Shroud Controversy

around lunchtime on Thursday, the 27th of January 2005 by Chad

Jay Reding reminds me of one of my favorite historical enigmas. I’ve always considered myself on top of things like this, but I must not have been paying attention lately.
The Shroud of Turin, although carbon dated to the 13th-14th centuries, well, may be a lot older. It seems that it was patched to repair fire damage in the middle ages, and the piece they dated came from that section.
Wikipedia has a great article on the contraversy. From details on what may cause the coloration (carbohydrates) to various methods on dating the shroud besides the carbon analysis. Even the entire history. The article is remarkably balanced, with both views from the skeptics along with believers.
So it l0oks like we will continue to have to wonder until we can get better testing. Beyond a reasonable doubt isn’t good enough for this case.