Vatican Historian: Shroud of Turin Is Authentic

A researcher at the Vatican archives claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus' burial cloth. Author Barbara Frale says computer-enhanced images of faint Greek, Latin, and Aramaic words show the name "Jesus Nazarene" in a writing style typical of the age and region.

She disputes the notion the shroud is a medieval sham, reasoning that no one of that time, even a forger, would have labeled Jesus a Nazarene without referring to his divinity. The shroud bears the figure of a crucified man, and believers say Christ's image was recorded on the linen fibers at the time of his resurrection. Skeptics point out that radiocarbon dating determined it was made in the 13th or 14th century. "People work on grainy photos and think they see things," said one historian. (More Shroud of Turin stories.)