A documentary examining the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the cloth in which Christ was buried, will be released this November. The film, The Shroud: Face to Face, is by Robert Orlando, who wrote a book of the same title on the topic. It is expected to explore many aspects of the Shroud, while debunking the failed attempt to carbon date the cloth in 1988.
According to CNA, a teaser of the film was shown at Napa Institute’s annual summer conference, where Orlando was on hand to speak about his work. In a Q-and-A after the screening, he compared the documentary’s investigative style to that of the ever popular True Crime genre. He said he was inspired to make the film by his love of investigation and the “big questions” he was left with after the death of his father:
“I was trying to combine the two,” Orlando explained. “I didn’t know where they were blended together, but it was the right project at the right time.”
He explained that the content will include recent discoveries regarding the image on the Shroud, which can only be seen in photographic negative. These include the determination that the head wounds inflicted on the image cover the whole head, suggesting that the Crown of Thorns may have more resembled a helmet. It was also determined that the man in the shroud’s shoulder was dislocated, which experts suggest could have been caused by one of Christ’s falls, and would explain why the Romans allowed Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus carry the cross.
While an attempt has been made to carbon date the Shroud of Turin, the results of the test were contended. Those who took the sample of the cloth reportedly chose a spot that had been repaired after fire damage in the 16th century. Because of this, the dating results of 700 years old have been discredited. In addition, analysis of the various pollens that have been discovered on the Shroud point to Northern Judea around the 1st century AD.
Based on the evidence, Father Robert J. Spitzer, Jesuit scholar and popular EWTN host, believes that the Shroud of Turin is genuine. He hailed the film for its educational value, noting that it will be a good vehicle to get the message to those who might not make the trip to Turin, or even visit a museum to see the Shroud or read a scholarly report on the subject.
“This is the way, I think, to get the message out, and in a compelling way that doesn’t force people, that allows them to make a decision for themselves,” said the host of EWTN’s Father Spitzer’s Universe.
While there is no firm release date announced, the filmmakers of The Shroud: Face to Face say it should be released in November 2023. Learn more about this exciting documentary at the movie’s official website.
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