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StoriesofOrigin
7
a"true”portrayoftheSavior’sface,whichhadbeensenttoAbgar,theKingof
Edessa.7TheearliestknownversionsofthestoryspeakofapaintercalledHannan
whowastohavepaintedaportraitofChrist,duringhisearthlylife,proclaiming
histeachings.Astimepassed,however,thefaithfulbegantoseethemandylion
notasaportrait,paintedbyanartist,butasanimprintofChrist’sfaceonmate-
rialmiraculouslypressedontheclothwhentheSaviorwashedhisfacewithit.
Finally,thestoryofthepaintedportraitwastransformedintothestoryofthe
shawl"impregnatedbythebloodysweatofJesusinthegardenofGethsemane.”8
SimilarrepresentationsofChrist’sfacehavebeenassociatedwiththelegendary
andapocryphalstoryofVeronica(hernamederivesfromtheLatinveraicon–
"trueimage”).
Theoverwhelmingdesiretofind"atrueimage”ofChristhasreturnedmany
timesinthehistoryofChristianity.Tothisveryday,thematterelicitslivelyreac-
tionsamongstthefaithful.Thisisborneoutbytheexceptionalpopularityand
emotionalreceptionoftheso-calledShroudofTurin.Theclothpreservedin
thecathedralinTurinis–accordingtolegends–thewinding-sheetinwhich
Christ’sbodywaswrappedforburial.TheimprintoftheimageofChristvisible
ontheclothwouldbe,therefore,aformofacheiropoietos.However,numerous
researchersandacademicshavetreatedthestoryoftheshroudwithskepticism.
Theyhaverepeatedlyemphasizedthattheoldestwrittenaccountsofthismysteri-
ousmaterialdatefromthefourteenthcentury.Additionally,thecurrentresearch
indicatesthattheshroud’soriginsareinthelateMiddleAges.9Despitethecon-
temporaryresearch,theshroud,inthepresentday,asinyearspast,continuesto
arouseimmenseemotionandadorationamongstthefaithful.10Thehistoryofthe
receptionoftheshroudisaperfectillustrationofthereverencethefaithfulhave
foranobjectthattheybelievecameintodirectcontactwithaveneratedperson.
7
SeeR.Cormack,PaintingtheSoul.Icons,DeathMasks,andShrouds(London,1997),
p.108.Kuryluk,VeronicaandHerCloth,pp.38–47andFreedberg,PowerofImages,pp.
207–209.
8
Kuryluk,VeronicaandHerCloth,p.7.
9
See,forexampleCormack,PaintingtheSoul,p.116.Cormackalsogivesasurveyofthe
discussionandacademicresearchconductedontheShroudofTurin.Theresultsoftheresearch,
usingradiocarbondating,allowedtheShroudofTurintobedatedbetweentheyears1260and
1390.ThequestionoftheoriginanddatingoftheShroudofTurinisnot,however,amatter
thathasbeentotallyresolved.In2004,newresearchwaspublishedabouttherearlayerofthe
shroud.Researchersdiscoveredimpressionsoffacialfeaturesonthislayeroftheshroud.See
W.Moskal,‘Twarzezcałunu’,GazetaWyborcza(15April2004).Seealso:G.Fanti,R.Mag-
giolo,‘ThedoublesuperficialityofthefrontalimageoftheTurinShroud’,JournalofOpticsA
6–6June(2004),pp.491–503.
10
Forinstance,inPoland,thePolishtranslationofthefamousbookabouttheShroudby
I.Wilsonbecamehugelypopular[seeI.Wilson,CałunTuryński,transl.A.Polkowski(War-
szawa,1985)].ThereisalsoacopyoftheShroudofTurin–actualsize–thattravelsaroundto
variousplacesofworship,whereitisdisplayedtothefaithful.In2003,thecopywaspresented
inKraków(inthechurchoftheFranciscanFathers)anditwasdisplayedandviewedbynume-
rousworshippers.
