Jesus' final hours revealed: Sensational new bloodstains study of Shroud of Turin shows horrific truth of his torture

A new forensic study may have finally solved one of Christianity's oldest mysteries.

Using advanced forensic analysis, a researcher has recreated the 'true' look of Jesus' Crown of Thorns based on blood patterns found on the Shroud of Turin, the cloth believed to have wrapped his body following the crucifixion.

The Bible describes Roman soldiers twisting a crown of thorns and placing it on Jesus' head as an act of mockery just hours before his death.

Scholars and scientists have debated the true shape of Jesus' Crown of Thorns for centuries, with discussions dating back to the Middle Ages. 

Some believe it was a simple circlet or wreath of thorny branches placed around the top of his head, while others argue it was a full cap or helmet of thorns that covered the entire scalp. 

Biological systems analyst Otangelo Grasso may have finally settled the debate, finding the crown was a ring-like wreath that concentrated wounds around the hairline, temples and back of the head. 

He analyzed the distribution of bloodstains on the Shroud, the geometric gaps in the cloth and the engineering complexity of each possible crown structure. 

'The Shroud's head imagery shows concentrated bloodstains at the brow/temples and nape, with no vertex transfer across the non-contact bridge,' the study explains. 'This absence of blood at the very top of the head, they note, is a key clue that rules out a helmet-style crown.' 

The 14-foot-long Shroud of Turin is touted as a wrapping used for Jesus' body after the crucifixion, which shows a faint, bloodstained pattern of a man with his arms folded in front 

Researchers who support a cap-like helmet theory point to over 50 puncture wounds across the scalp, forehead and nape, arguing that a simple headband could not produce such an extensive injury pattern. 

They have claimed this is consistent with a helmet or cap of thorns pressed brutally onto Jesus's entire head.

However, Grasso, in his study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, challenged this view. 

He noted that forensic studies of the Shroud show scalp blood could be reactivated after death through hair wicking and handling, allowing it to transfer across the head and face during burial. 

'Some droplets should still appear on the bridge unless the vertex wounds dried unusually fast or were fully contained by hair,' Grasso explained. 

'The circlet explains the same observations with fewer auxiliary assumptions.'

In experimental reconstructions, a circlet with inward-pointing thorns produced rich perimeter staining, tangential entrance-exit-re-entry puncture triads from single thorns, and limited supra-band punctures three to five centimeters above the hoop plane from broken thorn fragments during forced seating. 

By contrast, the helmet model would require a complex lattice construction with multiple layers and interwoven branches. 

'Documented cap builds required more than two hours and complex interlacing,' the paper notes, while a circlet 'can be fabricated with one structural join and inherent hoop stability.' 

The simplicity of the circlet, combined with forensic and geometric data, makes it the more likely option, the researcher noted.

Grasso also considered historical evidence and ancient texts. Early Christian sources use the Greek words στέφανος (stephanos) and πλέκω (pleko), which denote a plaited wreath rather than a cap, suggesting a parody of royal crowns rather than a helmet of suffering. 

Further support came from the Sudarium of Oviedo, a separate cloth believed to have covered Jesus' face. 

Measuring 33 inches by 20 inches and housed in the Cathedral of Oviedo, Spain, it contains bloodstains consistent with the head of a crucified man. 

Blood patterns on both relics corresponded to a narrow band of wounds, consistent with a ring-style crown rather than a dome-like structure. 'Geometric analysis demonstrates circlet compatibility,' Grasso wrote.

Even with advanced modeling and statistical shape analysis, the research remains cautious. 

Grasso acknowledged that a cap-like construction is still 'possible,' but only under highly-specific conditions, such as 'selective early vertex clotting' or all the blood from the top of the head being 'wholly hair-contained.' 

Both explanations, he argued, 'strain geometric, forensic, and experimental constraints.'

Taken together, these strands provide moderate-to-strong support for a circlet; a helmet remains possible but demands auxiliary assumptions,' Grasso stated.

The reconstructed circlet also produced a striking 'halo suspension' effect. When first placed on the mannequin, inward-pointing thorns caused the ring to hover just above the scalp before being pressed down, reflecting descriptions of Roman soldiers forcing the crown onto Christ's head.

This forensic approach provides a scientific framework to understand crucifixion artifacts and their depiction in religious art.

It also demonstrates how modern tools, from geometric modeling to material testing, can shed light on details from the ancient past. 

While the mystery of the Shroud of Turin remains far from solved, Grasso believes his work brings history closer to understanding the likely design of Jesus' headpiece.

'Shroud head-stain mapping, a clean vertex bridge amid otherwise active head/face transfer potential, experimental inward-spine mechanics, posture-driven posterior elevation, and the build-time/manipulation differential together provide support for a circlet over a cap,' the study concluded. 

The findings align with historical and linguistic evidence and may help historians reinterpret depictions of the Passion, suggesting that the instrument of Jesus' mock coronation was not a full crown, but a cruel, thorn-studded wreath encircling His head.