Emanuela Marinelli | Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma (original) (raw)

Books by Emanuela Marinelli

Is the Shroud indeed the burial cloth of Jesus, or is it a medieval fake? Do the Gospels narrate ... more Is the Shroud indeed the burial cloth of Jesus, or is it a medieval fake? Do the Gospels narrate real events or are they mere legends? The answer to these questions is not secondary since it involves deeply our lives. Certainly, the Shroud is the most studied archaeological find in the world, and the Gospels constitute the only key to its interpretation. This link between Shroud and Gospels, therefore, suggested to the Authors to combine the latest scientific research on the Shroud to an investigation equally scientific and documented on the reliability of the Gospels. Summarizing in a single text the results of the natural sciences and the historical ones, in short form and a language accessible, so as to offer an essential synthesis for the modern man who does not want to remain illiterate about the deepest questions.

Il Vangelo narra che il corpo di Gesù, deposto dalla croce, fu composto in un lenzuolo - in greco... more Il Vangelo narra che il corpo di Gesù, deposto dalla croce, fu composto in un lenzuolo - in greco sindon – che fu poi trovato vuoto nel sepolcro. Che tracce ha lasciato di sé nei secoli questo prezioso telo? Gli autori di questo volume ripercorrono gli spostamenti del Sacro Lino, oggi conservato a Torino, da quando appare in Francia a metà del XIV secolo, fra guerre e rivendicazioni, occultamenti e venerazioni, fotografie e analisi scientifiche.
La datazione radiocarbonica, eseguita nel 1988, collocò l’origine della stoffa nel Trecento, ma quest’analisi non è stata esente da pesanti critiche. Altre datazioni successive, condotte con metodi diversi, hanno riportato l’origine della Sindone all’epoca di Cristo.
Dove è stata conservata per tutti quei secoli che precedono la sua comparsa in Europa? Gli autori sono risaliti fino al misterioso panno chiamato Mandylion, nascosto sin dai primi secoli a Edessa, una città nel sud-est dell’attuale Turchia, scoprendo inaspettate fonti islamiche che confermano la presenza in quella città del telo con l’impronta di Cristo, chiamato dagli arabi Mindîl; molti indizi permettono di dedurre che fosse in realtà la Sindone ripiegata.
Questo libro vuole essere dunque un viaggio avventuroso nelle ricerche storiche e scientifiche condotte sulla Sindone, per capire ciò che ormai è stato appurato e affacciarsi sulla soglia dei misteri ancora da svelare; un viaggio durante il quale le scoperte sorprendenti che vi attendono non vi deluderanno.

La Síndone ¿es verdaderamente la sábana fúnebre de Jesús, o más bien se trata de una falsificació... more La Síndone ¿es verdaderamente la sábana fúnebre de Jesús, o más bien se trata de una falsificación medieval? Los evangelios ¿narran hechos realmente sucedidos, o más bien son simples leyendas? La respuesta a estas preguntas no es de escasa importancia porque afecta profundamente a nuestra vida. Ciertamente la Síndone es el hallazgo arqueológico más estudiado del mundo y los evangelios constituyen su única llave interpretativa. Esta conexión entre Síndone y Evangelios ha sugerido por ello a los autores presentar los más recientes hallazgos científicos sobre la tela sindónica y la indagación no menos científica sobre la fiabilidad de los Evangelios, resumiendo en un único libro los resultados de las ciencias naturales y de las ciencias históricas de forma breve y con un lenguaje asequible, tratando de ofrecer una síntesis indispensable para el hombre moderno que no quiere permanecer analfabeto en torno a los interrogantes más profundis.
More Info: Coautore: Marco Fasol. Editore: Fede&Cultura, Verona 2015. Link: http://www.fedecultura.com/libro/luz-del-sepulcro/?accetta=ok

La Sindone è davvero il lenzuolo funebre di Gesù oppure si tratta di un falso medievale? I Vangel... more La Sindone è davvero il lenzuolo funebre di Gesù oppure si tratta di un falso medievale? I Vangeli narrano fatti realmente accaduti oppure sono semplici leggende? La risposta a queste domande non è secondaria, perché coinvolge profondamente la nostra vita. Di certo la Sindone è il reperto archeologico più studiato al mondo e i Vangeli ne costituiscono l'unica chiave interpretativa. Questo legame tra Sindone e Vangeli ha quindi suggerito agli Autori di affiancare le più recenti ricerche scientifiche sul telo sindonico a un’indagine altrettanto scientifica e documentata sull’attendibilità dei Vangeli, riassumendo in un unico testo i risultati delle scienze naturali e di quelle storiche, in forma breve e con un linguaggio accessibile, in modo da offrire una sintesi indispensabile per l’uomo moderno che non vuol restare analfabeta sugli interrogativi più profondi.

To synthesize the variety of the contrasting results coming from the researches done on the Turin... more To synthesize the variety of the contrasting results coming from the researches done on the Turin Shroud, a probabilistic model capable of consider mutually excluding events, is proposed. It is based on the definition of three possible alternatives (A=authentic, F=fake, N=not A or F) regarding the cloth origin. Each alternative is then evaluated from the assignment of the corresponding probability, with relative uncertainty, to each statement, relative to the results of the Shroud investigations. Each statement is composed by 7 coefficients: 3 relative to the corresponding alternative (A, F and N) probability, 3 relative to the corresponding uncertainty and one to evaluate the result importance. As an example, results obtained from a very simple probabilistic analysis that considers only 7 statements are compared with that published by other authors. Abbreviations: ST = Shroud of Turin; MST = Man of the Shroud of Turin. 1

Ed. Messaggero, Padova, Italy, 1999

Historian Andrea Nicolotti expects to make a clean sweep of all the «legends» that came out aroun... more Historian Andrea Nicolotti expects to make a clean sweep of all the «legends» that came out around the Sacred Linen of Turin: a thorough lie that is to be unmasked once and for all using the weapons of historic research. It is a pity that among those weapons there should not be some things that, on the contrary, Nicolotti uses very much: sarcasm and contempt towards who does not think in the same way he does (the reviled «Shroud scholars»), ignored sources and opposite sign research, rash incursions in distant fields, as the science ones. In short, the classical «thesis book», obviously flattered by the major newspapers, that a wellknown Shroud scholar read for «Storia in Rete»

Archaeometry, Vol. 61, Issue 5 , 2019

In 1988, three laboratories performed a radiocarbon analysis of the Turin Shroud. The results, wh... more In 1988, three laboratories performed a radiocarbon analysis of the Turin Shroud. The results, which were centralized by the British Museum and published in Nature in 1989, provided ‘conclusive evidence’ of the medieval origin of the artefact. However, the raw data were never released by the institutions. In 2017, in response to a legal request, all raw data kept by the British Museum were made accessible. A statistical analysis of the Nature article and the raw data strongly suggests that homogeneity is lacking in the data and that the procedure should be reconsidered.

La datacion por el carbono 14, que tuvo lugar en 1988, coloco el origen de la Sindone entre 1260 ... more La datacion por el carbono 14, que tuvo lugar en 1988, coloco el origen de la Sindone entre 1260 y 1390 d. de C. ; pero la reconstruccion de los acontecimientos que llevaron a este analisis, y las polemicas que siguieron su realizacion, echan fuertes sombras sobre la validez del resultado. Los procedimientos seguidos para la realizacion del examen con el carbono 14 no fueron todos regulares. La historia de los acontecimientos y de los traumas sufridos por la reliquia la convierten en un sujeto dificil, cuya datacion radiocarbonica no puede darnos datos seguros. La muestra analizada, por sus caracteristicas particulares, no representaba toda la sabana. En consecuencia, segun la datacion por radiocarbono, no se puede decir en absoluto que la fabricacion de la Sindone se remonta a la mitad del siglo XIV. The method of radiocarbon dating, performed in 1988, placed the origin of the Shroud between 1260 and 1390 A.D.; but the reconstruction of the events that led to that analysis, and the...

Three acheiropoietos images, venerated in Italy, have characteristics that are inspired by the Ho... more Three acheiropoietos images, venerated in Italy, have characteristics that are inspired by the Holy Shroud preserved in Turin, Italy: the Holy Face of Lucca, the Holy Face of Sansepolcro (Arezzo) and the Holy Saviour of Rome. Those ancient representations of Christ have big eyes, sharp and elongated nose, missing beard under the lower lip, that appears fleshy: just as it is observed on the face of the Holy Shroud. The two crucifixes have also hands with long fingers, again as it is observed on the Holy Shroud. The documented presence in Italy of those works of art since the 8 century (Holy Face of Lucca and Holy Saviour of Rome) and since the 9-10 centuries (Holy Face of Sansepolcro) confirm the existence of the Holy Shroud already in that time. Keyword: Acheiropoietos images, Holy Face, Holy Shroud

A probabilistic model, capable to consider mutually excluding events, is been applied to 100 stat... more A probabilistic model, capable to consider mutually excluding events, is been applied to 100 statements derived from the research done on the Turin Shroud. The 3 different alternatives are here defined as: A “the Shroud is authentic”; F “it is a medieval fake”; N “it is neither A nor F”. Each statement is characterized by 7 subjective coefficients, 3 regarding the probability of each alternative A, F or N, 3 the uncertainty of the probabilities and 1 to express the scientific importance of the statement. The 700 parameters have been elaborated by a “Mathcad 7” software to obtain the following result: the Turin Shroud is authentic with a probability of 100% and a corresponding uncertainty of 10. Making an analogy with the roulette game, it means that it is more probable to obtain in sequence the same number for 52 times than affirm that the Turin Shroud is not authentic. LIST OF SYMBOLS: Acronyms: TS: Turin Shroud; MTS: Man of the Turin Shroud Notes: 1 Bibliographic references: [1] I...

A response to the possible enveloping of the Man of the Turin Shroud results from the analysis of... more A response to the possible enveloping of the Man of the Turin Shroud results from the analysis of the three-dimensionality of the body image. The 3-D analysis is based on the correspondence between image luminance levels and body-sheet distance. The sum, point by point, of the body-sheet distance, measured on the basis of the luminance levels, with the corresponding position of the external surface of a man gives the Turin Shroud outline of the enveloping. The frontal and dorsal body images were trimmed of different noises such as traces of water, blood, fires, etc.; such images were then reconstructed for the lacking parts (arms) through a kinematic analysis associated with a computerized anthropometric analysis. On the basis of experimental data, some points were chosen in which the body-sheet distance is lifelike and the condition is set so that a defined measured distance must be associated to the corresponding levels of image luminance. From the analysis of the luminance levels...

SUMMARY This paper considers the characteristics of the “red stains” detected on the Turin Shroud... more SUMMARY This paper considers the characteristics of the “red stains” detected on the Turin Shroud that, from a bibliographic analysis, are bloodstains of two different types: the blood that came out when the man was still alive and the blood that came out after the death. Many peculiar characteristics of the bloodstains are highlighted, such as the fibrinolysis process, that must be taken into account for anyone who wants to reproduce the Shroud. There are finally listed all the operations necessary for an hypothetical artist to obtain a result comparable with that of the Shroud. It is then highlighted how it is difficult, even more for an hypothetical medieval forger, to "build" a copy of the Shroud only from a bloodstain point of view.

El botanico suizo Max Frei Sulzer trabajo, en los anos 70, sobre algunas muestras de polvo de la ... more El botanico suizo Max Frei Sulzer trabajo, en los anos 70, sobre algunas muestras de polvo de la Sindone de Turin y del Sudario de Oviedo, para investigar sobre el origen de los polenes presentes en las dos telas. Llego a la conclusion de que ambas las reliquias procederon de Oriente Medio y llegaron a Europa con caminos diferentes. Su trabajo, llevado a cabo sin presentar suficientes indicaciones metodologicas y interrumpido por su muerte antes de ser completado, ha sido algo criticado. Sin embargo, las conclusiones generales de las investigaciones de Frei siguen siendo validas. Esperamos, de todas formas, ulteriores investigaciones. In the 70s the Swiss botanist Max Frei Sulzer took some dust samples from the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo to investigate the origin of the pollen which was on the two fabrics. He concluded that both the relics came from the Middle East and arrived in Europe through different paths. His work, which was carried out without providing suffic...

About Art Online, 2020

Ancora un maldestro attacco alla Sindone. Uno storico dell'arte, Tomaso Montanari, ritiene la Sin... more Ancora un maldestro attacco alla Sindone. Uno storico dell'arte, Tomaso Montanari, ritiene la Sindone "un'opera d'arte sacra cristiana, sebbene di modesta qualità artistica". E' il ritorno di una teoria morta e sepolta quarant'anni fa. Le ricerche scientifiche hanno invece ampiamente dimostrato che la Sindone non è un dipinto.

SUMMARY A response to the possible enveloping of the Man of the Turin Shroud results from the ana... more SUMMARY A response to the possible enveloping of the Man of the Turin Shroud results from the analysis of the three-dimensionality of the body image. The 3-D analysis is based on the correspondence between image luminance levels and body-sheet distance. The sum, point by point, of the body-sheet distance, measured on the basis of the luminance levels, with the corresponding

shroud.com

° CISAS G. Colombo (Centro Interdipartimentale Studi ed Attività Spaziali), Dipartimento di Ingeg... more ° CISAS G. Colombo (Centro Interdipartimentale Studi ed Attività Spaziali), Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Università di Padova, Via Venezia 1, 35137 Padova - Italy tel. +39-049-8276804, fax +39-049-8276785, e-mail: <fanti@mail.dim.unipd.it>

The Mandylion or image of Edessa, first mentioned in the 6th century, was a depiction of Christ's... more The Mandylion or image of Edessa, first mentioned in the 6th century, was a depiction of Christ's face, described by some texts as a painting and by others as a miraculous imprint on a cloth. It is reasonable to believe that this mysterious cloth was the Shroud which is today kept in Turin, folded in such a way as to show only the face.
The protagonist of the events related to the Edessan image is Thaddeus-Addai, who is at times defined as “apostle” and at other times simply as disciple. The identification of Thaddeus-Addai with the apostle Judas Thaddeus or one of the 70 (or 72) disciples remains an issue which deserves further studies; however, considering the research already conducted, a possible relation between the numerous literary witnesses and the figure of Judas Thaddeus is not to be ruled out.

Il Mandylion o immagine di Edessa, menzionato la prima volta nel VI secolo, era una raffigurazion... more Il Mandylion o immagine di Edessa, menzionato la prima volta nel VI secolo, era una raffigurazione del volto di Cristo, descritta in alcuni testi come un dipinto e in altri come come un’impronta miracolosa su un panno. È ragionevole ritenere che questo telo misterioso era la Sindone che è oggi conservata a Torino, piegata in modo da mostrare solo il volto.
Il protagonista delle vicende dell'immagine edessena è Taddeo-Addai, talvolta definito “apostolo”, altre volte come semplice discepolo, L'identificazione di Taddeo-Addai con l’apostolo Giuda Taddeo o con uno dei 70 (o 72) discepoli rimane un problema aperto che merita ulteriori approfondimenti; tuttavia, considerando le ricerche effettuate, non è da escludere che il rapporto fra le numerose testimonianze letterarie e la figura di Giuda Taddeo sia possibile.

Nel buio dei secoli antichi, si accende qua e là per la Sindone qualche luce che illumina il suo ... more Nel buio dei secoli antichi, si accende qua e là per la Sindone qualche luce che illumina il suo travagliato percorso. Compito dello storico è cercare queste fiaccole e ricostruire, attraverso di esse, un percorso verosimile. Questo ci si aspetterebbe da Andrea Nicolotti, professore associato del Dipartimento di Studi Storici dell’Università degli Studi di Torino, che ha pubblicato un corposo volume (502 pagine) intitolato The Shroud of Turin – The History and Legends of the World’s Most Famous Relic (Baylor University Press 2019). L’opera è la versione inglese, ampliata e aggiornata, di Sindone – Storia e leggende di una reliquia controversa (Einaudi 2015, pp. 370).
Il volume si presenta con un apparato notevole. Tutto fa pensare a un’opera di ampio respiro, completa, documentata e oggettiva. Chi ha già letto altri libri di Nicolotti conosce, però, la sua attitudine demolitrice: la sua interpretazione delle fonti è sempre contraria all’autenticità della Sindone ed è continuamente ripetuta la negazione di qualsiasi possibilità che la reliquia sia il lenzuolo funebre di Cristo. Egli si affanna a spegnere qualsiasi luce, affinché il buio sia totale. Nicolotti opera una sistematica esaltazione degli studiosi che ritengono falsa la Sindone, persone da lui presentate come affidabili, e una altrettanto sistematica denigrazione di chi la ritiene autentica, bollato come sindonologo che fa pseudoscienza. In realtà le sue critiche alle affermazioni esagerate sono giuste, ma lui respinge costantemente tutte le affermazioni favorevoli all’autenticità della Sindone e questo non è condivisibile.
Ci sono abbastanza ombre per chi non vuole ammettere che la Sindone provenga dal sepolcro di Gesù, è vero, ma c’è abbastanza luce per sostenere che abbia avvolto il suo corpo. La storia da sola non permette di far prevalere la luce, ma non stiamo discutendo di un oggetto non più esistente: il telo c’è ancora e le indagini scientifiche condotte su di esso propendono per la sua autenticità. Solo la celebre analisi radiocarbonica del 1988 sembrava andare in direzione opposta, ma la validità di quel test – come è ormai noto - è stata ampiamente smentita.
Una versione ridotta di questo articolo è apparsa in inglese sul n. 94 - Winter 2021 - della Newsletter della British Society for the Turin Shroud: https://www.shroud.com/bstsmain.htm

In the darkness of the ancient centuries, some lights come on here and there to illuminate Turin ... more In the darkness of the ancient centuries, some lights come on here and there to illuminate Turin Shroud’s troubled path. The historian’s task is to look for these torches and to reconstruct, through them, a likely path. This would be expected from Andrea Nicolotti, associate professor of the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin, who has published a substantial volume (502 pages) entitled The Shroud of Turin - The History and Legends of the World’s Most Famous Relic (Baylor University Press 2019). The work is the English version, expanded and updated, of Shroud - History and legends of a controversial relic (Einaudi 2015, pp. 370).
The volume presents itself with a remarkable apparatus. Everything suggests a wide-ranging, complete, documented and objective work. Anyone who has already read other books by Nicolotti knows, however, his destructive attitude: his interpretation of the sources is always contrary to the authenticity of the Shroud and the denial of any possibility that the relic is the funeral sheet of Christ is continually repeated. He is anxious to turn off any light, so that the darkness could be total. Nicolotti operates a systematic exaltation of the scholars who believe the Shroud to be false, people he presents as reliable, and an equally systematic denigration of those who consider it authentic, branded as sindonologists who make pseudoscience. In reality, his criticism of exaggerated claims is right, but he constantly rejects all statements in favor of the authenticity of the Shroud and this is not acceptable.
There are enough shadows for those who do not want to admit that the Shroud comes from the tomb of Jesus, it is true, but there is enough light to claim that it wrapped his body. History alone does not allow light to prevail, but we are not discussing an object that no longer exists: the cloth is still there and the scientific investigations conducted on it tend to its authenticity. Only the famous radiocarbon analysis of 1988 seemed to go in the opposite direction, but the validity of that test - as is now known - has been widely denied.
An abridged version of this article appeared in English in the issue no. 94 - Winter 2021 - of the Newsletter of the British Society for the Turin Shroud: https://www.shroud.com/bstsmain.htm