Back in high school, one of my best friends did a history report on the Shroud of Turin. He was a smart guy and a good presenter and I remember a very lively debate among my classmates. This was before the radiocarbon dating done in 1988 that showed the linen fibers were from 1260-1390, so there was a lot less science and a great deal more mystery involved.

Archaeologists have recently discovered another shroud in Jerusalem that was from Jesus’ time and compared its weave with that of the Turin shroud. Turns out they are very different. The Turin shroud is woven in a complex twill pattern (not seen in that region until medieval times) while the “new” shroud is made from a simple weave.

The National Geographic covers the story of the new shroud and the leper it covered. Fascinating discovery.