A special 3-D image based on the Shroud of Turin has been created by an Italian professor to give everyone an idea of the 'precise image of what Jesus looked like on this earth.'
Professor Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua studied the Shroud for several years before utilizing his specialties on mechanical and thermal measurements to create a 3D image of the shroud. The full image was released last week.
According to his interview with Aleteia, Fanti said "From now on, he may no longer be depicted without taking this work into account."
"According to our studies, Jesus was a man of extraordinary beauty. Long-limbed, but very robust, he was nearly 5 feet 11 inchess tall, whereas the average height at that time was around 5 feet 5 inches. And he had a regal and majestic expression," he further adds.
With the 3D image, Fanti expressed that it would now make it possible for experts to look into the many wounds of the figure seen in the Shroud, which many believe to be Jesus.
'"I counted 370 wounds from the flagellation, without taking into account the wounds on his sides, which the Shroud doesn't show because it only enveloped the back and front of the body," Fanti adds. "In addition, the three-dimensional reconstruction has made it possible to discover that at the moment of his death, the man of the Shroud sagged down towards the right, because his right shoulder was dislocated so seriously as to injure the nerves."
The Shroud of Turin has been controversial since its discovery and it is believed by the Catholic Church and other Christians to be the cloth used when Jesus was buried after being crucified in the cross. It is believed that the Shroud was smuggled out of Jerusalem to Turkey by one of the disciples. The first documentation regarding the Shroud appeared in 1360 in a diocese in France, before it was moved to Turin Cathedral in 1578.
Several tests have been done to see the authenticity and actual date to when the Shroud was used, carbon dating being done on it in 1988. According to the findings, the Shroud originated sometime in the medieval area but many experts, including Fanti, believed the results were faulty due to laboratory contamination and other issues.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Fanti has spoken about his research about the Shroud as he co-authored a book about the Shroud in 2013 with Italian journalist Saverio Gaeta. They argued that the Shroud is authentic and originated in the time of Christ.
