Christianity’s Greatest Ally…Science??

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by Jim O’Shea

From particle physics, to evolutionary science, cosmology, and quantum mechanics, science continues to lend credence to the Bible account of creation and the universe we live in. Archaeology has also done its part as well over the past few centuries by uncovering proof of people and places previously long thought to fables by biblical writers. Examples of these cities include:

Arad
Bethel
Capernaum
Chorazin
Dan
Ephesus
Gaza
Gezer
Hazor
Hesbon
Jericho
Joppa
Nineveh
Shechem
Susa

Although there was no historical record of these cities outside of the Bible/Torah for many years, each has been since verified to be real places and most have been substantially excavated. Examples of biblical people verified by historians and archaeologists are even more numerous.

Famous archaeologist William F. Albright wrote, “The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history” ( The Archaeology of Palestine, 1960, pp. 127-128).

My new thriller, “The Linen God”, is focused on mysterious secrets embedded within the most studied and controversial religious relic in human history, the Shroud of Turin. The ancient Jewish burial cloth bears the photonegative image of a crucified man, alleged to be that of Jesus Christ. Although science has been unable to prove how the image was formed (there are no pigments in the cloth), the Shroud has long been considered a Medieval forgery by most scientists and historians.

Shroud

However, researchers now claim to have scientific evidence that the Shroud of Turin dates to somewhere between 280 BC and 220 AD. Professor Giulio Fanti and his research team at the University of Padua in Italy reports the results of some chemical and mechanical tests they performed which they claim “confirms that the Shroud dates back to the 1st century.” The “Vatican Insider” has chimed in as well. I’ll spare you the bulk of the highly technical statement, and provide just the summary statement below.

“Final results show that the Shroud fibres examined produced the following dates, all of which are 95% certain and centuries away from the medieval dating obtained with Carbon-14 testing in 1988: the dates given to the Shroud after FT-IR testing, is 300 BC ±400, 200 BC ±500 after Raman testing and 400 AD ±400 after multi-parametric mechanical testing. The average of all three dates is 33 BC ±250 years.”

Bottom line, the research will continue, and who knows what other secrets might be unveiled? Secrets that could alter the course of human history??

The Linen GodJim O’Shea is a long-time resident of St. Louis, Missouri. After traveling the world for twenty-five years in the computer software industry, he now spends his time crafting novels of suspense that tackle the complex relationship between science and religion, stories designed to take the reader places he or she may not have previously considered.

Comments 0

  1. I’m reading this right now, Jim. I love how you’re running parallel major plot lines–one in the Vatican, and one following your protagonist in the U.S. It sets up great anticipation because you know these plot lines are converging somewhere. I’ve always been fascinated by the Shroud as well. I also have a bit of a scientific background (I’m an engineer), and do enjoy knocking down atheist arguments with simple physics.

    Keep up the good work!

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