Why an Atheist Thinks the Shroud of Turin is the Real Deal

Exceptions in the St. Catherine Icon

There are exceptions and they demand we be cautious. Though there are similar gaps in the beards, the beard on the icon is not forked as it is on the shroud. The hair is black or nearly so while on a positive image of the shroud it appears white or light colored.  The icon is a positive image and the shroud is a negative one. If the artist did in fact base the icon on the face now found on Turin’s cloth and he perceived the shroud’s negativity then that may explain the black hair. Another explanation, of course, is that Jesus was Jewish and it would be highly probable but not certain that Jesus’ hair would be dark.

There are reasons for caution as well. Many facial features are simply so common that congruence can be found with many other faces. But some features are simply too unusual. And artistic representations of faces at this time in history was simply not as realistic as it would eventually become among European artists in the 15^th and 16^th century.