In his 2025 interview with Michael Knowles, Johnston stated that the mathematical and archaeological evidence is so overwhelming that, where he was once a skeptic, he now firmly believes the Shroud of Turin, is true evidence of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. How could Dr. Johnston be so sure, I wondered? After all, the Shroud of Turin, which is now located in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, is one of the most controversial religious artifacts in history…and the most studied.

STURP (1978): The First Major Scientific Study

Back in October 1978, when I was 25 years old, the first in-depth, hands-on scientific study of the Shroud of Turin was conducted. The Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) involved about 30 scientists from various disciplines and was headed by American scientists John Jackson and Eric Jumper. The team concluded the following:

• The image on the 14-foot-long linen cloth was neither painted nor dyed.
• The image was a negative image of a man who appeared to have been crucified.
• The bloodstains were of human blood.
• But they could not determine how the image was imprinted on the cloth.

Radiocarbon Dating (1988) vs WAXS Dating (2022)

A later study in 1988, which used radiocarbon dating on a linen sample cut from one corner of the Shroud of Turin, yielded a date between A.D. 1260 and 1390. This finding led many to conclude that the Shroud was a medieval forgery and could not be the burial cloth of Jesus. However, researchers and critics have argued that the corner was likely part of a mended piece of the shroud that had been woven into the original linen. In fact, a 2022 analysis by wide-angle X-ray scattering WAXS) put the date of the Shroud within the first century A.D. and suggested that the 1988 sample had been contaminated by the environment. 

The Overwhelming Evidence Provided by Modern Technology

Indeed, there is now so much evidence that Dr. Jeremiah Johnston has stated emphatically that the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin is now “beyond all doubt.” Johnson said, “I believe that based on the evidence, 102 scientific disciplines have spent over 600,000 hours of scientific study on the Shroud of Turin. And the great majority of them have concluded the shroud is indeed 2,000 years old.” In his interview with Michael Knowles he outlines the data. He demonstrates the match between the Shroud and the Sudarium of Oviedo, believed to be the head cloth that was placed over the face of Jesus after His death. Remember how in John 20:6-7, Simon Peter “went into the tomb, saw the linen cloth lying on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.” It’s clear that the sudarium, the face cloth, was found in a different place from the shroud, the larger linen that had wrapped the body.

And here’s another interesting fact: The blood on the Shroud is of Type AB, matching the AB blood found in all of the Eucharistic miracles!

+ Christ is risen!

+ He is risen indeed! 

+ Alleluia!

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References:

Guscin, Mark. “The Sudarium of Oviedo: Its History and Relationship to the Shroud of
Turin.” Shroud.Com, 1997, www.shroud.com/guscin.htm.

Knowles, Michael. “‘The Face of God’ Michael & The Shroud of Turin | Dr. Jeremiah Johnston.” YouTube, The Michael Knowles Show, 18 Apr. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OElbxDPsqpw.

Lasher, James. “New Evidence for Shroud of Turin: Expert Says It’s ‘beyond All Doubt.’” Charisma Magazine Online, 28 Apr. 2025, mycharisma.com/culture/new-evidence-for-shroud-of-turin-expert-says-its-beyond-all-doubt/.A Summary of STURP’s Conclusions, www.shroud.com/78conclu.htm. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.

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