Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - PROOF?

 PROOF?

It is stated in the Book of Acts that, after Jesus was taken up, He “…presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) Now it is taken that the proofs referred to in Acts relate to the time Jesus remained on earth and appeared to many people during those forty days. Certainly that would constitute considerable proof, especially for those persons who met Jesus during that time. But is that all? What if there were more evidences that are still available to us today?

In the Gospel of John there is a further statement referring to the cloths which remained in the tomb after the resurrection.

…and the other disciple [John?] outran Peter 

and came to the tomb first. 

And he…saw the linen cloths lying there; 

Then Simon Peter came…and went into the tomb; 

and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 

and the handkerchief that had been around His head, 

not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself… 

(John 20:4-7)

So from this report, there should have been at least two cloths in the tomb of Christ when the disciples were there. One of these (the handkerchief) could have been used to cover the face of Christ when He died and was taken from the cross to burial, similar to what we do today. This then would be removed when the final covering was placed. So, what happened to the cloths that would have covered Christ? And is it possible that those relics still exist?

In the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo in Spain there is a cloth, 34 by 21 inches in size, which has a history from at least 570 AD. It has been visited by pilgrims from all over the world for centuries for it is believed to be just that cloth that covered Christ’s face at the time of His death. It is kept in an elaborate reliquary chest and displayed to the public only three times a year: Good Friday, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on Sept 14, and on its octave Sept 21.

This cloth reveals evidence of blood and fluid stains, evidence of facial contusions and of a nasal injury, of blood on the forehead and of patterns of staining apparently identical to those on another piece of linen kept in the Cathedral of Turin in Italy. These two pieces of cloth have been separated throughout history and therefore, are unlikely to be forgeries as both show evidence of covering a man who was scourged, crowned with thorns, beaten in the face, crucified, and buried. As such, both fit precisely the story of Christ’s passion. There is also evidence on this cloth of aloe and myrrh.

Of course, all of this does not really prove that this piece of cloth is really the one that covered the face of Jesus at the time of His crucifixion. That may never be possible to determine, but the evidence keeps mounting. One’s faith should never be based on a relic, only on the known facts of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, but still the circumstantial evidence is mounting and after all, the Bible stated that there were “many” infallible proofs. Perhaps this may turn out to be one.

In the meantime, it is certainly something interesting to think about.