The Turin Shroud
— a photograph of Resurrection?

With the recent discovery by Italian scientists of an image on the reverse side of the Turin Shroud, the debate over its authenticity has been reawakened. The newly-found image is fainter, yet identical to the well-known image on the opposite side. Both images are only visible on the uppermost fibres of the fabric and not within the textile itself. “It is extremely difficult to make a fake with these features,” said scientist Giulio Fanti.
Benjamin Creme’s information about the Turin Shroud throws light on the process by which it was made. He also explains that the Shroud is yet another of the many miracles or signs which herald the emergence of Maitreya — the World Teacher awaited by people of all faiths.

Benjamin Creme:

“There is a process in photography called ionisation ... The high spiritual down-flow from the Christ into the body of the Disciple Jesus caused the ionisation effect and produced a negative on the Shroud — and in this way it is, as it were, scorched on to the Shroud, but only on the surface ...”

“The image on it was deposited intentionally and left there for future generations to hold to the reality of resurrection, because that is what the gospel story is about ...”

“The Shroud defies all such analysis and theories, and shows an awareness of the practical technique of crucifixion (for example, the nails are clearly seen through the wrist and ankle bones and not — as depicted in every religious painting to this day — through the hands and feet) ...”

“If we accept that the Shroud is of a man crucified in Roman fashion, the question arises: why is this the only one of its kind? ... I suggest it is precisely because of its unique image and unique origin.”

The process — an esoteric explanation

“I personally believe that [the Turin Shroud] is absolutely authentic, that it is the shroud in which the body of Jesus was wrapped after the crucifixion. The image on it was deposited intentionally and left there for future generations to hold to the reality of resurrection, because that is what the gospel story is about. The gospel story is not about crucifixion. It is about resurrection … The interesting thing about the Shroud, from my point of view, is how the image was made.
“The Christ resurrected the body of the Disciple Jesus. When the body was laid in the tomb, the consciousness of the Christ, Maitreya, once again entered into the body of the Disciple Jesus and brought it back to life, not only that; but also Resurrected it. He shook loose, by the down-flow of tremendous spiritual energy into the now dead body of Jesus, the atomic particles of matter, reconstituted these, and brought into that body matter of sub-atomic vibrational rate, that is, matter which is literally light. The effect of that on the body was one of intense radiation and it was that radiation which produced what is called an ionisation effect of the image on the Shroud.
“There is a process in photography called ionisation. When a photographer wants to transfer a negative image to a positive image, or vice versa, he takes the plate and puts it under very high frequency — usually X-rays. The effect of this high-frequency ray bombardment is to ionise the plate so that when it is developed you get the opposite of what you would expect to find. Whatever should be light becomes dark, and whatever should be dark becomes light. The high spiritual down-flow from the Christ into the body of the Disciple Jesus caused the ionisation effect and produced a negative on the shroud — and in this way it is, as it were, scorched on to the Shroud, but only on the surface.
“It is exact, in a way that no photograph could be, and it appeared whether the Shroud touched the body or not. It was an ionisation of all aspects of the body, with the wounds and the blood and everything else. So you get an exact facsimile which the space scientists in America have been able to reproduce as a three-dimensional image on the computer. It obeys exactly the three-dimensional laws, and its coming to light now in this exact scientific manner is one of the signs that the Christ is in the world, although His coming into the world is not dependent on that sign.”
(From: The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, Tara Press, 1980)

What happened to the Shroud after Jesus died?

“Immediately after Jesus’ death the Shroud was retrieved from the tomb in which Jesus had been laid by three of His immediate followers and hidden for two years. Subsequently, it was shown, irregularly, to Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem. In the 6th century it was fairly well-known as the authentic burial shroud of Jesus, and a holy relic.”
(Share International magazine, January/February 1998)

Impossible to fake

“Every computerization analysis of the figure on the Shroud has shown it to be 100 per cent accurate from every anatomical point of view, something highly unlikely if drawn by hand. The most conclusive proof that it is not a fake is this: it is a photograph, something quite unknown in the 13th century.
“Furthermore, it is a negative photograph, something that no ‘faker’ could conceive of at that time. Only when it was photographed in the late 19th century was it realized to be a negative, the result of an ionisation process known and used today for the first time. The energy to produce the ‘ionisation’ effect was given by Maitreya’s re-entry into the dead body of Jesus in the tomb. Nothing else could have produced that effect.”
(Share International magazine, October 1988)

Weighing up the evidence

Commenting on the carbon dating findings of three scientific groups reported in Nature magazine on 16 February 1989:
“I am informed that the three groups dated their samples as from the 6th century AD, the 12th century and the 14th century, respectively. Discarding the 6th century result (as being too distant from the other two), they split the difference between these two and settled for the 13th century. Not, I suggest, either a logical or scientific method of approach.
“A more logical — but still unscientific — result would have been reached by taking the average of all three findings, namely the 11th century. If, as I am informed, the present carbon-dating methods have a margin of error of 800-2,000 years, then one must ‘argue with the methodology of carbon-14 dating’. It is simply not accurate enough to be conclusive evidence of dating, and all three dates fit comfortably within the margin of error. Nothing is proved by this test one way or the other.
“It has been suggested that the (spiritual) radiation assumed to impregnate the Shroud might have had some distorting influence on the carbon-14 tests, but I am informed that this is not the case. The testing technique itself is at fault. No one has ever proved (nor will be able to prove) how the image on the Shroud could have been faked — painted or drawn or somehow impressed by hand. It defies all such analysis and theories, and shows an awareness of the practical technique of crucifixion (for example, the nails are clearly seen through the wrist and ankle bones and not — as depicted in every religious painting to this day — through the hands and feet).
“There is no doubt in my mind — nor, I would have thought, in the mind of any unbiased, objective observer who had really studied all the evidence — that this is the burial shroud of a crucified man. Crucifixion was a Roman form of execution and did not, thankfully, outlive the Roman era. This means, does it not, that the Shroud must be no more recent than the 4th century AD, a far cry from the Middle Ages.
“If we accept that the Shroud is of a man crucified in Roman fashion, the question arises: why is this the only one of its kind? Many thousands were crucified by the Romans, and the bodies of many would have been wrapped in some kind of shroud. Why is this the only one to survive to the 20th century? I suggest it is precisely because of its unique image and unique origin. Because it is a photograph, a record of Resurrection.
“This matter will soon be cleared up once and for all, no doubt to the consternation of the sceptics and the scientists who use unscientific methods to prove their bias. The Master Jesus will claim it as His own.”
(Share International magazine, December 1989)

Share International — background information

For 30 years artist, author and lecturer Benjamin Creme has been preparing the way for the biggest event in history — the emergence of Maitreya the World Teacher and His group. Millions of people around the world have heard his information and wait expectantly for this momentous event.
Since 19 July 1977 Maitreya has been living in the Asian community of London, gradually emerging before the public. Long awaited by all faiths under different names, Maitreya is the World Teacher for all people, religious or not.
Maitreya’s ‘roving ambassador’ Benjamin Creme travels the world spreading his message of hope and creating a climate of expectancy for Maitreya’s emergence. Trained and supervised over many years by his own Master, with whom he is in constant telepathic contact, Benjamin Creme has access to up-to-date information on Maitreya’s emergence, giving him the total conviction needed to present this story to a sceptical world.
As a modern man concerned with today’s problems, Maitreya works behind the scenes of our changing world. The outpouring of His extraordinary energy has been the stimulus for dramatic developments on many fronts: the ending of the cold war; the break-up of the Soviet Union; the unification of Germany; the ending of apartheid in South Africa; the growing power of the people’s voice, leading to demands for freedom and justice; and the worldwide focus on preserving the environment.
Outwardly Maitreya has met with influential leaders from all fields, informing them of His solutions to our pressing problems. His message can be summarized as: “Share and save the world.” He has not come to found a new religion but as an educator in the broadest sense. He will seek to inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and to create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global co-operation.
For those who seek signs of His coming, Maitreya has manifested miracles worldwide, touching the hearts of millions and preparing them for His imminent appearance.
With Maitreya and His group working openly in the world, offering Their guidance and teachings, humanity is assured not only of survival but of the creation of a brilliant new civilization.
According to Benjamin Creme, we do not have long to wait to see Him. Soon, Maitreya will be interviewed on major US television and His open emergence will begin.
Creme regularly lectures worldwide, and appears on television and radio — in the USA alone he has been interviewed on more than 300 radio and television shows. He is author of 10 books — translated into 11 languages — and is editor of Share International magazine which circulates in 70 countries. He receives no money for any of this work. Benjamin Creme offers a positive view of the future — a message of hope for the world.

For more information contact:
Share International, PO Box 3677, London, NW5 1RU
call: 020 7482 1113 fax: 020 7267 2881