Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are available here. The first 56 volumes are compiled in the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining our study. Today we have a special treat: Professor Cheryl White, Ph.D., a highly regarded author and expert on the Shroud of Turin, returns for a second Townhall Bible study interview.
Our first interview was on February 15 and focused on Cheryl’s book, "The Shroud of Turin in the Third Millennium?: Confronting the Limits of Human Knowledge." The book explores the Shroud of Turin’s philosophical aspects and was a popular Bible Study here at Townhall.
Now, Cheryl, along with her colleagues Fr. Peter B. Mangum and Fr. Kelby Tingle, has created a very different book (booklet) titled “Material Witness: The Mysterious Clues of the Shroud of Turin.” It resembles a “comic book,” but in literary circles is called a “graphic novel.” You can download Material Witness for free and enjoy learning about the Shroud’s mysteries in a fun, fast, easy-to-read format.
My Shroud exhibit team was impressed with Material Witness. Therefore, after January 11, the booklet’s pages will be displayed on 15 large wall panels at the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit in Orlando, Florida, hosted by Mary, Queen of the Universe Basilica, minutes from Disney World. The Shroud exhibit has been so popular that it has been extended into 2027. Read more in my bio below. Speaking of bios, here is Cheryl’s:
Cheryl White, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of history at Louisiana State University at Shreveport. She is a board member of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association and author of the book "The Shroud of Turin in the Third Millennium?: Confronting the Limits of Human Knowledge."
Dr. White is a frequent lecturer on topics related to the Shroud, including for the Museum of the Bible and the Smithsonian Institution. She regularly contributes to programming on the History Channel and EWTN (a Catholic cable channel).
So, without further ado, let’s again welcome Dr. Cheryl White to Townhall.
Myra Kahn Adams: Why did you write and produce what looks like a Shroud of Turin comic book? How has it been received?
Cheryl White: The literary form of the “graphic novel” is an innovative way to reach audiences of all ages (especially young people) with a different way of presenting the material. We wanted it to be available free of charge on our website for download, although hard copies are also available at a minimum cost. So far, it has been well received; focus groups around the world have responded positively to its content and visual appeal. The use of AI to generate some of the imagery constitutes an ethical use of the technology to augment our own original narrative and actual images of the Shroud.
MKA: Why has the Shroud of Turin become so popular over the last five years with both secular and religious people?
CW: Who doesn’t love a great mystery? The Shroud has been in the mainstream news media more in the past five years than in the decades before, especially as new challenges to the 1988 radiocarbon dating began to be published. With the very real possibility that we may indeed be dealing with a first-century cloth, new headlines appeared that re-ignited the public imagination! The Shroud is therefore reaching a whole new generation of people, levels we really have not seen in nearly forty years.
MKA: What is driving interest in the Shroud, especially among non-Catholics and evangelicals?
CW: No longer seen as “just another Catholic relic,” the Shroud has broader universal appeal popularized through mainstream media and the greater awareness that has resulted. The complexity of the image and all the unique forensic characteristics generate broad interest… obviously, the man represented in the linen can only be one person in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, the cloth draws people not only to a forensic and artistic mystery, but to an encounter with a specific person.
MKA: How is A.I. impacting the Shroud’s mysteries?
CW: This is a fascinating and intriguing opportunity. Currently, I am not aware of any contributions that A.I. is making beyond the scientific knowledge we already possess. However, I think A.I.'s promise might lie in pointing us to new questions we didn’t know we had!
MKA: After Jesus’s resurrection, why is His burial Shroud never mentioned again in the Bible after Peter and John “saw and believed” upon seeing the burial cloth lying in the tomb? (John 20:1-9).
CW: I think this is culturally and philosophically explainable in the aniconic culture of first-century Judaism (images were not allowed) and the early Church teaching that proclaimed the empty tomb as the Resurrection. There was no need for a physical object to proclaim a metaphysical truth. Indeed, I believe this remains at the heart of the Church position even to this day. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not reducible to a physical object — and to over-emphasize it (such as to proclaim its authenticity) diverts contemplation to something physical rather than the greater supernatural reality.
MKA: Following up on your answer, are you saying that the Shroud of Turin DOES NOT provide proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, as many Shroud advocates believe it does?
CW: I find it exceedingly challenging to use the phrase "proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ," since we are essentially speaking of scientific and forensic "proofs" as if they apply somehow to a supernatural event. Scientific proof does not extend into the supernatural reality; science is an excellent measure of physical phenomena only. To leave this as an open question is not only intellectually honest, but provides an environment of inquiry and seeking that invites rather than excludes.
MKA: Last month, you met Pope Leo. Please describe your experience.
CW: Meeting the Holy Father was a great personal honor and privilege. One cannot help but be moved by the genuine warmth of his presence.
MKA: Cheryl, on behalf of Townhall readers, thank you for participating in this interview.
Next week, we will return to our “regular programming.” In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from my divine “Assignment Editor.” At this writing (and nearly every week at this time), I have no idea what topic we will study next, but He knows, and I trust Him. Amen to that!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible" reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2" reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. You can help support our popular exhibit at the Basilica in Orlando, Florida. Now extended into 2027! Read more here. Contact: Myraadams01@gmail.com.
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