Classic: Is the Turin Shroud the burial cloth of Christ? Alan Whanger vs Hugh Farey

Unbelievable?

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Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

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Summary

More than a decade ago, Unbelievable? brought together two experts with very different conclusions about the Shroud of Turin—one of the most mysterious and debated Christian relics. Dr Alan Whanger, who devoted years to studying the Shroud, claimed to identify faint images and markings that point to its origins in 1st-century Israel. Meanwhile, Hugh Farey, editor of The Catholic Shroud of Turin Newsletter, has spent decades critically examining the Shroud literature and argues the evidence strongly supports a medieval origin. Latest Developments (2020s): Since that episode aired, there have been further scientific investigations and renewed debates. In 2017, Italian researchers used new dating techniques (notably, Raman spectroscopy and FTIR analysis) to argue for a possible 1st-century origin—challenging the 1988 carbon dating that placed the Shroud in the 13th or 14th century. However, these newer findings remain controversial and have not overturned the scientific consensus. The Shroud continues to spark interest not only among believers and sceptics, but also in fields as diverse as history, forensic science, and art restoration. For Alan Whanger: http://people.duke.edu/~adw2/shroud/ For Hugh Farey: https://www.shroud.com/bstsmain.htm

Transcript

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0:00.0	From the Church of Pentecost, UK, Transformers 25 is coming to Leeds.
0:05.8	Tuesday the 29th of July to Friday the 1st of August at the first direct arena.
0:11.1	Join believers from across the world for four days of bold preaching, spirit-filled worship and life-changing encounters.
0:17.4	Speakers include Mission's Director Apostle Immanuel Ajiman Bukwe, Nationalway national head apostle lord elam donkaw
0:24.8	Samantha jabaguay dr amy owing and more if you want clarity courage and calling come ready
0:32.3	book your tickets now at transformers conference..org. Ready, set, transform. Welcome along to Unbelievable with me,
0:42.6	Justin Briley. A special edition of the program today. As we look at the Shroud of Turin, I'll be
0:47.8	introducing my guests in just a moment's time. It's great to have you along for today's program.
0:52.8	And if you do want to catch up
0:54.3	on the program, get more information on my guests, and indeed see the vast archive of
0:58.8	programs and resources go to the unbelievable web page. Right now, though, it's time to introduce
1:04.0	my guests for what I think will be an absolutely fascinating discussion. Today on the program,
1:09.2	we're asking, is the shroud of Turin the burial cloth of
1:12.3	Christ and could it even provide evidence for the resurrection? Well the Turin trout goes on display again
1:18.0	in Italy later this month and thousands of people will be flocking to see this ancient piece of
1:22.7	cloth bearing the faint image of a crucified man which many believe is the original burial cloth of Christ.
1:29.2	Well, my guest joining me on the program today are Alan Wanger.
1:31.6	He's a retired professor from Duke University in North Carolina who's been researching the shroud since, well, pretty much the 1970s.
1:39.2	He believes that high-resolution photography of the shroud has revealed features that tie it firmly to the first century
1:45.4	and that the image on the shroud can be traced down the centuries in religious iconography as well.
1:51.5	Hugh Ferry is my other guest. He's the editor of the newsletter of the British Society for the Turin Shroud.
1:57.1	And while believing that the Shroud is one of the most powerful icons of Christianity,
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