Are the Shroud of Turin and the True Cross genuine relics?
Learn about scholarly analyses of evidence supporting the possibility that the True Cross and the Shroud of Turin are authentic relics.
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News •
DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden secrets
• Nov. 8, 2026, 9:49 PM ET (Science Daily)
Transcript
NARRATOR: Nothing remains of the cross upon which Jesus Christ died. But the plaque at the top of the cross, which bore the letters INRI - the Latin abbreviation for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews - is allegedly kept in the Santa Croce church in Rome. The age of the wood and the design of the letters suggest that this holy relic may well be genuine.
CARSTEN-PETER THIEDE: "We now have the technical possibility of studying items like this and discovering that they are genuine and have a link to the Crucifixion. This item is fascinating and unusual for two reasons. On the one hand, because it was so close to Jesus Christ at the moment of his death. And on the other, because we are still able to see it today."
NARRATOR: The Turin Shroud that was allegedly wrapped around the body of Christ is another important relic. It has kept researchers guessing to this very day. Is it just a medieval fake, or does it truly show the face of Christ? Recent research suggests that the shroud could actually be genuine. The shroud has the characteristic weave and seam structure of a type of cloth commonly used in the Middle East at the time when Jesus was alive. Israeli researchers are looking at individual threads from the shroud and trying to find traces of the cloth's place of origin. Will modern science uncover new evidence to support the belief in the shroud's authenticity? The researchers discover something truly amazing in the threads of the shroud. Pollen - clear evidence of the origins of a piece of cloth. Where did this pollen originate?
AVINOAM DANIN: "I identified plants that are growing in the area of Jerusalem. One of them, a thorny plant, a Gundelia was found near the right shoulder of the image of the man on the shroud. Another one in the chest area, zygophyllum, is a plant that grows in the Dead Sea area. And the third one on the side of the right or left ear is a rock rose, cistus, which is growing in the Jerusalem area and westwards."
NARRATOR: The Turin Shroud, a piece of cloth that may have touched the body of Christ. If it did, then an image of the face of Jesus Christ has been preserved for posterity.
CARSTEN-PETER THIEDE: "We now have the technical possibility of studying items like this and discovering that they are genuine and have a link to the Crucifixion. This item is fascinating and unusual for two reasons. On the one hand, because it was so close to Jesus Christ at the moment of his death. And on the other, because we are still able to see it today."
NARRATOR: The Turin Shroud that was allegedly wrapped around the body of Christ is another important relic. It has kept researchers guessing to this very day. Is it just a medieval fake, or does it truly show the face of Christ? Recent research suggests that the shroud could actually be genuine. The shroud has the characteristic weave and seam structure of a type of cloth commonly used in the Middle East at the time when Jesus was alive. Israeli researchers are looking at individual threads from the shroud and trying to find traces of the cloth's place of origin. Will modern science uncover new evidence to support the belief in the shroud's authenticity? The researchers discover something truly amazing in the threads of the shroud. Pollen - clear evidence of the origins of a piece of cloth. Where did this pollen originate?
AVINOAM DANIN: "I identified plants that are growing in the area of Jerusalem. One of them, a thorny plant, a Gundelia was found near the right shoulder of the image of the man on the shroud. Another one in the chest area, zygophyllum, is a plant that grows in the Dead Sea area. And the third one on the side of the right or left ear is a rock rose, cistus, which is growing in the Jerusalem area and westwards."
NARRATOR: The Turin Shroud, a piece of cloth that may have touched the body of Christ. If it did, then an image of the face of Jesus Christ has been preserved for posterity.
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