Sixteenth-century document unearthed, labeling the Shroud of Turin as a forgery, dated back 600 years.

The religious relic known as the Shroud of Turin, which features the outline of a man's face believed by many to have been left behind by Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, has been the subject of debate for centuries. A recent study published in the Journal of Medieval History has rediscovered a treatise by the French theologian Nicole Oresme, written between 1355 and 1382, which outright declares the Shroud a fake.

Nicole Oresme, a great scholar of the 14th century, made significant contributions to the studies of mathematics, astrology, and psychology, and ascended to the role of Bishop of Lisieux under Charles V of France. In his treatise, Oresme chose the claim of the Champenoise (Lirey) shrine to possess the Shroud as a striking example of lies fabricated by the clergy.

Oresme's argument against the Shroud was that simply because 'good people', including clergy, claim certain events to have happened does not make them true. He attempted to provide rational explanations for unexplained phenomena, rather than interpreting them as divine or demonic.

The discovery of this treatise demonstrates that the assessment of the Shroud as a fraud did not originate with Pierre d'Arcis, the Bishop of Troyes, as previously believed. The treatise represents the earliest written denunciation of the Shroud, supplanting d'Arcis' rejection made in 1389.

Professor Andrea Nicolotti comments that the new study provides further historical evidence that even in the Middle Ages, they knew that the Shroud was not authentic. Nicolotti also mentions that the technological and scientific evidence which points to the Shroud's inauthenticity remains unchanged.

One piece of this technology and scientific evidence is a recent study which used 3D modeling to prove that no human face could have made such an impression on a cloth at all. The study notes that such declarative denunciations of clerical fabrication are significant, as they were rarely documented in the form of concrete accusations against a clerical institution during this time.

Michael Natale, a News Editor for the Hearst Enthusiast Group, has produced content related to historical periods and has worked with organizations like the National Parks Service and the Secret Service. Natale's stories have involved traveling to historical sites and archaeological digs, from excavations of America's earliest colonies to the former homes of Edgar Allan Poe.

The study was a collaboration with Biography.com. It is a reminder that even in the midst of religious fervour, there were scholars like Oresme who sought to apply reason and rationality to the unexplained. The illegitimacy of the Shroud of Turin has been known for more than 600 years, and this new study adds to the body of evidence supporting its inauthenticity.

Sixteenth-century document unearthed, labeling the Shroud of Turin as a forgery, dated back 600 years.