jerusalem tomb represent typical burial shrouds widely used at the time of Jesus, this casts strong doubt that the Turin Shroud originated from Jesus-era Jerusalem.
Scientific interest in the Turin Shroud began in 1898, when it was photographed by lawyer Secondo Pia. The negatives revealed the image of a bearded man with pierced wrists and feet and a bloodstained head.
In 1988, the Vatican approved carbon-dating tests. Three reputable laboratories concluded that the shroud was medieval, dating from 1260 to 1390, and not a burial cloth wrapped around the body of Christ.
The radiocarbon dating did not prevent many scholars from formulating various hypotheses on the shroud’s authenticity.
The debate over the Turin Shroud will not go away. Last month Barbara Frale, a Vatican researcher said she had found faint letters scattered on the cloth and claimed that was basically the burial certificate of a man named "Yeshua Nazarani."
Barbara Frale said computer analysis of photographs of the shroud revealed extremely faint words written in Greek, Aramaic and Latin which attested to its authenticity.proving it was the linen cloth which was wrapped around Christ's body.
Shroud skeptics quickly dismissed Frale's claim.
Kept rolled up in a silver casket, the Turin linen has survived several blazes since its existence was first recorded in France in 1357, including a mysterious fire at Turin Cathedral in 1997.
It has been on display only five times in the past century. When it last went on display in 2000, more than three million people saw it.
Historic: A diagram of where the body was found in the burial chamber. The chamber may have been sealed because he suffered from tuberculosis
Radiocarbon tests and artefacts found in the cave prove almost beyond doubt that it was from the same time of Christ's death.
Professor Shimon Gibson, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb, said ancient writings and contemporary shrouds from other areas had suggested this design, and the Jerusalem shroud finally provided the physical evidence. It was made with a simple two-way weave - not the twill weave used on most controversial relics in Christendom, the Shroud of Turin , which textile experts say was introduced more than 1,000 years after Christ lived.
It wasn't one continuous sheet,' said Gibson, pointing out the Turin Shroud is a single rectangular sheet measuring about 14ft by 3ft.
And instead of being a single sheet like the famous item in Turin, the Jerusalem shroud is made up of several sections, with a separate piece for the head.'What our shroud shows is that the practice of having a separate shroud or wrapping for the body and for the head was common practice.
'There was a separate wrapping for the head itself, which was very important because when they brought someone to burial they would place the head wrapping separately on the face in case the person wasn't actually dead and woke up again, they would be able to blow off the face wrapping and shout for help,' said Gibson.
'This did occur quite a lot in antiquity because they didn't have the medical means we have today.
Ancient rabbinical writings mention people who woke up, apparently miraculously and lived for years afterwards.
It was the custom at the time for the family to visit the tomb after three days to check their relative was indeed dead.
Gibson said this was probably the source of the Gospel story about Jesus's followers visiting his tomb three days after the Crucifixion, when they found it empty.
Discovery: The shrouded body of a man was found in this sealed chamber of a cave in the Hinnom Valley, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem
Video: Shrouds of doubt
If the remains in the Jerusalem tomb represent typical burial shrouds widely used at the time of Jesus, this casts strong doubt that the Turin Shroud originated from Jesus-era Jerusalem.
Scientific interest in the Turin Shroud began in 1898, when it was photographed by lawyer Secondo Pia. The negatives revealed the image of a bearded man with pierced wrists and feet and a bloodstained head.
In 1988, the Vatican approved carbon-dating tests. Three reputable laboratories concluded that the shroud was medieval, dating from 1260 to 1390, and not a burial cloth wrapped around the body of Christ.
The radiocarbon dating did not prevent many scholars from formulating various hypotheses on the shroud’s authenticity.
The debate over the Turin Shroud will not go away. Last month Barbara Frale, a Vatican researcher said she had found faint letters scattered on the cloth and claimed that was basically the burial certificate of a man named "Yeshua Nazarani."
Barbara Frale said computer analysis of photographs of the shroud revealed extremely faint words written in Greek, Aramaic and Latin which attested to its authenticity.proving it was the linen cloth which was wrapped around Christ's body.
Shroud skeptics quickly dismissed Frale's claim.
Kept rolled up in a silver casket, the Turin linen has survived several blazes since its existence was first recorded in France in 1357, including a mysterious fire at Turin Cathedral in 1997.
It has been on display only five times in the past century. When it last went on display in 2000, more than three million people saw it.
Historic: A diagram of where the body was found in the burial chamber. The chamber may have been sealed because he suffered from tuberculosis
No comments:
Post a Comment