Source: “Custodians of Truth : The Continuance of Rex Deus”, by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2005.
Reauthentication of Famous Fake.wav
Thispodcast delves into the controversies surrounding the Shroud of Turin, beginning with the shocking results of the 1988 radiocarbon dating tests that suggested it was a medieval forgery. It explores various conspiracy theories proposed to explain away the dating results, including accusations of sample tampering and plots against Christianity. Crucially, the source then presents evidence suggesting the carbon dating was invalidated by a newly discovered bioplastic coating on the shroud's fibers, and details earlier forensic and scientific examinations pointing to the shroud's authenticity as an ancient artifact consistent with Jewish burial practices in the 1st century. Beyond the shroud, the text connects these findings to a larger hidden tradition, the Rex Deus families, their potential link to the Knights Templar, and their use of the Renaissance, particularly the art of Leonardo da Vinci, to subtly disseminate heretical ideas challenging central tenets of the Catholic Church, such as the concept of Jesus's death for salvation and the idea of "Holy Twins”.
Topic 1 One of the central discussions in the sources revolves around the Shroud of Turin, particularly the radiocarbon dating tests conducted in 1988. This relic, which had been held by the Italian royal family for centuries, was bequeathed to the Catholic Church upon ex-King Umberto's death in 1983. Due to long-standing controversy about its age, samples were subjected to radiocarbon dating by three laboratories: the University of Arizona, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the Oxford Research Laboratory. The process was supervised and samples were taken under observation and videotaped. The results, announced in October 1988 by Cardinal Ballestrero in Turin and confirmed by Dr. Tite in England, indicated a 99.9 percent certainty that the shroud was made between 1000 and 1500 C.E., and a 95 percent certainty it dated from between 1260 and 1390. This finding, suggesting a medieval manufacture, caused significant shock and outrage, particularly within the Christian world, as it implied the widely venerated relic was a fake. The Vatican's scientific advisor initially stated the Church was not bound by the results as the tests were not commissioned by them. Following the announcement, various conspiracy theories emerged, suggesting the tests were rigged or the samples were switched to undermine Christianity or the Church.
Topic 2 A significant challenge to the validity of the 1988 carbon dating results is presented through the discovery of a phenomenon called "bioplastic coating." Carbon dating relies on testing materials that haven't exchanged carbon with the atmosphere over time, and contamination can massively distort results. While precautions were taken in 1988, a type of contamination previously unknown in this context affected the shroud samples. An American microbiologist, Dr. Leoncio A. Garza-Valdes, discovered this bioplastic coating, a layer formed by bacteria and fungi, initially on ancient carvings and Egyptian linen mummy wrappings. He found that these organisms completely envelop the individual threads of old textiles. In the case of the shroud, this coating proved resistant to the cleansing methods used by the dating laboratories. The extent of this contamination was such that the material being tested was less than 40 percent original shroud material and more than 60 percent living organism. Furthermore, the cleansing agents used may have also dissolved parts of the linen cellulose, further skewing results. This gross distortion rendered the 1988 test results highly inaccurate and, according to the sources, irrevocably invalidates them, reopening the question of the shroud's true age and origin. Dr. Garza-Valdes observed this coating on a thread from an original 1988 sample and noted that the living organisms were still absorbing carbon, suggesting a retest with the same methods would yield an even later date due to bacterial multiplication.
Topic 3 Prior to the controversial carbon dating, numerous forensic and scientific examinations of the Shroud of Turin had yielded evidence suggesting its antiquity and connection to a crucifixion in the Middle East. As early as 1902, Professor Yves Delage noted the remarkable anatomical accuracy of the wounds depicted on the image, arguing they were too precise to be the work of an artist and pointing out the difficulty of creating such a negative image. In the 1930s, Dr. Pierre Barbet conducted experiments on cadavers, confirming the anatomical consistency of the nail wounds in the wrists and feet with those of a crucified man, noting details like the contraction of the thumb (not visible on the image) due to median nerve damage. Radiologists and forensic experts like Professor Hermann Moedder and Dr. Judica-Cordiglia supported these findings. Analysis of the cloth weave revealed a three-to-one herringbone twill pattern common in Jesus' time, with traces of gossypium herbaceum cotton, native to the eastern Mediterranean, suggesting the fabric was woven in the Middle East on a loom also used for cotton. Pollen analysis identified six varieties native to Palestine, including desert plants found around the Dead Sea, which Dr. Max Frei believed indicated exposure in that region, arguing a medieval European forgery could not contain such specific pollens. Dust samples near the feet imprint matched travertine aragonite limestone, a relatively rare form common in tombs near Jerusalem. Ethnological examination of a 3D model of the face suggested a physical type found among Sephardic Jews and noble Arabs. The wound marks from flogging, bruising consistent with carrying a crossbeam, and knee wounds from falls were deemed physiologically accurate. The detailed and profuse blood flows, consistent with crucifixion, indicated bleeding continued after wrapping and originated from wounds inflicted in a specific position. This cumulative scientific and forensic evidence, gathered before the 1988 dating, led some, like Bishop John Robinson, to believe the burden of proof had shifted to those who doubted the shroud's authenticity.
Topic 4 The historical journey and provenance of the Shroud of Turin are traced through documented accounts. The earliest potential reference comes from 1203, when a French crusader, Robert de Clari, described seeing a relic in Constantinople that stood up straight every Friday showing the figure of Our Lord. The identity of this "sidoine" was lost after the city was taken, but some historians link it to the Mandylion, an image of Jesus' face on a cloth. There are traditions linking the Mandylion and the shroud, including the idea that neither was made by human hands and that the Mandylion's known history matches the shroud's earlier missing history. The first provable public exhibition of the Shroud of Turin occurred in the mid-14th century at a church in Lirey, France, in the diocese of Troyes, an area associated with Templar influence. Bishop Henry of Troyes was skeptical from the beginning, noting that the Gospels didn't mention such an imprint and questioning why it would have remained hidden until then. The shroud's owners, the de Charney family, had connections to the Templars, specifically Geoffroi de Charney who was martyred with Jacques de Molay. The de Charney family and their connections to families like Brienne and Savoy were involved in the sack of Constantinople, potentially linking the Lirey shroud to the relic described by Robert de Clari. The shroud passed into the possession of the House of Savoy in 1453, gifted by the childless Marguerite de Charney in return for favors. The Church began referring to it as the burial shroud of Jesus in the 15th century, gaining papal recognition from Pope Sixtus IV and even its own feast day. The shroud suffered fire damage twice in the 16th century and was repaired with patches from an altar cloth and backed with Holland cloth. In 1578, it was moved to Turin, where it has remained since, housed in a magnificent cathedral dedicated to St. John the Baptist and exhibited to the public only on selected occasions.
Topic 5 The sources highlight how the details depicted on the Shroud of Turin seem to contradict established 1st-century Jewish burial practices in the Holy Land, yet align with specific accounts in the Gospel of John. Traditional Jewish custom demanded that a body be laid out full-length and washed before burial. The image on the shroud, however, shows a body that was not washed, which goes against this custom. Furthermore, the sources mention the use of a large quantity of expensive ointment, specifically a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing more than half a hundredweight, which is described in the Gospel of John (John 19:38-41). Such expensive healing ointments, it is argued, would not typically be "wasted" on a mere corpse according to custom. The sources also note that Jewish custom typically dictated that women, not men, handle corpses, and had the men who handled the body touched it, they would have required ritual purification before the Passover feast. The sources suggest that these deviations from typical burial practices and the extensive use of expensive ointments indicate an intention to facilitate recovery from trauma, rather than prepare a body for permanent burial, potentially supporting the theory that Jesus survived his ordeal on the cross.
Topic 6 A significant undercurrent in the sources is the theory that Jesus survived the crucifixion, rather than dying on the cross, and how the Shroud of Turin and related groups preserve this "heretical" message, challenging the central belief of the Christian Church. The source contends that death by crucifixion often results from fluid pressure on the lungs leading to asphyxiation. The spear thrust into Jesus' side, while interpreted in the Gospel account as proof of death, is reinterpreted here as potentially relieving this pressure by draining fluid from the pleural sac, thereby saving his life. This aligns with persistent stories circulating for over 2,000 years that Jesus survived Golgotha, with one early Church father, Iraneus, Bishop of Lyon, reportedly attesting that Jesus lived to a great age and traveled East. Further support is drawn from "The Lost Gospel According to St. Peter," which is said to record Jesus being seen leaving the tomb supported by two Essenes, and a Station of the Cross at a church in Rennes-le-Chateau depicting Jesus leaving the tomb by moonlight. The sources explicitly state that Rex Deus teaching, these survival traditions, and the message preserved in the shroud's image all point to the central Christian belief—that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for sins—being untrue. The source attributes the origin of this doctrine to St. Paul, whom it describes critically as the founder of the Christian Church through promulgating the idea that "He died for us." The "truth," according to the sources, is that Jesus came to reveal, not to redeem.
Topic 7 The sources discuss the role of certain hidden groups, particularly the Rex Deus families, the Knights Templar, and the Cathars, and their potential connection to the Shroud of Turin and the preservation of alternative or "heretical" beliefs. The first provable exhibition of the shroud in the mid-14th century occurred in an area with Templar influence, and its owners, the de Charney family, were linked to Geoffroi de Charney, a Templar martyred with Jacques de Molay. The Rex Deus families, a group traced through genealogy to involvement in events like the sack of Constantinople (which may link the shroud to Robert de Clari's description), are suggested to have preserved the shroud specifically because of the heretical message they believed it contained – that Jesus came to reveal, not to redeem. The Cathars, a religious dissident group, and later persecuted Templars sought refuge in areas ruled by Rex Deus nobility, such as Scotland and Lombardy, regions known for tolerance. These areas became centers for promoting Rex Deus beliefs. Rex Deus families are also linked to key figures in the Renaissance in Italy, such as the Sforza and Medici families, who were patrons of art potentially encoding these hidden traditions. The sources suggest that groups like the Templars used symbolic forms of teaching, like the tarot, as a way to transmit their spiritual message, a tradition carried on by groups like Freemasonry.
Topic 8 The Renaissance in northern Italy, particularly in Lombardy and Florence, is presented as a period influenced by certain powerful ruling families and characterized by intellectual flowering and tolerance. Northern Italy at the time was composed of numerous city-states ruled by despots like the Visconti and later Sforza in Milan, and the Medici in Florence. While their rule could be marked by cruelty, these rulers often tolerated those fleeing oppression and fostered environments where the human spirit could express itself freely, leading to the Renaissance. The Visconti, originating as knights, became the richest family in Europe and intermarried with European royalty. Archbishop Giovanni Visconti expanded their domain significantly. Following the Visconti, the Sforza family took control of Milan, with Francesco Sforza consolidating power. In Florence, the Medici, led by Cosimo de' Medici, built power through banking and political manipulation, forming alliances with families like the Sforzas. The Medici, like their predecessors, were notably tolerant of persecuted communities, including Jewish settlers fleeing persecution elsewhere in Europe. This tolerance and the rulers' patronage were crucial for the flourishing of art, philosophy, and science during this era.
Topic 9 Leonardo da Vinci is highlighted as a pivotal figure of the Renaissance, patronized by powerful families like the Sforza in Milan, whose art is interpreted as potentially containing subtle, heretical symbolism. Leonardo, known for his visionary genius across various fields, worked for Duke Ludovico Sforza in Milan. His paintings, while often outwardly appearing as Catholic devotional art, are suggested to contain coded symbols revealing invisible truths or even subtle heresies. Despite a reputation for having a "heretical turn of mind," his patrons' power protected him from the Inquisition. Two specific paintings, "The Last Supper" and "The Virgin of the Rocks" (in two versions), are analyzed for their hidden meanings. In "The Last Supper," beyond depicting the argument over future leadership, details are interpreted heretically, such as Peter's hand holding a knife pointed at James the Righteous, and the figure identified by some as John being possibly Mary Magdalene or a representation of the spiritually enlightened hermaphrodite. The placement of bread and wine is noted as formalized, lacking a prominent chalice. The close resemblance between Jesus and James the Great is seen as a reference to the "Holy Twins" or two Jesuses heresy. In "The Virgin of the Rocks," the confusion over the identity of the two children – with the child receiving the blessing potentially being Jesus and the one with the Virgin's arm around him being John the Baptist – is interpreted as a deliberate, heretical depiction of the two Jesuses concept, likely instructed by the patrons or priests who commissioned the work, despite later attempts to clarify identities with halos and a cross.
Topic 10 The sources present the tarot cards as a potential vehicle for transmitting heretical beliefs, particularly those associated with the "alternative Christian Church" or "Church of the Holy Grail," which challenged Catholic dogma. Margaret Starbird, a Catholic theologian mentioned in the source, studied the hidden meaning of the tarot trumps, interpreting them using scriptural references and linking them to the medieval heresy of the blood royal (sang real), referring to surviving descendants of a lineage associated with the Holy Grail. The origins of the tarot are debated, but some theories suggest they came to the West via Crusaders and were influenced by groups like the Cathars, Gypsies, Templars, and Kabbala, with Malcolm Godwin suggesting Templars might have learned their use from Saracens. The sources suggest the overt Grail references and gnostic content of the tarot were reasons for the Church's hostile view of the cards, branding them as dangerous and the "devil's breviary." Starbird's analysis of early packs from Provence and northern Italy, noting their fashionable costumes and symbols, links them to the "Church of Amor" and the Holy Grail heresy, particularly the cup symbol on early Visconti-Sforza decks resembling the Holy Grail. These decks were produced in regions ruled by families connected by blood and marriage to the sang real, reinforcing the idea that these cards served as a system of visual teaching or a "catechism" for suppressed beliefs, a method seen as aligning with Templar tradition. The cards are seen as teaching a different form of spirituality, including concepts like reincarnation and spiritual rebirth, and specific trump cards are interpreted symbolically in relation to the Grail quest figures and alternative traditions.