Who Can He Be?

There is evidence of a swelling on the right cheek, just below the eye and indications of other blows to the face, to the nose and above the eyes.

There are bloodstains all around the head showing that sharp objects, such as thorns, had pierced the scalp in several places. The position of these bloodstains suggests that the crown of thorns was not a circlet as often depicted, but a cap which circled the head and covered the crown. It seems quite likely that the Roman soldiers, who were intent on mocking Jesus as ‘King of the Jews’, would have loosely plaited a cap-shaped crown of thorns from a clump of thorny branches, rather than taking the trouble to replicate the traditional shape of a crown.

Traces of pollen from a species of thorny thistle called Gundelia Tournefortii have been found around in the head area of the Shroud. This finding provides further endorsement of the gospel accounts.

Although the scourge marks are quite clear and distinct, the marks around the shoulders and shoulder blades appear to be smudged. After examining the Shroud, forensic pathologist Robert Bucklin noted that these appeared to be abrasions of the skin surfaces. These abrasions were consistent with a heavy object, such as a beam, being carried on the shoulders and rubbing against the skin. We do not know whether the Man of the Shroud was forced to carry a full cross or just the cross beam.

There are bloodstains on the arms of the Man of the Shroud which emanate from nail-sized wounds in the wrist. The pattern of the blood flow from the wounds and down the arms conforms with the angle of outstretched arms in crucifixion. Although artists down the centuries have consistently depicted the nail wounds as being in the palms of the hands rather than the wrists, a French surgeon named Pierre Barbet has demonstrated that nails in this position would tear through the fingers under the weight of the body. He also suggested that a nail through the wrist would damage the median nerve, causing the thumb to retract. This explains why the thumbs cannot be seen on the Shroud.

There is a flow of blood from the heel area of the Man of the Shroud and a pool of blood around the ball of the foot. It is possible that two nails could have been used to hold the feet but a recent discovery of the skeleton of a crucifixion victim revealed that a nail had been driven through the area near the heel and ankle. This nail position would be capable of supporting the weight of a man and could have produced the blood stains seen around the foot area of the Shroud.

Breaking the legs of a crucified person was a way to ensure that they died quickly. With legs broken, the victim cannot push themselves up to breathe, causing death by suffocation. The image of the Man of the Shroud shows that his legs were unbroken.

There is a large wound on the right which appears to penetrate the body between the fifth and sixth ribs. The shape of this wound matches the leaf shaped blade of the Roman Lancea and the stains around the wound appear to be a mixture of blood and a clear, plasma-like fluid. Some physicians have suggested that the clear fluid would have emanated from the pericardium, which is membrane surrounding the heart which would have been pierced by the spear. Others believe it to be a plural effusion caused by trauma to the chest from the severe flogging. Both camps do however agree that it is entirely plausible that blood and water would have flowed from the spear wound.