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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
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