Shroud of Turin Shows Jesus’ Body was Offered as a Holocaust at His Resurrection

ABSTRACT: This article analyzing the evidence that the body of Jesus was offered up as a holocaust (whole burnt offering). The evidence comes from both the Scriptures and the Shroud of Turin. The shroud image was made as Jesus’ body was burned as a holocaust at His resurrection. The burning of his body was predicted and necessary to fulfill the requirements of the law concerning sacrifices.

 

Copyright Ó 2001 Bruce Alan Killian   updated 26 July 2020    email bakillian at earthlink.net

To index          file: www.scriptureScholar/HolocaustResurrection.pdf

 

Does it matter whether Jesus was offered as a holocaust? In Romans 4:25, We learn that Christ died for our sins and that He was raised for our justification. Now we know from Hebrews 9:22 Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. So it was the shedding of his blood that took away our sins. What about the raising of Jesus resulted in our justification (dikaiosin)? Romans 5:18 also bears some light on this; it was one act of righteousness that brought life and justification to all men. The one-act was not the crucifixion but the resurrection.

The idea for the holocaust resurrection came after I had visited the shroud center in Orange County, California, a very worthwhile afternoon.[1] The image on the shroud appeared to be a light burn and was assumed, such by skeptics who have tried to duplicate it by wrapping linen over a hot statue. This failed to produce the same type of image because high points like the knees burned through the cloth before the image developed at other points. Those who have studied it say the image appears to have been made by a burst of radiant energy. This energy caused the surface of the linen fibers to be oxidized and dehydrated. The author believes that this burst of energy happened at the resurrection. Jesus’ body was consumed by being converted to energy. Jesus was then given a new body. Rapid conversion of Jesus’ entire body to energy would be burning; if Jesus’ body was burned, it might have been as a holocaust.

Jesus’ body was consumed in a very rapid process as described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52 In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” We have then a time factor for our eventual resurrection in the twinkling of an eye. We are told that our resurrection will be in a like manner to Jesus’ resurrection. The conversion of the matter of Jesus’ body into radiant energy we would typically call burning. It is of interest that this radiant energy was all directed either up or down, not to the sides. The image on the shroud does not show the sides of the body or the top of the head. In Greek flash is atamos meaning 1) that which cannot be cut in two, or divided, indivisible or 2) a moment of time.

The shroud does show evidence of a sacrifice being burned. The Biblical requirements for sacrifices—the ones involved with sin all involve burning all or a portion of the sacrifice. Jesus’ body either all or part needed to be burned if the Law’s requirements were to be fulfilled. The Hebrew word holocaust (holah) (often translated burnt offering or whole burnt offering) means to ascend or rise, referring to the smoke of the sacrifice. The Greek word resurrection (anastasis) means to rise. In the creed, we don’t say Jesus came alive again but that He ‘rose’ from the dead.

In Genesis 22 God tells Abraham to offer his son as a holocaust, now Abraham says that God will provide himself a lamb for the holocaust-but Abraham was provided with a Ram a male but too old to be a lamb. The lamb provided was the Lamb of God == Jesus. Golgotha was on Moriah, the same location as Abraham’s offering.

Genesis 22:3 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a holocaust on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the holocaust, he set out for the place God had told him about. Genesis 22:8 Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the sheep for the holocaust?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a holocaust instead of his son.

The holocaust was the highest form of sacrifice. Besides being a holocaust, Jesus was also a sin offering. At least some of the time, the sin offering was offered outside the camp and wholly burned up.

The shroud is visible evidence that the sacrifice of Jesus was accepted by God-because Jesus depended on the Father to burn his body so that it could be a sacrifice.

Just as today, the sacrifice of the Mass is invalid if the celebrant does not consume a portion of the sacrifice-so true in the Law, but additionally, the sacrifice had to be burned. This is at least true of the holocaust and the sin offering. The sin offering had to be burned. The whole brunt offering had to be burned.

Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,

On Yom Kippur, the high holy day of the Jewish year, the Day of Atonement, when the sin of Israel was covered.

Romans 13:11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.

We know that Jesus’ sacrifice was incomplete when he died. Jesus, as the victim, had completed his portion, but the sacrifice was incomplete because it was not consumed—either eaten or burned up.

Romans 4:24-25 But also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Without too much reading between the lines, Jesus’ body was offered as a holocaust to God evidenced by the shroud, and that immediately received his new resurrected body of ‘flesh and bones’ not ‘flesh and blood.’

In investigating the shroud, it would be worthwhile to look for further evidence of a holocaust—the washing of the body, salt, grain offering. We can see the skinning of the sacrifice in that Jesus was stripped of his clothes, and the scourging removed the surface of His skin. Where he was laid was the altar (maybe the entire hill was) all sides of the altar needed to be sprinkled with his blood and the remaining blood deposited at the base of the altar. The anointing oil Jesus said was done by Mary a week before he died. Many details seem to fit well.

The evidence for the holocaust is the image on the shroud. The image is caused by oxidation and dehydration of the outermost layer of the inside of the cloth. If there were a very brief, very intense fire consuming the body, could it cause this? What would the evidence be—I propose that is it the shroud. How short would it have to be not to consume the cloth? How intense would it have to be? These would be the questions I would ask. The answer is probably just as short and intense as necessary to make the shroud image. What type of energy? Intense-light because in him was no darkness at all would be my guess. Because the shroud shows the interior of the body: the skeleton and teeth, it included visible and shorter wavelengths of light, including x-rays. Images were left by the bodies of those killed by the atomic explosions at Nagasaki and Hiroshima on the ground and walls.

Jesus, on Easter Sunday morning, already had a new body. He is the firstborn of the dead, and many others were resurrected at this time (Mat 27:52). Also, His body has been dead, would have made him unclean and not able to be touched without causing others to become unclean. This answers the question of when did he get his new body. This holocaust occurred in the twinkling of an eye. His old body was offered up, and a new body was created (or given).

 

Further Scripture Passages referring to this Subject

Exodus 29:14-18 But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its offal outside the camp. It is a sin offering. 15 “Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 16 Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides. 17 Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a holocaust to Yahweh, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to Yahweh by fire. Was Jesus sprinkling his blood on the ground on all sides of the altar as he was first whipped, then carried his cross, crucified and buried?

Leviticus 1:2-13 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to Yahweh, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. 3 “‘If the offering is a holocaust from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to Yahweh. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the holocaust, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5 He is to slaughter the young bull before Yahweh, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 6 He is to skin the holocaust and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. 9 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a holocaust, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to Yahweh. 10 “‘If the offering is a holocaust from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, he is to offer a male without defect. 11 He is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before Yahweh, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. 12 He is to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. 13 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of it and burn it on the altar. It is a holocaust, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to Yahweh.

Leviticus 6:9-13 “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the holocaust: The holocaust is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the holocaust that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the holocaust on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

Leviticus 6:25-27 “Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before Yahweh in the place the holocaust is slaughtered; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. 27 Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.

Leviticus 7:37-38 These, then, are the regulations for the holocaust, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, 38 Which Yahweh gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to Yahweh, in the Desert of Sinai.

Numbers 19:11, “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days.

So to touch a dead body would defile one for seven days, but whoever touches the flesh of a holocaust would become holy. It is only by becoming a holocaust that Jesus changes from being unclean to holy so that he can enter heaven.

 

Leviticus 10:16-20 When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, 17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before Yahweh. 18 Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.” 19 Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their holocaust before Yahweh, but such things as this have happened to me. Would Yahweh have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Leviticus 16:5 “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a holocaust. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a holocaust.

Leviticus 16:23-25 “Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the holocaust for himself and the holocaust for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

Leviticus 23:10-12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before Yahweh so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a holocaust to Yahweh a lamb a year old without defect,

Numbers 6:9-11 “‘If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day. 10 Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a holocaust to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head.

1 Chronicles 21:24-26 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for Yahweh what is yours, or sacrifice a holocaust that costs me nothing.” 25 So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. 26 David built an altar to Yahweh there and sacrificed holocausts and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of holocaust.

Ezekiel 46:2-5 The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his holocaust and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of Yahweh at the entrance to that gateway. 4 The holocaust the prince brings to Yahweh on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. 5 The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.

Ezekiel 46:11 “‘At the festivals and the appointed feasts, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as one pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. 12 When the prince provides a freewill offering to Yahweh—whether a holocaust or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his holocaust or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.

 

The veil (here assumed a closed gate to the east) was opened for Jesus’ sacrifice—He was both the price and the priest. The text implies but does not require the prince to enter the gate.

 

Any of the Passover, which remained until the morning, must be burned up with fire. (Exodus 12:10) Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)

 

The holy fire is different from normal fire. It killed Aaron’s two sons without damaging their clothes. Their offense was using normal fire to burn the incense. It could burn the entire sacrifice, wood, stone, and water—Elijah on Carmel.

 

1 Corinthians 15:42-52 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--52 In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

 

Philemon 3:21 Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.