The Image of the Shroud: A Look into the New Exhibit at the Museum of the Bible

by | Mar 8, 2022 | Posts

Last week, I was honored to be able to attend the launch viewing of the new exhibit at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC, MYSTERY AND FAITH: THE SHROUD OF TURIN.  Here is one article written on the exhibit that stood out: “New Museum of the Bible exhibit features Shroud of Turin: ‘First viral image‘”, written by a Christian Post reporter Ryan Foley. 

The Shroud is the First Viral Image

Foley’s article covers several aspects of the exhibit titled “The Mystery of Faith: The Shroud of Turin.”  The exhibit will be available through July 31st of this year.  It includes a Shroud replica on linen, a VP8 image analyzer, an interactive 3D table of the image.  

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most studied Christian relics and depicts a “faint, yellowed image of a naked, crucified man and is believed by millions of Christians to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth.” But what is the significance of the image Shroud of Turin?

Throughout its history, there were many different eras where the Shroud was not displayed, either to protect it from Christian persecutors, or to follow the Jewish law of not worshipping icons (Exodus 20) or eras of iconoclasm.  Even later the Calvinists cleared the church of all icons.

As Jeffery Kloha, Chief Curator at the Museum of the Bible, said while moderating the tour of the exhibit, pointing out all the magazine covers showing the shroud, it was “the first viral image”. Although in its past, icons were often not displayed, now it’s gone viral. Certainly, if this image goes viral, as it did a few decades ago.

Picture taken by Guy Powell at the Exhibit of the Shroud of Turin at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.

Then that also has to be a good thing. Whether good or bad the spread of the image brings the faith to new eyes and shares stories of our Christian heritage. 

The Exhibit 

Jeffery Kloha describes the exhibit as “throughout this high-tech, interactive exhibit, visitors will explore how this cloth connects to the Gospels and has become one of the most immediately recognizable images of any figure from the Bible,” (Kloha). 

Watch the video here or click below to learn more on the Museum of the Bible’s website.

Find Out More

Visit Museumofthebible.org/ for more information or https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/mystery-and-faith or the exhibit.