"The first photo of the full Shroud of Turin was taken in 1898 by Secondo Pia. It shows the surprising feature that the image on the negative was clearer than the positive image."
The photo of Jesus at the top of the post is the below negative image taken with the Helmut negative film app. set on color negative. The result was then single color filtered via Aviary. If you look at the top image for a minute or two you will note it is actually a positive image. Note particularly the lips and left eye. (Viewer's perspective)
So, how do I know this is the actual face of Jesus when radiocarbon dating puts the age of the Shroud of Turin at the late 1300's? There was a fire in the 1500's that damaged the shroud and altered the true date of the Shroud. The best proof, however, is the Sudarium of Oviedo. this was the face cloth that covered Jesus and it's provenance is not in question:
"The experiments with the model head and the study of the stains also show that when the man died his head was tilted seventy degrees forward and twenty degrees to the right. This position further suggests that the man whose face the sudarium covered died crucified.
There are smaller bloodstains at the side of the main group. It would appear that the sudarium was pinned to the back of the dead man's head, and that these spots of blood were from small sharp objects, which would logically be the thorns that caused this type of injury all over Jesus' head.
The medical studies are not the only ones that have been carried out on the sudarium. Dr. Max Frei analysed pollen samples taken from the cloth, and found species typical of Oviedo, Toledo, North Africa and Jerusalem. This confirms the historical route described earlier. There was nothing relating the cloth to Constantinople, France, Italy or any other country in Europe.
An international congress was held in Oviedo in 1994, where various papers were presented about the sudarium. Dr. Frei's work with pollen was confirmed, and enlarged on. Species of pollen called "quercus caliprimus" were found, both of which are limited to the area of Palestine.
Residues of what is most probably myrrh and aloe have also been discovered, mentioned directly in the gospel of john, 19:39-40, "Nicodemus came as well...and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes...They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom."
The stains were also studied from the point of view of anthropology. The conclusion was that the face that had been in contact with the sudarium had typically Jewish features, a prominent nose and pronounced cheekbones.
Finally, the very fact that the cloth was kept at all is a sign of its authenticity, as it has no artistic or monetary value at all. All the studies carried out so far point in one direction, with nothing to suggest the contrary the sudarium was used to cover the head of the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth from when he was taken down from the cross until he was buried.
3: Coincidence with the Shroud
The Sudarium alone has revealed sufficient information to suggest that it was in contact with the face of Jesus after the crucifixion. However, the really fascinating evidence comes to light when this cloth is compared to the Shroud of Turin.
The first and most obvious coincidence is that the blood on both cloths belongs to the same group, namely AB.
The length of the nose through which the pleural oedema fluid came onto the sudarium has been calculated at eight centimetres, just over three inches. This is exactly the same length as the nose on the image of the Shroud.
If the face of the image on the Shroud is placed over the stains on the sudarium, perhaps the most obvious coincidence is the exact fit of the stains with the beard on the face. As the sudarium was used to clean the man's face, it appears that it was simply placed on the face to absorb all the blood, but not used in any kind of wiping movement.
A small stain is also visible proceeding from the right hand side of the man's mouth. This stain is hardly visible on the Shroud, but Dr. John Jackson, using the VP-8 and photo enhancements has confirmed its presence.
The thorn wounds on the nape of the neck also coincide perfectly with the bloodstains on the Shroud.
Dr. Alan Whanger applied the Polarized Image Overlay Technique to the sudarium, comparing it to the image and bloodstains on the Shroud. The frontal stains on the sudarium show seventy points of coincidence with the Shroud, and the rear side shows fifty. The only possible conclusion is that the Oviedo sudarium covered the same face as the Turin Shroud."Some interesting things about the picture of Jesus are that his features ARE caucasian as opposed to the revisionist history view that Jesus was negroid. He almost certainly was olive-skinned, however.
Also, how would one expect God to look if he was to manifest himself as human? The photo of Jesus indicates he was the typical "Joe six pack" of his day. There was nothing unusual about him. Had he manifested as a glowing white lighted atypical human then faith in him would not have been necessary. In short, he HAD to look ordinary.
From Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 we know Jesus was a carpenter. There's an old Amish saying.."Hands to work, hearts to God." It is also logical that God would not only have manifested himself as a "common" human, but that he would have been a blue collar tradesman as well.
At any rate, faith is faith and you have it or you don't. If you have been given the gift of sight then you will know, and be very humbled, to be looking at the face of Jesus.
