Shroud of Turin 'truth' stuns Tucker Carlson amid decades of hoax claims
Dr Johnston revealed that mathematician Bruno Barbaris of the University of Turin analyzed the shroud's unique characteristics, concluding there is a mere one-in-200-billion chance 'it's anyone other than Jesus of Nazareth.'
This staggering statistic left Carlson reeling, challenging decades of skepticism about the shroud's legitimacy, sparked by a 1988 radiocarbon dating study that suggested a medieval origin
Barberis's calculation likely factored in multiple elements, including the shroud's dimensions, rare type AB blood and the presence of both pre-mortem and post-mortem blood, aligning with patterns described in the Bible.
Beyond statistics, forensic evidence has further supported the shroud's authenticity as scientists have identified more than fifty species of pollen trapped in the fabric, including flowers that bloom only in Israel, and only in April.
Traces of limestone and clay unique to Jerusalem are smeared on the nose, knees, and feet, precisely where they would appear if a man stumbled while carrying a rough wooden crossbeam through the streets.
'The image on the shroud is only two microns thick and does not penetrate all the way through the cloth,' Dr Johnston explained.
'I f this were a hoax, painted or dyed, the material would have soaked through completely. Instead, if we took a razor to the shroud, we could shave off the image because it's so thin. This quality has baffled even the world's best scientists.'
Dr Johnston suggested the image may have formed through a sudden chemical change triggered by an incredible burst of 34,000 billion watts of energy in just a fraction of a billionth of a second, possibly at the moment of the Resurrection.
The 14-foot-long linen bears a faint, full-body image of a bearded man, which many Christians believe to be a miraculous imprint of Jesus.
When first exhibited in the 1350s, the shroud was presented as the actual burial cloth used to wrap the mutilated body of Christ after his crucifixion.
Radiocarbon dating performed in 1988 placed the shroud's origin between 1260 and 1390 AD, suggesting a medieval origin.
However, Dr Johnston argued that only a contaminated patch, not the original linen, was tested.
'The actual linen cloth has never been radiocarbon dated, just the upper left corner patch, which was contaminated,' he told Carlson. 'So, it was the patched sample, not a fine linen sample.'
Carlson asked, 'So, not the real thing?' to which Dr. Johnston replied, 'Correct.'
Dr Johnston described the shroud as 'the most lied about and misunderstood artifact in the world,' and thanked Carlson for the opportunity to share his findings.
Dr Johnston also criticized the British Museum's handling of the 1988 radiocarbon dating data, claiming critical information was suppressed for 29 years. Stunned, Carlson admitted, 'I'm being baffled right now.'
Further forensic evidence includes wounds consistent with Roman crucifixion practices, including puncture marks in the wrists and heels, hundreds of scourge marks from lead-tipped whips, and more than 50 punctures from a brutal crown of thorns.
A spear wound between ribs five and six matches John 19:34: 'But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.'
Studies show the blood in that region bears signs of pre-mortem injury, aligning with the Gospel account.
In total, there are more than 700 wounds displayed on the shroud. Those include marks left behind from the crucifixion nails.
'You can actually see in the four arms of the crucified man. We see by the way wrist, hands, the entire hand, it's all the same,' Dr Johnston said.
'We know that the nail penetrates through the wrist and the palm. And that's how the Romans would crucify their victims.'
For Johnston, the shroud is not simply an archaeological puzzle but a testament, what he calls 'the receipt of God's gift.'
Radiocarbon dating performed in 1988 placed the shroud's origin between 1260 and 1390 AD, suggesting a medieval origin. Dr Johnston argued that only a contaminated patch, not the original linen, was tested. Pictured is the sample of the shroud tested
Every bloodstain, every fiber, every unexplained detail is, to him, a silent witness to the greatest moment in history: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Recent scientific studies, including wide-angle X-ray scattering from the Institute of Crystallography in Rome, support the shroud's 2,000-year age, citing the absence of vanillin, a compound that would be present in younger linen.
Dr Johnston also criticized the British Museum's handling of the 1988 radiocarbon dating data, claiming critical information was suppressed for 29 years.
Stunned, Carlson admitted, 'I'm being baffled right now.'
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