Filmmaker David Rolfe was a self-professed atheist when he set out to make a documentary about one of the most revered religious artifacts in history – the Shroud of Turin. #ShroudOfTurin
In 1978, the photography expert aimed to find a simple explanation for the blood-soaked imprint on the Shroud. He sought to understand how an image of a man resembling Jesus Christ appeared on the cloth relic.
He became so convinced of its authenticity that he converted to Christianity. Since then, he has made documentaries and published books on the shroud.
‘I started off as an atheist, and then became an agnostic. And I’m now a Christian, because I cannot possibly understand anything else that could have produced that image,’ said Rolfe.
The 14-foot-long shroud displays a faint, brownish image of a five-foot, six-inch tall man with sunken eyes. His body shows wounds matching the injuries suffered during Jesus’ crucifixion.
Rolfe, from England, has offered a $1 million prize to anyone who can recreate the shroud’s image of a crucified man. The challenge requires the image to show no traces of ink, paint, or other agents.
Research in the 1980s seemed to debunk the shroud’s connection to Jesus by dating it to the Middle Ages. This period is long after Jesus’ death.
Rolfe explained that the 1980 research focused on a small corner of the shroud which had been repaired some time between 1200 and 1400 due to wear and tear. #ShroudOfTurin
‘They haven’t attempted, not even for a million dollars,’ he said.
‘I am convinced [the Shroud of Turin] is authentic, I personally have no doubt,’ said Rolfe who recently released a new documentary called ‘Who Can He Be?’
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