Holy Image, Holy BloodDcn. Stephen MuseAncient Faith RadioApril 16, 2015

Link to Video & Transcript

OnThursday,April16,2015,Dn.StephenMusegaveawell-researchedandthought-provokingpresentaConCtled“HolyImageHolyBlood:WhatForensicStudiesoftheShroudCanTellUsAbouttheCrucifixionandResurrecConofJesus.”Thelecturewasfreeofchargeandopentothepublic.

Introduc)onbyFrArchimandriteSergius(Bowyer),AbbotofStTikhon’sMonasteryinWaymartPA: Christisrisen!

Audience:Indeedheisrisen!

Introduc)on:Thankyouallforcomingthisevening.WearehonoredtohaveDr.Dn.StephenMusewithusthisevening,andit’sawonderfulblessingtohavehimwithus.HegaveaclergyretreatoverinOlyphanttoday,andtomorrowhe’llbegivingafacultyretreat,andhe’llbegivingapersonalretreatinTaylor[inaudible]onSaturday,afive-minutetripfromAtlantaatthat)me.Dr.Dn.StephenisawonderfulscholarandOrthodoxtheologian,beingabletosynthesizealotoftheseeminglydisparatepartsofmodernculture,helpingustounderstandwhat’susefulinourOrthodoxlifeandhowtou)lizethosethingsthatweknowinoursocietyinanOrthodoxcontext,andhedoesaverygoodjobatsynthesizingandhelpingustounderstandhowtolookatcertainprinciplesandtechniquesinmodernsocietyandhowtousetheminanOrthodoxway,whichisveryhelpfulforus,notonlyonatherapeu)clevel,butaspirituallevelaswell.SoIwouldliketoextendawarmwelcometoDr.Dn.Stephen.We’resogladtohaveyouwithusandhopeyouenjoyyourstayrighthere.We’rehonoredtohaveyouwithus.Thankyou.Thankyouforbeinghere.Christisrisen!

Audience:Indeedheisrisen!

Dr.Dn.StephenMuse:

I’mveryhappytobeabletosharethiswithusthisevening.TheShroudissomethingI’vebeeninterestedinsince1976.IdiscoveredtheShroudofTurinwhileatePrinceton,atseminary,aProtestantseminary,whichwaskindofastrangewaytodiscoverit,butwhenIlookedatthefaceofthenega)veoftheshroud,whichI’llshowyou—you’veprobablyallseenthispart—theShrouditself,theactualimage—whenyoutakeapictureofit,thenega)veandtheposi)ve,thisisoneofthefirstfivethings.WhenIlookedatthatface,somehowIsaidthisisthefaceofthehumanChrist.Ineverhaveletgoofthat,evenwhentheydidthecarbon-da)ngofit.Ihadheardthis,butIjustcouldn’tbelieveit.Ofcourse,thatbasically,thebiochemisthasbeendebunked,becausestrangelyenoughtheytookpartsoftherepairedShroudandthencarbon-datedtwodifferentones.

Iwanttosharewithyouwhat,overtheyears,thishasexpanded,andIpromisedFr.SergiusI’dkeepthistoanhour,andI’lltryveryhard.Thelast)meIdidthisitwasafour-hourpresenta)on.[Laughter]Andpeopledidnotwanttoleave;theywantedtokeepstaying,butthat’sGeorgia.[Laughter]Solet’sjuststart.I’veaddedvariousthingsinbecauseitjustconnectswithali[lebitoficonographyandastronomy,soI’llsharewhatIhave.It’llbeali[lefast,butwe’llhave)meforques)onsattheend.Ifyoureallywanttostopmeinthemiddle,justraiseyourhand,andwewillpause.

Now,thiswall-hangingdepictsthehealingoftheparaly)c,andit’stheearliest-knownrepresenta)onofJesus.Thisisexcep)ng,ofcourse,thetradi)onthatsayswehaveiconsoftheholyMothergoingbacktoLuke.Butextant,thiswouldbetheearliestrepresenta)on.Whatdoyouno)ceaboutthefigureofJesusinthefrescohere?

Audience:Arehisarmsfolded?

Dn.Stephen:No,he’sactuallyholdingoneout.He’srescuingtheparaly)c;thisisthestoryoftheparaly)c.Butwhatdoyouno)ceabouthowhelooks?

Audience:He’sgotamuscularface.Heiscrucified.

Dn.Stephen:Ihadn’tseenthat.Ithinkhe’so`enbeencrucifiedinourlives.Actually,hehashishandoutlikethis.You’reprobablyseeingacrack.That’swhatyou’relookingatrightthere.

Audience:It’shardtosee.

Dn.Stephen:Okay.Allright.Yes,it’samuddypicture.Butifyoulookatit,hehasapalliumon.It’sbasicallyatoga.HelookslikeaRomanfigure,nodifferentthananyotherpain)ngsthatyouwouldfindofRomans.Soexceptforthefactthatit’sinabiblicalpictureandhe’scarryinghispallet—he’spickeduphisbedandhe’swalking—thisisnotapicturethatweknowfromiconography.ThisisapictureofaRoman.It’sakindofculturalprojec)on,whichwedoallthe)me.WehavethehippieJesusinAmerica,sothisisreallynotawholelotdifferent.

Here,totherightofthesceneofthehealingoftheparaly)c,isoneofChriststretchinghisarmouttoPeter.Thisissavinghimfromthewavesofthesea.Thisisinthesamecollec)onwhichisaverypreciousonefromDura-Europos.Thiswasfromahousechurch,fromthethird

century.Itcouldholdaboutahundredpeople,anditwaspreservedundermudin258duringaPersiana[ack.Everythingwasburied,soit’ssortoflikePompeii.Allthesepicturesonthemurals,thebap)stry,wasallpreserved.Thesepain)ngsdatetoaround235AD,solet’skeepinmindthatSt.Irenaeusdiesin202.

WehavealivinglinktoSt.Igna)us,St.Paul,theApostleJohn,JesusChrist.Imean,aclear200years,sowe’reveryclosetothelivingtes)monyofthefirstcentury,whichIalwaysliketotellfolks:thisnonsenseabout“didJesusexist?”andallthisstuffthatgetsoura[en)on,youknow,peopletakethisseriously.Wehavealiving,historicallink,withsomanydifferentverifica)ons,andIliketoremindfolksthatthischurch,thisac)vechurch,ofahundredpeople,withabap)stry,fullywithicons,butnotthekindweknow,wasveryclosetothefirstcentury.Thisexisted—let’ssee;letmeshowyou—here’stheGoodShepherd.ThisisfromtheDura-Europoshousein235.Itishardtosee,butallofthesearethesame.Thisisfromthebap)stry.

Keepinmindthat,atthisplace,therewasagarbagedump,andtheyfoundpartsoftextsthatwerethesameastheDiatesseronofTa)an,120-180AD,andalsoaeucharis)ctextthat’ssocloselyrelatedtothelatefirstandearly[second]centuryDidachethattheycouldactuallyfillingaps.Sothiswasfromagarbagedump.We’reveryclosetothebeginningsofChris)anityandknownowthatthisliteraturewhichissoprecioustousnowwasinthegarbagedump.

Samaritanwomanatthewell.Youcanseehowimmenselycolorfulthiswas,whatabeau)fulparishchurchthiswas.Andthisisthebap)stry,allcoveredwithrich,intensecolor.TheSamaritanwomanatthewell,that’sthereconstruc)onofit.Andnow,thisisanaerialviewshowinghowDura-Europoswaslaidout.Thisis235AD.Whatdoesitsuggesttoyou,knowingthatthisisapictureoflifein235AD,inapartoftheRomanEmpirethatforabout60yearsexitedtheRomanEmpire,thePalmyranEmpire?(Syria,Egypt,andthatarea,forabout50years,wasoutoftheRomanEmpire.)Whatyouseehere—youmaynotbeabletoreaditfromhere,butyouhavethetempleofZeus,Artemis,Chris)anhousechurch,synagogue,praetorium,templeofBaal,Romanbarracks,militarytemple.Therewereeightdifferentlanguagesinthiscity,confirmed.TheyhadGreek,La)n,Aramiac,Hebrew,Parthian,Palmyran,andtwodialectsofPersian:MiddleandSafai)c.Wehaveanimmenselymul)culturalcity.1800yearsbeforewediscoveredmul)culturalismintheUnitedStates.[Laughter]Allofthesedifferenttemplesanddifferentreligionsthatwerecoexis)nginonecity:Jewish,Chris)an,Roman,andtheselanguages.Thisis,inandofitself,afascina)ngdevelopmenttoconsiderasChris)anitybegantotakeroot,howitexistedherewithoutpersecu)onintheRomanEmpireandcontemporaneouswithalltheseotherfaiths.

AnothersourceofearlyChris)anartisinthecatacombsinRome,wherewehavemilesandmilesandmilesofundergroundtunnelswheretheChris)answereburied.Some)mesyouhearthattheyhadserviceshere,andtheymayhave,butI’veseensomethingsthatsuggestthiswasoverblown,more,Iguess,inmoviedramas.Buttheydidhaveicons,andtheywereburialplaces.Whenyoulookinhere,there’ssome15milesoftheseinRome,severaldifferentones.ThisisSanCallisto.Now,whatisthis?

Audience:Loavesandfishes.

Dn.Stephen:Loavesandfishes,yes.Fiveloavesandthetwofish,and,ofcourse,weknowthatthe“fish”inGreekisthele[ersofthenameofChrist,SonofGod.SoitwasasymbolthatbecameakindofsignofaChris)anhouse.

Herefromthecatacombs,250AD,andwouldyouknowthatwasJesus?Notreally,becausethatisashepherdboy,thelambacrosshisshoulders,andhes)lllookslikeagodofApollo,transformedintotheGoodShepherd.Sowes)llhaveaculturalprojec)on,notyettemperedbyanythingthatwouldgobacktoadifferentimage.Theseareallovertheplace.Hereheisagain:theGoodShepherdinatoga,catacombofPriscilla;Domi)lla,350.

Buteventhoughthosearethemajorityofimages,thereareacouplethatstarttobedifferent.Thisisfourthcentury,discoveredin1905,inthecatacombofCommodilla,oneoftheearliest-knownrepresenta)onsofChristwithabeard,alphaandomegahere.Youcanseeit’sdrama)callychangedfromthat.Here’sone,fourthcenturycatacomb.Sosomethingstartedtohappen.

Sowejusthaveinthebackground:whydiditchange?

Audience:[Inaudible.]

Dn.Stephen:Ah,buttheys)llhadpicturesofChrist,buttheyshowedhimasaRoman.You’resugges)ngthatmaybetheyshowedhimasaRoman.Let’sstaywithit.Interes)ng,interes)ng.Okay.Maybetheywouldn’thaveknown.I’mgoingtogiveyouanotherpossibility.Here,FatherbroughtouttheiconthatyouhaveoftheMandylion,anditshowsyouonthegateofEdessa,wherethehistoryofthefaceoftheShroudwasfromthestartoftheninthcentury,andthereareseveralhistoricallyextantpiecesthatletusknowthatwasthecase.

Ofcourse,wehadtheiconnot-made-with-human-hands.WasittheiconofVeronicahere,pressedonthefaceforamoment,orwasittheShroud?AccordingtoJerome,whowasquo)ngtheGospeltotheHebrews,Jesusgavehislinenshroudtothehighpriest’sservanta`ertheResurrec)on,andthenappearedtoJamestheRighteous,whowasoneofhisfamily.Thisisinteres)ng,becauseJames,accordingtothegospel,didn’tbelieveduringJesus’life)me,andofcourseit’sverypowerfulandsuddenwhenhedoesa`erwards.

ChurchhistorianEusebiusgivesusadifferentpicture.Inanearlyfourthcenturytranslatedle[erfromtheSyriacofafirst-centurykingnamedAbgar,whoisdepictedhere,thedocumentsaysthat[therewas]adisciplewhowasnamedThaddeus,oneoftheSeventy,whosefeastdayiscommemoratedAugust21—nottobeconfusedwithSt.Jude,whoisalsocalledThaddeus,oneoftheTwelve.HewasaHebrew,borninthecityofEdessa,andspreadthegospelsthroughoutSyria,andisresponsibleforconver)ngKingAbgartoChris)anity.ThaddeusbroughttothecityofEdessaaclothonwhichtheimageofJesus’actualfacialfeaturesappeared.Thisistheearliestmen)onofsuchanimageoriconofJesus’faceinthehistoricalwri)ngsoftheChurchthatwehave.It’ssaidthatthekingwasmiraculouslyhealedwhenhereceivedit.

EvagriusScholas)cusconfirmsinhisEcclesiasCcalHistoryfromthesixthcenturythatthecityofEdessawasprotectedbyadivinely-wroughtpoetry,animagenotmadewithhumanhands,sentbyJesustoKingAbgar.AndtheremaybeareferencetothisintheHymnofthePearl,whichisadocumentwhichdatesfromabout216AD.It’sa[ributedbythescholarstotheGnos)cpoetBardaisan,fromEdessa,interes)ngly,sameplacewherethefacewas.

AndthisspeaksofJesus’burialgarment—thisisinteres)ng—ofhavingafrontandbackimage,sowehavea216ADreferencefromthecityinwhosehistorythiswasplaced.It’snotjustbeingaface:wholebody.Oneques)onthat’senormouslyinteres)ngisjustwhointheChris)anChurchbecameawarethatsuchanimageexistedsincewehadnocellphonesandallthatstuffandittookalong)metogetsomewhere,sohowdidthiscrosstheRomanEmpireandactuallybeseenanddiscovered?

TherealsowerenoimagesofGodinJudaism,althoughIforgottotellyou,inthatcitythatIshowedyou,wherethe[house-church]was,thesynagoguehadpicturesofanimalsandallkindsofstuff,soitwasn’tfollowingwhatweusuallythinkofinJudaismashavingnopictures.Typically,therewouldnotbeany,butfortheChris)answhobelievethatJesusisGodandhuman,nowtheverybodyoftheLordandhisimagebecomesignificant,alongwiththetransfigura)onofthebodyandthesoulduringlife.Soifwedidn’trepresenttheface—andthisisthewholeiconoclastcontroversythatconfirmsthis—weareinawaydenyingthatthefaceofJesusChristcouldshowusthegloryofGod,throughthenoe)cillumina)onoftheheartandseethisinahumanbeing,sobothhumananddivine.

SotheShroudseemstohaveremainedhiddeninthecityofEdessaforthefirstthousandyears,butitcameouteveryonceinawhile.Nowhereyouseethetypicalrepresenta)onoftheMandylion,theImage-not-made-with-human-hands,andthenthisistheposi)veimageoftheShroud,notthenega)ve,sothat’swhatitlookslikeifyoulookatthelinen.

InIanWilson’sbookontheholyShroud,hesuggeststhattheobjectveneratedbytheMandylionistheShroud.Thatwashissugges)on.OnereasonforthisisthattheSTURP[ShroudofTurinResearchProject]thatstartedtoinves)gatetheShroudin1978usedaspecialtypeofphotographywhichconfirmedthattheholesintheShroudshowedithadbeenfoldedupforyearsandyearssothatonlythefacewouldshow.Soitconfirmsthatifyouhadablood-stainedburialshroudwhichwasuncleantotheJewsandholytotheChris)ans,theonlywaytokeepitistohaveonlythefaceshowing,setitinaframeorsomethingsothatitcouldn’tbedetectedthatthat’swhatitwas.

ThebloodonitwouldhavemadeitforbiddenamongJudaism,andofcoursewhenyouseeThePassionof[the]Christandyouseethewomenmoppingthefloorveryhard,theyweregerngupeverytraceofbloodbecausethatcouldnotbele`.Thiswillbesignificant,too,whenwelookatwhathappensattheendfromtheforensicstudiesofthebloodandalbuminontheShroud,whatitcantellus.

Now,550A.D.,oneofthemostimportanticonsthatexists,andoneoftheearliest,atSt.Catherine’s.Ofcourse,I’mnotsayingthatthisiswhattheyweredoingbyanymeans,butIthink

it’sveryinteres)ngbecausethisisatheologicalpicture,but—thele`sideofthebraincontrolstherightsideofthebody;therightsideofthebraincontrolsthele`side.Weknowthatdogslookintothele`eye.Whydotheylookintothele`eye?

Audience:Sotheycanseetherightbrain.

Dn.Stephen:Andwhydotheywanttoknowwhat’sgoingoninyourrightbrain?Becausetheywanttoknowhowyoufeel.Theywanttoknowifyou’resafeandifyoulovethem.Watchtheireyes.Okay,sothishasbeenstudied.Iimaginetherecouldbesomepeoplewhohavethisbrainali[lemixedup,maybele`-handers,Idon’tknow,butthatcouldconfusethedogs,ifyouthinkaboutthat—[Laughter]—butnormallythele`side.Andyoucanaskyourself,too,wheredoyoulook,usually,whenyou’relookingataperson;whicheyedoyoutendtofocuson?

Thisisawhole‘notherareaintermsoflimbicresonance,whatababydoeswhenitlooksatitsmotherandhowyoucanvideothemother’sfaceandshowittothebabyinalife-likeway—[Snap]—thebabywillgointodistresswithinasecond,becauseitrealizesthereisnotthecall-and-responsethatletsitknowit’sincontact.Theliturgybeginsveryearly.Theliturgyforthebabyisalive,andit’sgerngalimbicresonancewhichletsitknowit’swelcome.Ifitdoesn’tgetthatback,itgoesintodistress.

Whichside,letmeaskyou—we’llspeedthisupandI’llshowyousomething—whichoneofthesewouldyouwanttoconfessto?[Laughter]Now,whatthisphotographer’sdoneishasdoubledeachsidetoshowyouwhatyouwereseeinghere,whichisverypowerfulandhitsyouinacoupleofdifferentways,becauseitistouchingbothmercyandcompassionandwelcome,andjudgmentanddispassionateregard.Sotoseeexactlyhowthatis,takethatanddoubleitoverhereandthisiswhatyouget.Thismanisverydifferentfromthisone.Isupposethisisthebishop.[Laughter]Andthisone,itseemstobeJesus“meekandmild,”wholoveseveryoneandweneednotworryaboutthethingsthatweworryaboutallthe)me;he’lljustwelcomeeverybodyandallwillbewell.Actually,thisone’snot—he’sfierce,buthe’snotrepellant.There’sagreatbeautythere,too,yet,alone,theseareprobablyheresy,becausetheydonothavethefully-God,fully-human,inonepersontheologicalaccuracy.Sothisoneisextremelyimportantbecauseitislivingrepresenta)onofthemysteryofChris)anityanditsrevela)on.

Andtheques)onis:Whydidthatsuddenlyappearin550withsuchincredibletheologicalpurportanddetail?Well,somethinghappenedsixyearsbeforethat.In544,aclothbearinganimageofJesuswas“discovered”inaprotectedpor)onofthegateabovetheEdessacitywalls,anditcametobeknowninthelargerRomanEmpire.Apparently,thisclothwaskepthiddensowellinEdessathatitwasrarelybroughtout,butatthispointitbecameknown.Now,Jus)nian—hisreignwasthere—soasitmadeitsway,thismusthavebeenthemostsignificantrelicinalloftheByzan)neEmpire,andsurelyitwouldhavehadaninfluenceinhowthefaceofChristwasrepresented.Sowithinsixyearsthatimageappears,andwhenyouplayaroundwithhow—thisisthenega)veimage,ofcourse;theywouldn’thavehadthat,but,s)ll,youseepropor)onally,somebodydidapre[yamazingjoboflookingatwhatthatfacelookedlike.Anda`erthat,all

overtheempireandallovertheworld,thefaceofChristchanges,andnowweseethemixofthosetwoelements.

InHagiaSophiayouseeit’snotasstrongasintheSinai,butyoucanseethere,andthat’salsosixthcentury.Iputthatinforfolkswhohaven’tbeenintroducedtoOrthodoxy.Iliketotellthemthatthiswastheworld’slargestcathedralun)l1520,andwhentheywereserving,therewere60priests,140deacons(and40werewomen),90subdeacons,110readers,andittook10,000workerstobuildit,andittookfiveyears,andtheceilingwasoverlaidwithpuregoldthatreflectedonthemantleoftheiconostasis,whichwasalso…itmusthavebeenatrulymagnificentstructure.Thedomeis100feetindiameter,182feethigh,sirngonarchesthatwereanarchitecturalmarvelthatwasjustdiscovered.Insteadofusingbu[ressing,thiswasthefirst)methattriangleswereusedinbetweenthearchestochanneltheweightdownthroughthecolumns.AndthenaveofHagiaSophiaisthree)meslargerthananyGothiccathedralintheworld.It’saboutthelengthofanen)refootballfield.

Jus)nianhadtheRomanEmpireatitspeak,sothiswashugeandunitedbeforeithadstartedtobeinvaded.Aroundthis)me,thisstartedhappening,sonowtheimageisonacoinofCaesar—692here.AndthisbeginstoflowthroughtheByzan)neEmpire.Soyouhave…ThisisfromJohnI,Constan)nople,andyouseeyouhaveJesusChrist,Kingofkings,ononeside,ontheother…Oneofmystudentswhowassta)onedinTurkeysentmeawonderfulgi`,andthat’sthiscoin,soI’llsendthataroundandletyou…Iloveit.Thisis1100yearsold,andIhaveitintheplas)csowedon’tgetourfingersalloverit.I’llbeaskingforareportattheendhere.[Laughter]

Nowthisis…Someonehasstudiedallthedetailsoftheseiconstosee,now,whatisitthatgoestotheShroud?Sohereyouseeabunchofthemthatstarttobecommononalltheicons.Interes)ngly,araisedaccentbelowthenoseandlargele`nostril—someofthismaywellbefromthedistor)onsofthebea)ngthepersontook,sothere’sswellinganddifferentthingsthatwe’lltalkaboutforensically,butwhatgotcopiedovermaywellbesomedistor)onsintheface.

Onefurtherinteres)ngdetailworthmen)oninginconnec)onwithiconographyisrelatedtothefactthatthefigureinthelowerlegs,hands,andtorsooftheimageintheShroudisawell-muscledpersonwhowastallforhis)me,about5’11”,185lbs.,andsomethingshavebeenmadeabouthowhisarmsseemtobeali[lebiglonger,propor)onately,thanhisbody,andthatnormallytheydon’tgodownquitesofarwhenyou’re[lying]downlikethat,butyouhavetokeepinmindthatwhenhewasonthecross,hisarmsweredislocatedandhewasstretched,sothismakesperfectsenseintermsofhowthearmswouldhavebeenlengthened.

InthesixthcenturyinSpain,aTypikonforworshipexistedwhichwascalledtheMozarabicRite,andoneofthereadingsusedduringPaschaconcernedthefindingoftheemptytomb.ItstatesthatPeterandJohnrantotheemptytomband“sawtherecentimprintsofthedeadandrisenmanonthelinens.”Thewordtranslatedas“imprintsofthedead”suggestsyet

anotherconnec)onwiththeliturgicallifeoftheChurchanditshistoricalmemoryoftheShroud.

NowSt.JohnDamascenein730,hemen)ons—thisisreally,exceptforsomeotherobliquereferences,thefirstdefinitehistoricalreferencethattheShroudwasthewholebody.Hedoesthis[in]OnHolyImages,hedescribesalonggrave-cloththathehadexperiencedpersonallywith—andthismaybeitsfirstmen)on.PopeStephenIIIin752,notlonga`erthat,writesthatChristhad

spreadouthisen)rebodyonalinencloththatwasaswhiteassnow.Onthiscloth,marvelousasitistosee…thegloriousimageoftheLord’sface,andthelengthofhisen)remost-noblebody,hasbeendivinelytransferred.

In1201,NicholasMesarites,thesacristanoftheparishchapelwheretheimageofEdessawaskept,describedtheceremonyinwhichhesays:

Hereherisesagainandthesindonorshroudisclearproof:s)llsmellingfragrantofperfumes,defyingcorrup)onbecausetheywrappedthemysteriousnakedbodyfromheadtofeet.

IdoubtthattheperfumesontheShroud,1200yearslater,weremyrrhoranythingelsetheyputonthere.Itwastheholyrelic,andsothereisadifferentfragrancethatwasthere.

ThisisEdessa,modern-dayTurkey.In944,theByzan)neemperorremovedtheShroudbymilitaryforceandtookittoConstan)nople.ThiswasRomanosI,andhehadtohaveanarmytodoit,anditremainedinConstan)nopleforthenext250years.NowthisismodernSyria,andthetownwasinhabitedsince2000B.C.ItmaywellhavebeenassociatedwithAbrahamandUrfa,Abraham’sbirthplace:Urhai,Ur,there’ssomeques)onaboutthat.

RecentlydiscoveredancientGreekdocumentsattheVa)cantellusaboutthearrivaloftheclothinConstan)noplea`eritsremovalfromEdessa,anddescribesit[as]afull-lengthimagewithbloodstainsandasidewound,soit’spre[yclearhistoricallythatit’sreal.Soforthenext300years,it’sthere,butthentheempiregetsintrouble.In1053thebishopofRome,youknow,senttheemissariestoConstan)noplewan)ngrecogni)onofthepope’suniversaljurisdic)onoverChristendomandmilitaryhelptofighttheinvadingNormans.WhenPatriarchMichael[Cerularius]refusedbothofthese—militaryhelpaswellastherecogni)on—thepope’slegatesexcommunicatedhim.Ofcourse,thepopewasdead,sotheyhadnoofficialauthority,butitdidn’tstopanything,andMichael[Cerularius],theByzan)ne,excommunicatedtheRomans,soitbegins.

A`erthisGreatSchism,thedivisionbegantoleadtochangesinthetwochurches,butwewanttokeepinmindin1182…Wesay,well,beforetheFourthCrusadewentinandransackedConstan)nople—beforewegetself-righteousaboutthat,wehavetorealizethatin1182,60,000RomanCatholics[who]wereinConstan)noplewhocontrolledmostofthemari)metradewerekilledbytheByzan)nes.TherewasaHawield-McCoyfeudthatwasgoingon.Ittookawhileforonepaybacktohittheother.WhentheCrusades,whentheFrenchknightsin1204cameback22yearslater,forpayback,theya[ackedandlootedConstan)nopleandtookall

kindsofrelics,includingtheShroud,backtoEurope.TheodoreDoukasAngeloswrites,“TheVene)anspar))onedthetreasuresofgold,silver,andivory.TheFrenchdidthesamewiththerelicsofthesaints,andthemostsacredofall:thelineninwhichourLordJesusChristwaswrappeda`erhisdeathandbeforetheResurrec)on.”Sowehaveahistoricaldateforthat.

DowehaveanyPresbyteriansintheaudience?Okay.JohnCalvinwasaverylogicalman.[Laughter]Hebegantowritethe—what’shisthing?—Calvin’sInsCtuteswhenhewas21.Whenyou’re21youknowhowtheworldshouldbeifyoufollowreason.[Laughter]ButhesaysthateitherJohn,St.Johnisaliar,orelseanyonewhopromotessuchashroudisconvictedoffalsehoodanddeceit,becauseyouneedmorethanonewitness.Well,wehavemorethanonewitness.Ofcourse,hewasfigh)ngin1543.TheShroudwasmakingitswayaroundinEurope,andtheProtestantsweretryingtobeattheba[le,andtheShroudwasquiteapieceofsomethingwithinCatholicismthatcouldbeanobjec)on.Sorelicsandallthat,includingtheShroud,hadtobepushedaway.

Well,JohnCalvin,thereareseveralwitnesses.Andforsomestrangereason,weinthe21stcenturynowhavemorewitnesses,scien)fically,forthingsabouttheShroud,thananybodysincethefirstwitnessesofit.Jesussaidifpeoplestoppedsaying,“Glorytothee,OLord,”therocksandstoneswillbegintosayit,andthat’sexactlywhat’shappening.We’regoingtolookattheforensicstudiesoftherocks,theflowers,themoon,andothernon-humanbeingsthatnowareshou)ngconfirma)onofwhatisinthegospels.

Idon’tpresentthis:“IsthisJesus?”likeit’sonTV.Ilovetodothisforpeopleoffaithbecauseallthatwelearnsimplydrawsuscloser.Solet’sstartwithwhatwecansee.Firstofall,biblically:

Sincethelifeofalivingbodyisinitsblood,Ihavemadeyouputitonthealtar,sothatonemaybemadeforyourownlives,becauseitistheblood[it’sintheblood]astheseedoflifethatatonementwasmade.

ThisisatthecoreoftheJewishfaith.Ithastodowithallofthewhatwenowcallkosherlaws,thereasonthatthebloodwouldnotbeeaten.Thebloodwouldbedrained,becausethebloodhaslifeinit.Astrangethingthat’sdifferentthanthis…Whenyoukillananimalandit’safraid,itsbloodissaturatedwithwhatthepituitaryglandandthelimbicsystemdoto…agoodman.[Laughter]—withitsfear.Soifweeatthebloodofanimalskilledandmistreated,weare,atabiologicallevelandmaybeatacertainotherlevel,beingfilled,infected,bytheirterror.Ithinkit’snotinsignificantthatancientpeoples,par)cularlysomeofourNa)veAmericans,onlykilledwithprayer,andtheyusedeverysinglepartoftheanimalandrespectedthatthiscamefromtheGreatSpirit.

Thisprayerisfarmorethanusthatflapourjawswhenweeatlikeadog.Tohuntandtorespectthelifegivenandthesacrednessofthetransferofthelifeissomethingthatinourculturewe’velost.Wehuntforsport,likeamanwhowasquotedinanewspaperasshoo)ngthetoesoffaraccoonwhilethedogsbarkedbelow;hesaid,“That’sthefunofit.”Shoo)ngthemoff,oneata)me.Thisisawhole‘notherthingaboutwhathappenstouswhenwe

becomesodissociated,removedfromthepersonalaspectoflife,theeucharis)cnatureof“thineownofthineown,”thedeeras“thineown,”thesquirrel“weofferthee.”Whenwelosethat,we’redeeperanddeeperintochapterthreeofGenesis,wherewehaveobjec)fiedtheworld,and,asonecorporateCEOsaid,“Theonlywaytheworldcanbesavedistoowneverypieceofit.”That’sdownrightscary.Wehadenoughtroublewithslavery;andevendeeper,toownaworldandextractaprofitfromit:isthattheonlywaywecansaveit?Thisisan)-Christ.Thisisawhole‘notherarea,then,togothrough,tolookat.

SoMa[hew27:25:“Hisbloodbeuponusandourchildren,”akindofironicprophecy,whichwehopeistrueatonelevel,butitwouldbetruealsobecausewekilledhim.I’mgoingtoskipthisonebyC.S.Lewis,butLewisisjustmakingapointthatifJesusforgivesyouforhur)ngthisperson,thisiscrazy.Howcanhedothat?Thisisthepersonwhohastoforgive.Butifhur)nghimishur)ngJesus,thenofcoursehecan.Sothishasdeeptheologicalimplica)onsforus.IfwesaythatallsinsaresinsagainstChrist,we’resayingsomethingveryimportanttheologically.

Okay,totheforensics,becauseI’mwaybehind.We’vegot20minutestogettothemeatofit.

Audience:22!

Dn.Stephen:22,allright.[Laughter]ThisisthebacksideoftheShroud,andwhatyou’llseeiswhatletsthepeopleknowthatonemanwastall,onemanwasshort,andtheyusedsomethingcalledaflagrum,andtheyhitatangles.Therewere120lashmarkswiththisinstrumentontheback,notasingleoneonthefront.Ifyouwerehitwiththiskindofthing,ittendedtoripopentheflesh,anditcausedpaintothepointofseizures,tremors,vomi)ng,andcoldsweats.Thisiswhatitlookedlike:li[le)nykindofbarbellsthatsomeonedescribedas“seashells,”butthat’ssomethingI’mgoingtohavetoinves)gate,becausethisisthepictureIhaveofit.Soitwasmetal,andoneEusebius[said]eyewitnessessaidthattheveinswerelaidbare,themuscles,sinews,andbowelsofthevic)mwereopentoexposures.Soitmusthavebeenpre[ybad.

120lashes—whatdoyouknowaboutJewishlaw?Youcouldn’tgive120lashes.Youonlycouldgive39.That’sthemaximum.Soonereasonthisperson,ifitwasJesus,andtheywantedtoturnhimovertotheRomansbecausetheywantedhimhurtworsethantheycoulddo.Theycouldn’texecutehimandtheycouldn’tgivehimmorethan39lashes.IfPilatedidn’twanttokillhim,hebeathimsobadthatitmighthavebeenenoughtogivehimback,buttheys)lldidn’twanthim.Theysaid,“GiveusBarabbas.”ThesonoftheFather.Sohewascrucified.Bythe)mehewasthere,hehadbeenbeatensobad,theycantellfromtheforensicstudiesthathewasdehydratedalready,probablyinaveryweakenedcondi)oneventhoughhewasquitestrongandvigorous.

Youcanseeherearoundthebody.ThemanoftheShroudhadsufferedblunttraumatotheneck,chest,andshoulder,frombehind,whichcausedneuro-musculardamagetotheen)rebrachialplexus.Itaffectsthenerveimpulsestotheshoulder,thearm,andthehand,andthisis

thekindofinjurythatwouldhappenifyourneckwasforciblypushedinfrontbyanobjectbehindyou,whichwouldhavebeenlikely120-lb.oakbeamthathewas)edtoandhadtowalkwithfromtheplacewherehewasbeatentoGolgotha.Now,whenhestumbled,ofcourse,hehadnothingtostophim,sohisfacewouldhavelikelyhitthegroundflaton,andhiskneeswouldhavetriedtobreakthefall,whichisconfirmedinthestudiesofdirt,blood,scabsandthingsalongtheknees.Thecar)lageinthenoseisbroken.Therewerenobonesinthisbodythatwerebroken,butthecar)lageisdislocatedinthenose,andthere’sdirtinhisface.

Iftheyhadhithimwiththatinstrumentonthechest,whatwouldhavehappened?He’dhavediedbecausehisheartwouldhavestopped.Sohewasnotbeingbeatentokillhim.Hewasbeingbeatenforsomethingelse,sotheyonlyhithimintheback.

Thisshowswhenthespikegoesinhere,whathappenstotheautoma)cclenchingofthethumb,whichiswhy,whenyoulookontheShroud,there’snothumbvisible.Thenailsfrozethisinaretrac)onbecauseofwhatthenervedidwhenthatwasspikedin.

Afinalpicture.There’shisbloodthatislikelythecrownofthorns.Whydoesthebloodstayred?Bloodissupposedtonotstayred,sosomesayitmustbedye.Doesanybodyknowwhathappensifyou’retrauma)zed,whatyourbodydoes?Itexcretesasubstance—maybebilirubin;Iforget—anditcausesthebloodnottoturn,soit’llstayred.Sothisisatrauma)zeddeath.

Inthe16thcentury,repairsweremadetotheShroudbecauseofdamagetoitandthesilverreliquarythatitwasin.Sotheytookco[on,theyusedamadderroottodyeitslightlytomakeitlooklikethelinen,andtheydidsuchagoodjobbecausetheywereincredibleweaversinFrancethatitwashardlydetectable,whetherornotthepeoplewhotookthingsforthegarmentknewwhattheyweredoingornot,it’snowbeenproventhattheydidtakeitfromthat,andachemist,RayRogers,whopublishedapeer-reviewedar)cleinThermochimicaActa,whichshowedthatthiswasincontrover)bleanddatedtheco[ondeteriora)onsfromthe15thcenturyinsteadoftheotherandgotawrongdate.

Theneatthingaboutthisisthere’snotonlyonewaytodateit.Youcantakesomethingcalledvanillin,whichisinflax,anditdeteriorateslikecarbon-14inacertainway,soyoucantellhowoldsomethingis.Vanillinthatwaspresentinlinenofamedievalorigin,andnotfoundinthelinen1300yearsearlier—mummies,Egyp)anmummies,weknowwhathappens—sothereisn’tvanillinanywhereintheShroud.It’sconsistentwithfirst-century,orpossiblyevenali[leearlier,date.Therewasali[lebitofrepairsmade,again,becauseyou’redealingwithsomethingthatwasmorerecent.

Whenyoulookonthis,youcanseethatthebloodonhereseepsdownintotheflax.Thisisverysignificant,becausewhenyoulookattheimage,thereisnoseepage,sothishastobeexplained.Also,oneoftheexpertsinHamburginweavingsaysthattheseamofthisclothcorrespondstoafabricfoundatthefortressatMasadaneartheRedSeainthefirstcentury,it’sathree-to-onetwillweavingconsistentwithafirst-centurySyriandesign,andit’smuchmoreexpensivethanwouldhavetypicallybeenavailableinJerusalem,consistentwithbeingwealthy

—JosephofArimathea.Itdoesnotdisplayanyweavingorsewingtechniqueswhichwouldspeakagainstitsoriginfromthefirstcentury.

Itisbilirubinintheblood.Thebodygoesintoshock,andtheliverfloodsitwithbilirubin,andsothebloodstaysredpermanently.

Here,whenyoulookattheimagesonthesurfaceofit,there’stheoriesabouthowthiswasmade,butitappearstobearadiantimage.It’sconsistentthroughoutthewholeShroud,exactlythesamethickness,aboutlikeasoapbubbleortheprotec)vean)-glareonyourglasses.It’sextremelythin,anditdoesn’trespondtooxida)onandthings.There’ssomethingaboutthisimagethatisallthewayacross,uniform,andindependentofwhatwewouldexpectfromanythingthatwasadyeorwhatever.Sotheques)onis:Whatcreatedthis?

Youknowwhatimagethatis.That’sfromHiroshima,wheretheflashfromtheatomicbombputtheshadowofsomeonethatitvaporized.SothisisverydifferentthantheimageontheShroud,buts)llitgivesusthevaguestsenseofcomparison.Sowhatcreatedit?Uniformcolor,sameintensityallacross,stabletowater,heat,insolubletoacids.Now,thefrontalanddorsalviewsareofequalintensity.Youwouldhaveexpected,layingdownonthis,tohavecreatedadifferentimagethanthatwhichwaslooselycoveringthetop,butitisn’t;it’sexactlythesame.Andanega)veimageofthebodyproducesaphotograph-qualityphoto.Notonlyisitphotographic,butitactuallygivesusthree-dimensionaldatasothatNASAcanbuildapicture.Thisshouldn’thappenwithaphotograph.

Now,thisisaveryinteres)ngdiscovery.Notonlyisthereanimageonthefrontofit,butonthebacksideoftheShroud,theexactsameimageisthere,onlymuchfainter.Soifyouputaneedlethroughtheeyeonthefront,itgoesthroughandithitsexactlythesamethingontheotherside.Sohowdidtheimagedothis,andfurthermore,nothinggoesthrough!Sotheimageofsoap-bubblethinnessonbothsidesoftheShroud,withnothinggoingthrough,andit’sinperfectcorrespondence.That’sarealpuzzle.

Now,presumablylightofsomekindorenergycoulddothat,butthereisoneotheralterna)vethat’sbeensuggested.PlinytheElder.Therearebrowncoloringoftheimagesthatappearstohavestarchfrac)onsandsaccharides.Thisisanimportantdetail,becausePliny,from23-79A.D.,who,bytheway,diedofsmokeinhala)onrescuingpeoplefromMt.Vesuvius,quitealeader,amilitaryleaderandascien)st,hediscoveredmelanoidins.A`erthebody…Thisisusedinbeers,turnsbeerbrown,hops,andall,ortoast.A`erabodyhasdiedandstartstoletoffproteins,iftheseproteinsconnectedwithstarchthatwasthere,itwouldformthisbrown.

Well,whatwasstarchdoingontheShroud?Plinytellsusthatflax,whichwasinthefirstcentury,whentheyweretryingtomakeitspinfaster,theyputstarchonit.A`ertheygotthethingwoven,theywasheditoutandletitdryinthesun.Soonespecula)onis:itdriedwithaheavierstarchfilmonthepartthatwasexposedtothesun,andlessontheotherside,sowhenthegasesfromthebodybegantogothrough,theydidn’tdoanythinginthemiddlesec)on,becausetherewasn’tstarchthere.It’sinteres)ng,butI’mnotsureit’sasgoodastheonethat

hastodowiththelight,butitjustshowshowmanywaysyoucantrytoexplainsomethingthatisakindofarealpuzzle.

Here’sthethree-dimensionalpartthattheygetfromthis,thatshouldn’tbe.Intheblue,nooneexpectedtofindcoinsovertheeyes,becausethatwasn’tsomethingthatwasdonethato`en,althoughitwasdoneinJewishburial.Hereyouseemagnifica)onsifyouwanttostudythis.It’snotjustimaginingthings.It’sveryclearthatyoucanfindoncoinsmintedbyPon)usPilateaspectsofthecoinsovertheeyesoftheShroud.Oneoftheotherinteres)ngthingsisthattheyfoundthisprint.Theyuseda/c/insteadofkappa.Theyfoundit,andtherewasn’tacoinextantatthe)mewiththis,andtheyfoundoneaZerhavingdiscoveredthis.Sothat’sanotherinteres)ngdetail.

CoinsofPon)usPilatewouldhavebeenprintedinGreekle[ersusingakappa,andatthe)meofthisdiscovery,therewasnonele`onwitha/c/,soifthishadbeenpareidolia,whereyouseewhatyouwanttosee,theywouldn’thavebeenlookingfor/c/.

Now,thereare74pointsofcongruencewithacoin.Thisisalituus,whichcouldeasilybealmostastaff,whichIfindveryironic:theyfoundacoinwithastaffandputitovertheeyes.OnewasacoininhonorofPilate’swife,andsincey’allweregoodonmyfirstcoin,I’mgoingtoletyouholda2,000-year-oldcoin,whichismyfavoriteofall.Thisisalepton,aleptonmintedbyPon)usPilate,andtheyonlywereforaboutsixyears,sothat’sanotherextraordinarythingthatthemanintheShroudhadPon)usPilatecoinsonhiseyesthatdatewhatwentontothe)meofPilate.

Audience:Isthatthesametypeofcointhatwasonhiseyes?

Dn.Stephen:That’sit.Thatisit.That’stherealdeal.That’s2,000yearsold,gerngmorevaluablebytheyear.[Laughter]

Now,thisistraver)nearagonite,averyinteres)nglimestone,interes)ngbecausethislimestoneisnotknownanywhereintheworldexcepttheoldcityburialsiteinJerusalem.Guesswhat’sfoundonthefeetareaoftheShroudandontheShroud?This.SothedustofthisrockissingingforusaHallelujah,andit’sanexactmatch.

Lookhowuniquepollengrainsare.Youcan’tmissthem,whichonegoeswithwhich.They’rekindoflikethosedustmitesonusifwecouldseethem;they’reabsolutelyunique,terrifyingcreaturesthatarecrawlingalloverusrightnow.Thereare58differentpollensontheShroud,andtheydatedtotheRedSea,orthey’relocatedgeographicallytotheRedSee,theNegebDesert,theAnatoliansteppesofcentralandwesternTurkey(Edessa),Constan)nople,andWesternEurope.It’savirtualchronologyofwheretheShroud’sbeenfor2,000years.

Severalofthesespeciesareevenmoreinteres)ngbecausetheytellussomeveryspecificthings.ThisoneonlybloomsbetweenMarchandMay.It’sagoodtemporalindicator,anditisawidespreadMediterraneanspecies,butitdoesn’tlocateitspecificallytoJerusalem,butittellsusthemonthsitwasopen.

Thisisadetour.Whatisthat?

Audience:Mars?

Dn.Stephen:Nowwhatisit?

Audience:Thesun.

Dn.Stephen:Oh,youallareeasy.Andnowwhatisit?It’sgerngmoreandmorefamiliarinthecircle.Andlook:there’shisear,there’shisleg,there’shistail,there’shis…that’sanotherear.Butitisn’tarat;it’sjustarock,butweseewhatwewanttosee.Thisispareidolia.Whatdoyouseeinthemiddlehere?Allright,somebodyseesanangel.Whatelsedoyousee?Across?

Audience:Iseeacrab.

Dn.Stephen:YouknowthatthisistheRorschachinkblottest.Yes,I’mtryingtobetrickyhere,becauseIthinkit’shardtofindevenoneofthoseinthere.

Audience:Yes.Iseeli[lefaces.

Dn.Stephen:Nowlook.Nowlookwhathappened.That’swhatyousee.Someonehasfoundflowers,andwhattheythinkisthattheflowerswereputonthereandthattheyle`animprint.Somepeoplesaymaybeit’spareidolia,butIthinkwecanseesomedifference.

Inanycase,it’suphere,andlookatthisicon.

Audience:Hmm!

Dn.Stephen:SomebodystudiedtheShroudrealwell.Andthen,ofcourse,historically,theepitaphion,yes.

Allright.Let’sseehere.Now,thisone.Cistuscre)cusarefoundonthesurface.It’sahighlyspecificgeographicindicator.ItonlygrowsasfarastheoldcityofJerusalemandhighereleva)ons.Sowe’regerngveryclosenow,andthisoneisthemostimportantofall.Itbeginstoopenmiddayun)lgraduallyopenedatsunset,andpreciselythebudsopenfromthreetofouro’clockinthea`ernoonandonlyduringthat)me.Yeah,thatgivesme…thatmakesmyhairstandup,becauseit’spinpoin)ngamomentin)methattheShroudwouldhavehadtobeexposedtotheair,anditwasrightwhenthegospelssaythatJesusdiedandwasremovedfromthecross.

Theyalsofoundoakinthebackoftheheadwherethepa)bulumwouldhavebeen,andoakwasaverycommontree,perhapsthemostcommontreeinPales)neatthat)me.Crucifixionwashorrible.Cicerosaidyoucouldn’tdothattoaRomanci)zen,andwhenyoureadwhathe’ssaying,anupstanding,wealthyRoman,youcangetasensethatweloseofhowu[erlyshamefulandhorriblethecrosswas,walkingnakedthroughthecitytobehumiliatedasanenemyofRomethatwouldneverdarestandagainsttheRomanempire.ThisiswhatCaiaphasandtheleadersofJudaismatthe)mewanteddone,becausetheywantedtocrushanypossibilitythathecouldbeseenasanything—u[erlyshamed.

Now,JohnCalvinisallover.Here’sanotherwitness.HowmanyofyouhaveheardoftheSudarium?You’veheardoftheNapkin,right,becausethat’showit’stranslatedinEnglish,but

it’stheSudarium,that’sthewordintheGreek.TheSudariumisacloth,[and]weknowitshistoryverywell.It’sbeeninSpainfor1400years.ItwenttoJerusalem,Alexandria,andthentoSpain.TheSudarium,thewriteroftheLifeofSt.NinaofGeorgia—therealGeorgia,notwhereIlive[Laughter]—whodiedin338A.D.men)onsthattheApostlePeterhidtheSudarium.IsodadofMervof850saysinacommentariesonthegospelsinSyriac,thatwasbasedonearlyEasterntradi)ons,saysthattheburiallinensweregiventoJosephofArimatheawhilePetertooktheSudarium,andwhenhelaidhandsonsomeone,heputitonhishead,andthisleadtothetradi)onofbishopspurngclothsaroundtheirheadsandaroundtheirnecks.Itmayevenbepartofthesquare;it’shardtosaywhereourvestmentscomefrom,buttheycouldwellberelatedtotheancientmemoryofthis.

InamanuscriptknownasSanAntoninoMartyr(St.AnthonytheMartyr),there’sapilgrimagechronicletotheHolyLandin570A.D.,andtheauthorsaysthattherewasacaveclosetothemonasteryofSt.Mark,ontheothersideoftheRiverJordan,wheresevennunslivedinsevencells,andtheylookeda`ertheSudarium.SotherewasamemoryofthisinthehistoryoftheChurch.TheSudariumisveryinteres)ng.Here’sitshistory,andit’srarelybroughtout.Youdon’thearverymuchabouttheSudarium,becausetheydon’tbringthisoutmuch.It’sbeenintheCatholicChurchforalong)me.Pales)nianoakisonit.Thisiswhereitskept;thisiswhatitlookslike.It’saroughcloth,notatallliketheexpensivetwillinSyriac.Whatthey’reusedforistoputoverthefaceofthedeadwhentheydieonthecross.

Thisistheblood.There’salotofblood-flowandproteinalbuminonthis,whichgivesallkindsofinforma)on.Somebodyputtheirhandoverthenosea`erthebodydied,a`erhedied,tostaunchthebloodandtheplasmacomingoutofthenose.Thishadtobestaunched,becauseif[theblood]wentonthegroundoranywhere,itwouldbealoss,adefilement,sotheyimmediatelytriedtocontainthis,but,aswe’regoingtoseeinaminute,theywererunningoutof)me.And,sincehediedadeathonthecross,itwasnotsupposedtobeclean.Sothesewereverygood,obedientJews,andtheywouldhavebeenunderaproblem,tryingtoobeytheLaw.

Youcanreconstructexactlywhathappenedforensically.Thisiswhatitwouldhavelookedlike.Itwouldhavebeenplacedoverthehead.Andwhenyoulookexactly,youcanseewhentheheadisup,thebloodflowedacertainway.Whentheypulledhimoff,pulledthestakeoutandhe’s[lying]down,s)llonthepe)bulumbecausetheyhaven’tpulledthenailsout—andyou’retalkingabout300-somepounds;itwasnoteasytohandle—thebloodflowsup,overthehead.Thankyou.

Sothisletsthemknowexactlyhowlonghewasintheseposi)ons,andhowlongittookthemtounnailhim.Andwecancomparethis,then,towhat’sinthegospels.Therewasbloodandapulmonaryedemainasix-to-one[ra)o],pulmonaryedematoblood,confirmingthathewasasphyxiated;hisheartstopped.Most,Iwouldsay,whatyouseeintheseiconsofChristonthecrosswiththespearoverherearewrong.Idon’tknowwhytradi)onallythatoccurred.Theyusedupthelanceonthissidetopiercethepericardiumsac,andbloodandwaterwouldhaveflowedout,exactlylikeSt.Johnsaid.Ofcourse,thewaterwasthepulmonaryedema.Thisiswhattheyreconstructedhowthefacewas,thebruisinginbloodfromthepe)bulum.

ThepersoninboththeShroudandtheSudariumhasABbloodtype.It’sveryrare,althoughamongSemites,Jewishpeople,it’sabout18%ofthepopula)on;fortherestit’sabout2%,2to3.Sowehavethat,andexamina)onshowsthattheman’skneeswerebruisedandscabbedover,hisfacewassmashedin,andbotharecongruentwithwhatwouldhavehappenedbycarryingthe[pe)bulum].

Audience:ThisSudariumexistsinnorthernSpain?

Dn.Stephen:Yes.Itwasina…Therewereseveralotherrelicswithit.Idon’tknowiftheys)llexistnow,butthiss)llexiststhere.SowhatnowhappensistheShrouddoesn’texistalone.Itsblood,pollen,everythingsyncsup,andthefaceisthesamefaceasthemanintheShroud:thenoseistheexactsamelength.Itwasoverthatface,anditwassetasideinthetombbyitself,andhewasputinafreshlinencloth,andtheydidn’thave)metofinish.TheyhadtocomebackbecauseofPassover,andthesunwasserng.

Audience:SotheSudariumwasfirst,you’resaying,andthenthe…?

Dn.Stephen:TheSudariumwasputonwhenhewasonthecross.A`ertheybroughthimdown,pulledthenailsout,andJosephbroughtback100poundsofmyrrhandaloe.Theyhadtotrytoimmediatelycontainallofthebloodandtheydidn’twashhim,sotheShroudhasdirt,aloe,myrrh—allthisiss)llpartofit.Andtheyputhiminthere.I’mgerngali[leaheadofmyself,butIguessI’dbe[erfinishuphere.

I’vegottogettotheastronomy,becausewe’vegottoseethis.We’vehadabloodmoonrecently.Abloodmooniswhenyougeta20%eclipse,andthemoonlooksredfromtheearth.Now,thegospelwritersdifferastotheactualdateofthecrucifixionofJesus.Thesynop)cssayitoccurredonPassover;theApostleJohndatesthecrucifixiononthe14thdayofNisan:thisisFriday,thedaybeforethePassover.ThisisthedaythePassoverlambswouldhavebeensacrificed.Sohowcanwefindoutwhichoneisright?Well,modernastronomyhelps.Itaddsathirdwitnesstothecrucifixion.

Accordingtotheirobserva)ons,thereareonlytwopossibledatesonwhichthe14thofNisanisonaFridaythatwouldhaveoccurredduringPon)usPilate’sreign,andtheyareApril7,30A.D.,andApril3,33A.D.Nowhowdowedifferen)atewhichoneiswhich?Well,onlyoneofthosetwohasapar)aleclipseofthemoonwhichcouldbeseenfromJerusalemjustbeforePassoverbegins,withtheserngofthesun.AndthatwouldhavebeenApril3,33A.D.,at6:20p.m.,anditwouldhavelastedun)l6:50p.m.inthea`ernoon.I’llskipsomeoftheda)ngofthat,butthatmakesawholelotofsense,sotheonlyrealacceptabledatewouldbethat,accordingtotheJuliancalendar.

Sowhatwehaveisachronologynow,basedonforensicsthatcorrespondstothegospel.12-nooncrucifixion,ifhediesofat3:00p.m.,hediesfast.Hewasexhausted,dehydrated,nearlybeatentodeath,andunlikeotherpeoplewhowereputthereandhadtohavetheirlegsbroken,hedidn’tbecausehediedveryquickly.Hewasononeofthetallercrosses,whichmeansthedogscouldn’tchewonhim,soit’sali[lebitbe[er.It’sastepupintheshameofthe

thing.So:3:00p.m.,hedies.WeknowthisfromtheSudariumthathisbodyhungonthecross,andJosephwouldhavehadtogetpermissionfromPilatetoremoveit.Theblood-flowconcentra)onsrevealhowlonghewasthereupright.

Thenhewasremovedat5:00p.m.andlaidontheground,s)lla[achedtothepe)bulum,foraboutanhour.6:20to6:50,themoonturnedred,whichwouldbeseenfromJerusalem,andtheyhadtenminutesfrom6:50to7:00tocarryhimfromGolgothatothetomb.Now,thepe)bulumis100lbs.,andheweighs180.That’spre[yheavy,andifyouput100lbs.ofmyrrhinthere,too,itwouldhavetakenJoseph,John,wedon’tknowwhoelse,togethimtothetomb.

SowherewasPeterwhenthemoonturnedredandJesuswasdead?RemembertheprophecyofJoel:themoonturnedtoblood.PeterwassomewherehavingtodecideifhetrustedthewordthatChristhadtoldhimaheadof)me,whichis:You’veneverreallygo^enit,Peter.Iknowyouwouldfightformelikeasoldierwithyoursword,andIknowyoubelievethatyouwillneverdesertme,butyouneedtoknowthatyouwill.Butlikeeveryothermanwho’severlived,everywoman,everyhumanbeingfromthebeginningofCmetotheend,youarenotcapableofdoingwhatIamcallingyouto,outofyourown,egocentric,anthropocentrichumanpower.Andit’sgoingtobeapainfullesson,andyou’regoingtolearnitandfindoutwhenthecockcrowsthatyou’regoingtodoexactlyoppositeofwhatyou’resayingrightnow.ButIwantyoutorememberwhenyoudothisthatIloveyou,andIalreadyknowthis,soitdoesn’tchangeanythingaboutourrelaConship.Infact,it’syourlasttestforthiscourse.Youhavetodiscoveryourownnothingness.

Andwhenyouhavebetrayedthecommander-in-chiefandyou’readeserterandyouaresoashamedforbetrayingallofyourcompanyandabandoningtheenCrefightandyouwanttofallonyourswordanddie—don’tdoit.RememberwhatI’mtellingyounow,andwhenyou’veseenwhatIneedyoutosee,getup,comehome,andstrengthenthebrethren,becausewhatIneedarepriestswhorecognizetheirnothingness,priestswhodonottrytosCckChrisCanityontoananthropocentricfoundaCon,andwithzealandreasonandallofhumanpowersmakeasuper-man,justtakeJesusandapplyittomyhumanityandI’mmanonsteroids.Ineedyoutoseethatyouareu^erlyemptytothepossibilityofthis.AndfromthatposiCon,strengthen,comfort,serve.

Thisisextraordinary,andifwehadanotherdaytotalk,wecouldtalkaboutwhatitisforcombatveteransandotherswhohavefacedhorrificdecisionsthathaveamoralinjuryandawoundintheirheartthattheycannotmakegoawayontheirown.Theycannothelpthemselvesandtheyneverwillbeableto.They’llalwaysbeexiles,unlesstheyfindwhatPeterfound,whichistotrusttheloveofGodinChristtoforgivewhenIcannot,onmyown,doitmyself.AndifIrefuseandthink,“I’vegottomaintaincontrol,ifIhaddonesomethingelseIcouldhavesavedthatmanfromdying,Icouldhavedonethat,Icould’ve,Icould’ve,Icould’ve”—no,Icouldn’t,becauseI’mbasicallyahelplesshumanbeing.AndunlessIrelyonGod,aseveryaddictwantswhogetsintorecovery,Iwillliveinexileforever,asAdamandEvewould’ve.Butfortunately,Peter,MosesinEgyptfor40years,Jacobwrestlingwithanangel—

ourheroesarethestrugglerswhoarecalledintosomethingthattheyfacethat’ssobigthattheydiscoverthelimitsofhumanstrength.AndthiscallsdownthemilkofgracebyGod,likeachild’shelplessnesscallsthemother’smilkwhenit’shungry.Andwithoutthatcry,Godcan’tfeedusbecausewe’res)lltryingtodoitourselves.

“Timeisup”—isthatwhatthatwaveis?

Audience:No,I’lltellyou.There’ssomebodywalkingintotheroom.

Dn.Stephen:Okay.Allright.That’sareminder.I’msensi)ve.8:13,I’mwaypastmyprivilege.[Laughter]

That’snotactuallywherehewaslaid.That’sthemarbleontoptostopthelooters.Itwasunderneaththatmarble.Passoverstartsat7:15,sotheyhadtogetinthereandtheycouldn’thavefinished.Sotheycameback,andSimonPeterwasbacknow;he’sbackonthescene,butguesswhat?Hewasn’ttherewhentheyputhiminthetomb;Johnwas,andJohnsawwhatthetomblookedlikebefore,whentheyputhiminthere,andwhenhecamebackhesawthattheSudarion,theNapkin,wasexactlywhereitwas,andguesswhathesawontheslab!Howmanyofyougetoutofbedinthemorningbypassingthroughthecovers?[Laughter]Idon’tthinkanybodydoes.Sowhenhelooksinthere,hedidn’tseehimrollthemawayandstepout,anditse[leddownandtherewasafull-lengthimageoneitherside,andhelookedinandhebelievedsomethingthatwasincomprehensible.Peterwass)lldisoriented;hecouldn’tgetit,buthewaslackingsomeinforma)on,too,aboutthat.

Sownanaturalbody,raisedaspiritualone.Henotonlypuffedthroughthat,butwhatdidhedowiththewallsintheupperroom?Andwherewashe?Fortypeopleseeinghimoverhere,fivepeopleseeinghimoverhere.He’sappearingtoMaryMagdalenewhothinkshe’sagardener.AndCleopasandLukeontheroad.Andguesswhat’scommontoallofthem—theydon’tknowwhoheis.Whatarewebeingtoldinthegospelsbeforeanda`ertheResurrec)on?Wearebeingtoldthere’snohumanbeingonearthwhocanfindJesusChristbyreason,science,thefivesenses,oranyotherhumanpower.Wewillnevergofromfacttofaith,butnoe)callyiftheuncreatedGodcomestohumanityandassumesit,then,asSt.Maximussays,anaturalfacultyexistswhichcanbecommunicatedwithnoe)cally,andtheheartcommunicateswhatisgiven,unearthly,totherestofthebody,butitcan’tdoitonitsown.

Wehavethetes)monyoftheapostlesthateventhoughtheylivedwithJesus,theyatewithhim,theyheardhisteaching,theywereclosertohimthananyofus,butthen,inahumanway,thatdidnotallowthemtogetwhathewassaying.Theyonlygotitnoe)cally.Thisoughttogiveussomepre[yseriousreasontothinkaboutwhat’sinthePhilokaliaandwhatitmeansthatoursalva)onisadailystruggletofindthedepthofinnersilence,wakefulness,wherewea[endtothemysteryofthethatnessoftheworldbehindwhichistheinvisiblepresenceofChristthatcomestousthatwayandisontheothersideofeachpersoninthisroom,sothatbasicallyJesusissaying:“Stephen,letmeintroducetoyouAnne.Canyoufindroominyourselfandintheworldyouknowtoincludeher?BecauseIhavesomethingIwanttoshowyouofmyselfthatyouwillneverknowinanyotherwayunlessyouencounterAnne.”IfIsay,“Oh,no,

Anne’sabitodd”—[Laughter]—he’llsay,“Oh,oyvey,I’msorry.Itmeansthatyou’verefusedme,andyouwillmissthispart.Is)llloveyou,butthere’snootherwayIcangiveyouthis.”

Sowitheachpersonwehaveaconfronta)onwithChrist,whoisinvi)ngusintoalargerlife,andthisisallinvisibletothenakedeye,onlyvisibletotheheartthatwarmsatthealtarofthefireoftheOther,whichisaninvoca)on,anepiclesis,justasatthedivinealtar,forthenoe)cillumina)onofChristwhomakesthebreadandwineandturnsusintothetheophanyatEmmaus.Glorytothee,OLord,whowenttohellandisraisedfromthedead.Christisinourmidst.

Audience:Heisandevershallbe.

Okay.Iwasovermy)me,soIdon’tknowifwehaveanyques)ons.

Audience:There’stwominutesle`forques)ons.

Dn.Stephen:Twominutesforques)ons![Laughter]Anybodyhaveone?Yes,sir.

Q1:ThecoinofPon)usPilate:wasthatthesamecointhatwasputoverJesus’eye?

Dn.Stephen:It’sthesametype,butit’snottheonethatwasoverhiseyes.Idon’tknowwherethatwouldbe,becausealltheyhaveistheimageofthatcoinintheShroud,butbecausethiscoinexists,thereareothercoinsaroundthatweremintedbyhim.Idon’tknowwhomayhavehandledthatcoin,though.Oneoftheapostlesmayhavehadit;wedon’tknow.Yes,ma’am.

Q2:Iwasreadingthatthemyrrhandthespicesandthealoeandstuffactedlikeagluewiththecloth,sowasthecloth…?

Dn.Stephen:Wouldithavebeens)ckyandallthat?

Q2:Wasitlike…molded?

Dn.Stephen:Oh,it’stotallyflexiblenow.Whateverwasthereislonggone.Iputaloeandoilallovermyfaceandstuckitonhere,butjustcan’tseeanythingbecauseit’sjustablob,whichshowsit’salotharderthanyou’dthinktomakesomethinglikethat.[Laughter]Ifitwasaforgery,it’samiracle![Laughter]Sothatwouldhavevanishedveryquickly,butitmayhavebeenagooeymessatthe)me.Idon’tknow.Although,theydidhavetenminutes,soitmaywellbethattheysimplyspreadthisout,laidhimdown,foldeditover,andtheydidn’twraphim,andtheycamebacktoaddspices.Sowedon’tknowactuallyhowmuchtheyevengotonhim.Theycouldhavehad100lbs.anddidn’tputiton;wedon’tknow.

Q3:Ijustwonderedifyouthoughtaboutthisorlookedatthisorsomething,becauseinSt.John’sgospelhesaysthatthedarknessfellbetweenthesixthandtheninthhour,whichwouldhavestartedatthreeo’clockandgoneonun)lsixo’clock.Isthatright?

A1:Startedtwelve,)llthree.

Q3:Twelve)llthree?

A1:Twelve)llthree,yeah.

Q3:Takeustotheninthhour.

Dn.Stephen:Thedarknessisdifferentfromtheeclipse.

Q3:Thatwasmyques)on.Areyoutryingtosaythatthedarknessthatfellwastheeclipse?

Dn.Stephen:Idon’tknow.Thedarknessisanunknown.Idon’tknowwhattosay—oraboutearthquakes.

A2:ButtherewasahistoricalaccountfromsomebodyinJosephus’)me.

Dn.Stephen:Isthatright?

A2:Thattherewasdarkness.

Q3:Right,butmyques)onwaspar)cularlyabouttheeclipse.You’renottryingtosaythattheeclipsewasthedarkness.

Dn.Stephen:No,no.

Q3:Okay.

Dn.Stephen:No,that’sadifferent.

A2:ButthatisaprophecyintheOldTestament,aboutthesungoingdownatthemiddleoftheday,andthenthere’sacorrela)veinearlyhistorians,asyousay,thatatsomepointin/aroundthe)meofChrist’s[death],thesundidgodownandhewonderedwhatwasgoingon,andthenhefoundoutlateron,kindofapost-...

Dn.Stephen:I’llhavetolookatthat.I’mnotfamiliarwiththat.

A2:It’sinteres)ng.

A3:Plusthesixthhourandnoonistradi)onallywhenEvewastemptedandtheyfell.

A2:Andthelambwasalsoslaughteredinthetemple.And—Iwasthinkingaboutthistheotherday—ifyoureadintheSynaxarion,Godcreatedmanonthesixthday,andhealsore-createdmanonthesixthdayaswell,andherestedontheseventhdayinbothcases.

Dn.Stephen:Yes,andIthinkaboutthatseventhday,thata`erGodspoketheworldintobeing,hethenlistened—andthiswasthefirstliturgy.Andinthelistening,theabsenceofGod’screa)veac)on,IthinkweseeaforetasteoftheabandonmentofChristbyGod,sothatthereisthedeusabsconditus,thereisthe…Thesabbathisnotjust“anditisgood.”Whatwasgoodwasnotjustcrea)on.Whatwasalsogoodwastheli`ingandtheresurrec)onofhumanity,whichcomesfromthewillingnessofGod’slove,tolayhislifedown,which,asFr.LevGilletsays,“TherewasacrossintheheartofGodbeforecrea)on.”WhenGodmadetheworldandthenhelookeduponit,hesaid,“It’sverygood,”Ithinkhewastalkingaboutsomethingmorethancrea)on.He’salsotalkingaboutthisparadoxicalgi`whichGodoffersfromhimselfthroughthe

Son,alwayscreatedthroughtheWord,throughtheLogos,alwaysre-createdthroughtheLogos.Thisisthereasonwe’renotrobotsoraddicts.

IfGodrefusedtogotohellandsuffereverythingwegothroughinourdevelopmentalimmaturity,spiritually,wewouldnothavethepossibilityofbecomingpersons,becausepersonsmustbefree.SothatmeansGodknew,whenhecreatedus,thathewouldsufferterriblyinordertomakeitpossibleforustowillinglyaccepttheinvita)ontoreceivethedivinelife.Thiswouldbetrauma)ctoGod,togivehislife,anditwillbetrauma)ctoustoreceiveit.Thattraumaisexperienced—atasteofit—ineveryonewhomustforgiveparentsforhur)ngus,abusingus,forinjus)cesthatcomethatwedidn’taskfor.

Wearefacedwiththeques)onthatChristhadtofacewithus,whichis:WillIforgivethemwhenitwasn’tmyfaultatall?Itwastotallyunjust,wrong.Christsays:Thisispartofpassion-bearing,andifitweretobechangedandIweretostopit,Iwouldmaketheworldinchains.SowhatI’mofferingyouissomethingthatisindeedtraumaCc,butthereissomething:there’slifeaZerthetrauma.There’slifeaZerthebetrayal,anditissomethingthatissogreatthatthisisnothingcomparedtowhatyou’llreceive.Awomanhastravailedinbirth;that’snothingcomparedtothelifeshegives.

Sotheasce)cism—thisissoo`enunderes)mated,too;it’sacertainparallel—buttheasce)cism,thehesychasm,ofthemother,tolearnveryearlyalldiscomfort,allpersonalinconvenience,everysinglethingonewouldescapeifonecould,towillinglyreceive.Youdon’tevenhavetoforget,becauselifeisbeingcarried.Thisiswhatwehope,later,todoinlifewithotherthings.Asce)cismisaboutbeingalife-bearer.Whatlife?We’repregnantwiththedivinelife.AmIwillingtoenterintoasce)caldiscomfortinordertobearChrist,toenterintothepassion-bearingofChrist?Ithappensinourordinarylife.It’snotthatwehavetogosomewhere,Mars,todoit,evenMt.Athos.Ifwecan,fine,butourMt.Athos,ourcave,isrighthere.

Andeverythoughtwehaveandeverychoicewemakeisthepain)ngwe’remaking,isthebookwe’rewri)ngofourlife.Wearethebook,andGodwillopenthebookatthelastmomentofourlife,andouren)relife,everyword,everythought,everythingisthere.Wecan’thidefromanything.It’sallthere.Godwillreaditwithlove,anditwillbreakourheart—anythingthatwehavetobringbeforehim.Butwhathereadswillbethingswehaven’tevengoteyestoseeyet.

Soallthepainofthislifewillbegoneinaflash,andthentherewillbeaneternalliturgy,callandresponse,whereinsteadofAdamandEveandman:“Whereareyou?”itwillbe:“HereIam.”TheIamwhoamwillcall,andwewillringwiththereflec)onofhimwhenwesay,“HereIam.”AndthekenosisofChristwiththeperichoresisoftheTrinitywillemptyoutintous:“Iamyours.Dowithmewhateveryouwant,”andwewillanswerback,“Iamyours.Dowithmewhateveryouwant.”Andwewilldiscoverwhatmarriageis.MarriageistheholyTrinity,andmarriageisthekeno)cself-offeringtotheOtherintheeternalliturgy.

Thiswewillsaylater,becausenowwhathesaysis:“I’myours.Dowithmewhateveryouwant,”andwesayinsteadof[whispered]“Yah-weh”:[shouted]“Yeehaw!”Andwerunoffandgrabtheappleandtheperson,andwesay,“Iwantwhatyougiveme,butIdon’twantyou,becauseI’msoexcitedaboutwhatyou’regivingme!”[Laughter]AndyoucanseethatI’mgerngintoasortofecsta)candnotenthusias)ccraziness.It’slocoweed.Thisisthevoluptuouschoice,asClementofAlexandriaspeaksofit,andwemustlearnthatthevoluptuouschoiceisverydangerousbecauseit’samirage.It’stheprojec)onofthedesireofmyheartoutontothecrea)on,andItrytograspit,notrealizingthatitiscomingfromGodandIcan’tgetit.

AndsoIgrabyouandIgrabthisfoodandIgrabsomethingelse,anditescapesme.Andwhatishappening?I’mcrawlingintonon-being,deeperanddeeper,andthemoreIcrawlintoit,themoreIacheandcrave,becauseI’mgerngemp)erandemp)er.I’mbecomingahungryghost,acraving.Andwhat’sthecureforgraspingthatwhichdoesn’texistanymore?Becauseitonlyexistswhenwesay,“ThineownofthineownIofferthee,inallandforall.”

Sothemistakewemakewhenwe’reli[letoddlersandbabiesis:Godsays,“Igive.I’myours.Dowithmewhateveryouwant,”andwe’retooblindanddumbandimmaturetorealizethatwhatwewanttodoisreturnitalltohimandreceiveitbackfurther.Thisistheonlythingwe’retryingtolearninouren)relife,istobreatheinGodandbreatheoutthelovethatGodis,sothatweneverlosethatlove.Anditmightturnoutthata`erwedie,likeBrotherJoseph—ornotBrotherJoseph,butJosephofVatopedi—Whenmymouthhangsopenlikethisandmymonksarethinkingtheirpreciouselderdoesn’tlooksogoodindeath,andtheykeeptryingtocloseitandfolditbackup.Sotheabbotsays,“Leaveitalone.Goandprepare.”

Sotheyputtheblackoverhim,anda`erafewhours,whentheycutitopen,that’swhathelookslike.Haveyoueverseen—oh!He’snotonthere![Laughter]What’shappenedhere!?Whathappenedhere?Hey,youthinkI’mtalkingaboutsomethingcrazy.Letmeputhimbackuphere.Here’sthecorrectslide.Youhavetoseehim.Haveyoueverseenamor)cianfixafacethathasthatkindofbea)ficjoyinit?Therearecertainmusclesinthefacethatarenotundercentralnervoussystemcontrolandcannotbeforcefullycopied.Andthatfaceappearedwiththemouthclosed,sothisman,dead,afewhourslater,somebodydecidedhewasallowedtoshowussomethinghewasseeingontheotherside,andit’salotofjoy.

Allright.We’vegottogo,right?

Audience:That’sit.

Dn.Stephen:Allright.[Laughter]

Audience:Thankyou,somuch,Fr.Deacon,forbeingwithus.Weappreciateyour)meandallofyourwordsandeverythingthatyou’vegivenus,sothankyousomuch.

Dn.Stephen:Thankyouforcomingsowecoulddothis.Can’thavealiturgywithoutcall-and-response.[Laughter]

Introduc)on:Maybewecouldallriseandsing“Shine,Shine.”[Musicalpitches]

Audience:

Shine,shine,shine,ONewJerusalem!ThegloryoftheLordhasshoneonthee.Exaltnow,exalt,andbeglad,OZion!Beradiant,OpureTheotokos,intheresurrec)on,theresurrec)onofyourSon!

Introduc)on:Christisrisen!

Audience:Indeedheisrisen!