Carbon dating and the Shroud of Turin

The Shroud of Turin proves the Resurrection

Carbon dating and the Shroud of Turin

In 1988, Carbon Dating of the Shroud was performed at Oxford University, the University of Arizona, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The scientists stated that the Shroud samples had a 95% probability of dating between 1260 A.D. and 1390 A.D. For simplicity, let us assume an average age of 1325 A.D.

Following this carbon dating most people concluded that the Shroud of Turin was a very clever fraud, and interest in the Shroud has dropped in recent years. As already explained, we do not believe it would be possible for a mediaeval artist to create the Shroud!

Dr Richard Kent, the writer of article, believes that the Carbon Dating has been inaccurately interpreted by scientists who have not included the Resurrection in their interpretation of the test results!

Dr Accetta’s experiment, already discussed, demonstrates that the Image on the Shroud of Turin was probably caused by emission of radioactivity.

It is our belief that the radiation emitted at the Resurrection, caused the following:

  1. The scorching of the top fibrils of the linen of the Shroud.
  2. Bombardment of Nitrogen and Carbon atoms within the Shroud by radiation and light, travelling at the speed of light, at the Resurrection.
  3. Conversion of Nitrogen atoms into radioactive C-14 within the linen of the Shroud.
  4. The additional quantity of the isotope C-14 within the linen of the Shroud altered the results of the Carbon Dating, so that the Shroud appeared much younger than it actually is.

The interpretation of carbon dating test

The interpretation of carbon dating test is complicated, but will be explained briefly. We are personally convinced of the authenticity of the Shroud, and that the additional quantity of the isotope C-14 demonstrated by the carbon dating tests actually proves the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! This will be explained later.

There are 107 elements on this planet

 

There are 107 known elements, and all matter on this planet is composed of various elements. The human body is composed of 17 elements, including Carbon.

Carbon dating explained

Radio Carbon dating was discovered by Willard Libby in Chicago in 1952. Carbon Dating is a method of dating samples with the element Carbon in them.

Carbon isotopes

Carbon normally exists as the isotope C-12. The normal isotope C-12 has 6 neutrons, 6 protons, and 6 electrons. There are three main varieties of Carbon atoms, technically called “isotopes”. These isotopes are C-12, C-13 and C-14. Of the three isotopes of Carbon:

  • C-12 makes up 99% of available Carbon.
  • C-13 makes up 1% of available Carbon.
  • C-14 – makes up 1 part per million of available Carbon

So there is not much C-14 about! Every living thing has a tiny amount of C-14 in it, including you and me!

C-14 formation and incorporation into plants and animals

C-14 is formed in the upper atmosphere from the bombardment of Nitrogen atoms by cosmic rays from the sun. The radioactive Carbon atom C-14 then becomes combined with Oxygen to form a Carbon Dioxide molecule containing C-14.

C-14 incorporation into plants and animals

The Carbon dioxide molecules, with the radioactive C-14, become part of the gases in our atmosphere. All plants breathe in Carbon Dioxide, and a tiny amount of radioactive C-14 is incorporated into their structure.

In the case of the linen of the Shroud of Turin, the linen was made from flax. All flax has a tiny amount a radioactive C-14 in it, derived from the radioactive labelled Carbon dioxide, which may be measured.

How does Carbon Dating work?

Radio carbon dating is used to determine the age of samples containing Carbon, by means of measuring the amount of the isotope Carbon-14 (C-14) in any given sample.

The isotope Carbon-14 is radioactive and the radioactivity may be measured. C-14 atoms are naturally unstable. Radioactive C-14 atoms decay back to Nitrogen at a known rate. The rate of “decay” is known as the “half-life”. The “half life” of C-14 is 5,730 years. This means that if a known amount of C-14 was present, then 5,730 years earlier there was twice as much of it, because half of the C-14 has decayed over the preceding 5,730 years.

The theory of Carbon Dating assumes that if an observer knows the amount of radioactive C-14 that is present in a sample, then the date of the sample’s origin can be calculated.

The Carbon dating machine does not actually date anything

The Carbon dating machine only provides information about how much radioactive C-14 is in a sample of material. This is important to know, especially in the case of the Shroud.

Since scientists know that radioactive C-14 decays over a “half life” of 5,730 years, scientists believe they can date samples of material by interpretation of the quantity of C-14 present, and the known half life of 5,730 years.

Carbon dating of the Shroud of Turin

Like all other Carbon dating, the dating of the Shroud of Turin in 1988 was based on:

– The quantity of radioactive C-14 in the flax of the Shroud.

– An interpretation of its presumed age using the known “half life” of radioactive C-14.

However, the traditional carbon dating model is likely to give false results in the case of the Shroud, because:

  • According to many scientists working on the Shroud, including Dr John Jackson, Dr Eric Jumper, and Dr August Accetta, the image formation on the Shroud was a radioactive process.
  • Additional C-14 molecules were therefore formed during this radioactive process, which we believe occurred at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Without wishing to be disrespectful to scientists involved in the Carbon Dating of the Shroud, it seems that the physics of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ have not been taken into account! The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not mentioned by the scientists who dated the Shroud, so presumably was not taken into consideration during the dating process!

The Resurrection was a radioactive process!

Dr Accetta has clearly shown that the Image on the Shroud was probably caused by a transient burst of radioactivity. Most scientists agree that radioactive C-14 is normally formed by the bombardment of cosmic rays from the sun and outer space of Nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere, as already discussed.

Cosmic rays are made of subatomic particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons. Cosmic rays have extremely high energies and travel at extremely high speeds through space, nearly at the speed of light.

We see no reason at all why radioactive C-14 should not have been formed within the linen of the Shroud at the time of the Resurrection! This additional radioactive C-14 would not have been caused by radiation from the sun, but by radiation at the time of the Resurrection!

We have already looked at the Transfiguration in the last section. It seems to us highly likely that high energy subatomic particles were emitted both at the Transfiguration, and at the Resurrection.

If this is correct, then this would dramatically alter the amount of C-14 atoms found in the Shroud from the time of Jesus Christ, and dramatically alter the results of the Carbon Dating tests in 1988.

The Resurrection has not been taken into consideration by Carbon Dating scientists!

  • Using normal scientific reasoning, the Shroud appeared to be dated at approximately 1325 A.D.
  • However, there is another possibility, which does not appear to have been considered!
  • Scientist have calibrated the amount of Radioactive C-14 in the linen of the Shroud, and calculated a mean date of 1325 A.D.
  • They have pronounced that the Shroud is dated 1325 A.D.
  • Following this most people have concluded that the Shroud of Turin is a fraud.

We believe we have shown that the Shroud could not possibly be a fraud, unless it is a miracle in its own right!

We believe that the additional C-14 atoms were created by radiation of light, and subatomic particles possibly travelling at he speed of light, at the Resurrection

We believe that the linen of the Shroud dates from the time of Jesus Christ. The linen bought by Joseph of Arimathea for the rapid burial of Jesus Christ contained a tiny amount of radioactive C-14, as does all vegetable matter.

We believe that if the Shroud of Turin had been Carbon Dated before the Resurrection, it would have been dated at 33 A.D. approximately, since all other tests indicate a first century Shroud.

This C-14 in the original linen was derived from the uptake by the flax of radioactive Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as already explained.

However, the Shroud was bombarded with radiation at the Resurrection!

However, the linen of the Shroud of Turin is unique! We believe that the linen was radiated at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is plenty of Nitrogen in all plant material, and 80% of our atmosphere is Nitrogen. It seems to us very likely that at the Resurrection there was an intense radiation of subatomic particles including electrons, protons, and neutrons, possessing extremely high energy, and possibly travelling at the speed of light.

We believe that the complex molecules within the linen were vaporised by the surface radiation to their original elements of Nitrogen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Magnesium. This caused Nitrogen atoms, and possibly Carbon atoms, within the linen of the Shroud to be converted to radioactive C-14! This caused a greater quantity of the radioactive isotope C-14 to be present in the flax of the Shroud.

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