courtesy: Barry Schwortz

TURIN SHROUD:            a conspiracy of violence /            evidence of military burial

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These stocky war-horses of Rome wore the heavy armor of the day, the next best thing to war elephants;  In both cases, nearly bulletproof.  There are at least two complete examples of these armored coverings for the Empire's mounts.  One is of bronze coinage which has been holed and squared into a net-like grid, the other type of elongated "D" shaped, fish-scale-like.

 Indeed, perhaps as a standard, a symbol of the power of Empire, Jesus was placed under a "parade-armor" of an important officer; a horse-armor kept tarnish-free, and of favorite coin types imaged with Caesar, women, heroes, cockatrice, whatever, or more probably, something more like a dirty horse blanket, dark with tarnish,

 Because of the time and cost of production in these "modern" times, European and American film makers have been quite slow to use these scale or even mail-type armors in their films.  Just the reverse was the case in the time of the Crucifixion, and even much later.  Solid cast or sheet armor plates were the exception rather than the rule.  The large coppers of Rome were everywhere at hand, and easily heated and punched so as to be sown onto a backing.

 I had written to dozens of researchers back in the early 1980's on the subject, even to consider the involvement of the Roman tomb-guard, in the final covering of Christ, before the door-stone was rolled in place.  Perhaps the idea of Jesus being smothered out like a flame under a great weight of images of Roman Empire, was and is too much.  The negative idea - the idea of turning the resurrection into a dead end, a darkened star.  Yet, realistic thinking brings me back to the reality - how many, if any, Shroud researchers are really up on the vagaries of lst century armor.  Am I looking toward an implausible chain of events? ; Hardly!  There was a military chain of command in Jerusalem during those very days and nights, and it is clearly stated that there was a great fear of what would happen to any of the guilty, a quaking of the earth, the darkened sun, the cracked temple, torn veil.  In fact, the Jordan River Valley is a rift in the planet, called a subduction zone. Thus, this is why the Dead Sea is so deep below the "sea-level," and so dead.  In places, Israel and Jordan are being pulled down, and in time will be swallowed up, the reverse ,as to the action taking place in, say, Iceland.

 So what was formed that day might well be called the first camera and photo image; in part, it would seem ,constructed by Christ's own tormenters, the Roman military.  Here, then, were the exact conditions needed to form the Turin Shroud image as known today, the image of a well known holy man.

 If pressed in a book, flowers and their auras will transfer to the leaves of paper.  In the case of Jesus, his aura may have been made stronger by his great pain (whipping, pierced feet).

 I am claiming that there is a sort of (two-in-one) imagery contained upon the fibers of said Shroud, projected aura via skin and its pores (see texts on krilian photography).

 Via this energy, there are reflected the covering atop the body (enwrapping it) with the fabric, sandwiched between, as in a fun-house mirror, both the body and the mirror are noticed.  Armors, weapons, flowers (aloes) phylacteries, nails, whatever, all if in contact with the body, would image as a mix with the wounded body image.

 As I said, "This" (coin imagery) is one way of pointing to the age of the Shroud image; coinage is imaged with both time and place. By design, many of these coin-images seem to have two messages (images) on the reverse, an eagle atop a globe and S.C. for senate consulted (consortium).

 On the front, the face of what might be called one of the "anti" Christs - Caesar Augustus/Divus Augustus, the divine and august one, defeater of Egypt, "The God," Octavian, the adopted son of Caesar (coin struck in memoriam - died 14 A.D.).

 If you would like a copy of the 1977 USA report on the Holy Shroud, you can try to contact the Holy Shroud Guild.  Magazines of the period may also have photos of the 3-D images (model) clearly showing the scale-like nature thereof, as some have called it, the first photo, and others,   Christ's own Gospel. Perhaps the revelation of Jesus being smothered in the tomb (his last spark extinguished) is a hard sell.  Then again, perhaps he survived even this last attack and walked free.  "Why seek ye the living among the dead?  For He is not here."

 In closing, the "Holy Shroud" suggests what historically did happen; the Empire of Rome was filled (like an empty shell) by the upstart sect, the "Christians"; by their vigor and moralism; by a Jewish sect turned international.

 The Roman military won the wars, put down the rebels, built the bridges and highways, controlled highway robbery, opened the way, made "smooth" as seen by Isaiah, linked together the Mediterranean and beyond: from Scotland to Persia.  Then a few 100 years later, in comes the enemy, leaving the "faithful" to pick up the pieces, to fill the void of government and education.  Within 500 years or so, the "church" was left standing, a shadow of the original "Evil Empire," and called the body of Christ;and....inheriting the EARTH...,ie,empire.
 As I said, the Shroud imagery points to all of this, for indeed, the spread of nonviolence and of the faith required the empty shell of "Empire" to spread like a living thing, to invect with its doctrine, the germ of an idea to do no harm, or even to heal.  This I S, the great dualism evidenced by the said 3-D imagery of Yeshua, the Christ, the Beaten Jesus vs. the Men Under Orders (Government) of Rome/Caesar.  The projected body image of himself - encased in a veritable shell of Empire (Roman armor/armor of men rather than that of God)and , reflecting back upon himself and his shroud, the final outburst of his dying cells, the glory of his quickening and revival (or transmutation).

 All this, enabling the end product, the Shroud of Turin, which has surely far outlasted Christ's own flesh, witnessing God's great plan - to become just another idol to deceive?
or, more to the point, like a pressed flower leaving its glory on two pages of flax ("I am
the Rose of Sharon").

 These conflicting forces -- together for some few hours in the tomb of Joseph, the smothering weight of bronze armor, etc., atop the "Son of God," being used to form the faint yet clear "5th Gospel" of his own testimony made without words, or text, as the City of God is said to be, made without hands.

 Perhaps the image of a nude male, covering his genitals (mostly) with his crossed hands, dripping blood, is a bit too powerful for some to be of much interest.

 Islam sees Jesus as a holy man, yet will not abide idols (human figures) to be worshipped, the Catholic Church is all for images of saints and Christ, as a way of leading souls to salvation.

 Wars have been fought over much less.  The Templars and the Cathars knew of this all too well though conflict and movements such as the Holy Inquisition, which were in part, motivated by the other, - the  armor covering - LUCRE:  "the root of all evil."

 "For no man can serve two masters, for he will either cling to the one and..."

 I can send out hundreds of pages of photos and text at cost, if you might be interested.  I do feel God wants Christ's Gospel understood, and His Son, understood for what he was, while on this earth.  This is a work in progress.   thank you.
 

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