Turin Shroud mystery 'solved' by the expert who says he even knows Christ's blood type

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most well-studied artefacts in history.

Believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus following the crucifixion, scientists have long debated its authenticity.

While radiocarbon dating in the 1980s suggested a medieval origin, some scholars argue the blood on the linen tells a different story. This revelation appears to contradict a recent claim that The Shroud was 'never laid on Jesus'

Dr Jeremiah Johnston, a biblical scholar, told the Tucker Carlson Network that testing from the 1990s identified blood type AB on the Shroud.

"The Shroud has type AB blood, identified as Semitic, present in only six percent of the population, confirmed as human and male, ruling out animal blood or a hoax," Dr Johnston said.

Sacred blood test

He also noted that testing indicated the blood was human and male, with both premortem and postmortem traces present.

"You would have to actually kill someone if you were trying to reproduce the shroud because we have premortem and post-mortem blood all over the shroud," said Dr Johnston.

The presence of both pre- and post-mortem blood on the Shroud is unusual, suggesting processes inconsistent with natural decomposition, interpreted by some as aligning with resurrection accounts.

Christ's blood type

The AB blood type was first documented in 1982 by Italian biographer Dr Pierluigi Baima Bollone and colleagues, who analysed a sample from the Shroud's pierced side.

Subsequent testing also detected M, N and S antigens in blood from the foot area, confirming the sample was unquestionably human.

Researchers tested the samples in two ways to determine blood type.

First, they checked for antibodies by placing fibres on slides, keeping them at about 39°F for an extended period, adding A1 or B red blood cells and leaving them for 30 minutes.

They examined the slides under a standard microscope, then used a powerful electron microscope after preserving the fibres in alcohol and coating them with gold.

Then the team tested for antigens - particles that stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies - using a mixed agglutination method.

Jesus' face

They kept the slides cold for 24 hours with anti-A and anti-B serums, washed them several times with saltwater and a cow protein solution, added A1 or B red blood cells, and checked them under a regular microscope, followed by electron microscope checks.

The results showed the Shroud's bloodstained fibres had both A and B antigens but no antibodies, pointing to type AB blood. Clean Shroud fibres showed no antigens, indicating they were free of blood.

Dr Johnston also told Carlson that the Sudarium of Oviedo in Spain - the facecloth mentioned in John's Gospel that covered Jesus's face - was also found to have type AB blood.

There is no image on this cloth. Only stains are visible to the naked eye, with further detail visible under the microscope.

Contamination risk

However, Dr Kelly Kearse, an immunologist who has extensively studied the Shroud of Turin, has expressed scepticism about the claim that the blood on the Shroud is type AB.

Dr Kearse argued that the methods lacked proper controls and could produce false positives due to contamination, such as bacteria, or degradation of the blood over centuries.

"Regarding tests to determine blood type, it could be AB, but I really don't think there's any solid scientific evidence to back that up," he wrote in a 2020 study.

Dr Johnston estimated there are roughly 700 wounds visible on the Shroud.

"This was a very badly wounded man, pints of type AB blood, all over it," he said, noting the injuries align with what is known about Roman crucifixions.

Scientists baffled

Dr Johnston also highlighted the image itself - a faint, full-body imprint of a bearded man.

"The image on the Shroud is only two microns thick and does not penetrate through the cloth," he explained.

"If this were a hoax, painted or dyed, the material would have soaked through completely.

"Instead, the image is so thin we could shave it off with a razor. Even the world's best scientists are baffled."

He suggested the imprint could have formed through a sudden chemical reaction triggered by an immense burst of energy, possibly corresponding to the moment of the Resurrection.

Powerful energy

Paolo Di Lazzaro, a physicist and laser specialist at ENEA Laboratories near Rome, spent five years studying the Shroud.

His team managed to recreate the chemical change in the linen fibres using a massive burst of 34 trillion watts of energy.

This "cold" energy, lasting just a quarter of a billionth of a second, altered the linen's structure to form the image on the Shroud, Dr Johnston explained.

Measuring 14 feet long, the linen was first publicly displayed in the 1350s and presented as the actual burial cloth of Christ.

While 1988 radiocarbon dating placed its origin between 1260 and 1390 AD, Dr Johnston contends that only a contaminated corner patch - not the original linen - was tested.

"The actual linen has never been radiocarbon dated, just the upper-left corner patch, which was contaminated," he said.

Dr Johnston described the Shroud as "the most lied about and misunderstood artifact in the world" and thanked Carlson for the opportunity to share his findings.