History's Greatest Mysteries: The Shroud of Turin

For centuries professional historians have labored through the painstaking task of documenting history as accurately as possible, but even with modern technology, archaeology, and records, some questions have eluded attempts to answer them. From the origins of Atlantis to the lost colony of Roanoke, the mysteries behind some of history's most famous people and events have fascinated countless generations. In Charles River Editors' History's Greatest Mysteries series, listeners can discover the known, the unknown, and the possible answers to history's most enduring questions in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Critics call it one of the greatest pieces of fraud in religious history. Believers call it one of the most important artifacts in Christianity. Everyone agrees that it's mysterious, interesting, and controversial. The Shroud of Turin has been a controversial relic from the time it was first publicly displayed in Northern France in the 14th century until the much-awaited carbon 14 tests were performed on the cloth in 1988. One group consisting of religious believers and agnostic scientists has argued vehemently that this shroud represents the actual burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth while another group of religious believers and critical scientists and scholars has argued that the Shroud of Turin is a medieval forgery created by an artist for Geoffrey de Charny or one of his ancestors in 14th century France. Indeed, the position one takes on the shroud seems to cut across the usual divisions of creedal affirmation or general education level.