Several artificial intelligence (AI) images of Jesus Christ created from Shroud of Turin have surfaced online, following new X-ray analysis that hints the ancient relic may indeed date back to Jesus Christ’s era.
One AI-generated image, created using the Midjourney platform, closely resembles classical depictions of Jesus, featuring shoulder-length hair and a beard.Another image by the Daily Express shows a bare-chested man with visible wounds, indicating recent torture and death. The Daily Mail produced an image of a clothed figure with deep-set blue eyes, a head covering, and similar long hair and facial hair, while the New York Post shared an AI rendering of a man with closed eyes and a slightly parted mouth, giving a contemplative appearance.
Ancient relic or medieval forgery?
The Shroud of Turin, long held by Christians as the burial cloth of Jesus, has faced skepticism due to a 1980s dating analysis that suggested it was a medieval forgery from the 1300s. However, a recent study published in the Heritage journal challenges this view, using X-ray dating to propose that the shroud could be approximately 2,000 years old, aligning it with the time of Christ.
Scientific findings
Dr Liberato de Caro, who led the study, reported that wide-angle X-ray analysis showed the Shroud of Turin matched a fabric sample from Masada, Israel, dating between 55 to 74 CE. The study also emphasised the presence of Middle Eastern pollen in the shroud’s fibers, countering the idea that it originated in Europe.
However, the researchers cautioned that their conclusions depend on the shroud having been preserved under specific conditions like average temperature and relative humidity for the 13 centuries before it was first documented in 1354.
One AI-generated image, created using the Midjourney platform, closely resembles classical depictions of Jesus, featuring shoulder-length hair and a beard.Another image by the Daily Express shows a bare-chested man with visible wounds, indicating recent torture and death. The Daily Mail produced an image of a clothed figure with deep-set blue eyes, a head covering, and similar long hair and facial hair, while the New York Post shared an AI rendering of a man with closed eyes and a slightly parted mouth, giving a contemplative appearance.
Ancient relic or medieval forgery?
The Shroud of Turin, long held by Christians as the burial cloth of Jesus, has faced skepticism due to a 1980s dating analysis that suggested it was a medieval forgery from the 1300s. However, a recent study published in the Heritage journal challenges this view, using X-ray dating to propose that the shroud could be approximately 2,000 years old, aligning it with the time of Christ.
Scientific findings
Dr Liberato de Caro, who led the study, reported that wide-angle X-ray analysis showed the Shroud of Turin matched a fabric sample from Masada, Israel, dating between 55 to 74 CE. The study also emphasised the presence of Middle Eastern pollen in the shroud’s fibers, countering the idea that it originated in Europe.
However, the researchers cautioned that their conclusions depend on the shroud having been preserved under specific conditions like average temperature and relative humidity for the 13 centuries before it was first documented in 1354.
