The Shroud of Turin, the 14-foot x 4-foot burial cloth of Jesus the Christ, is the most scientifically scrutinized artifact on earth. The evidence for its authenticity is so persuasive as to preclude doubt.

Within its linen folds is encoded a wellspring of information about the scourging, crucifixion, death, and, yes, even the resurrection of the Christ.

This story, gruesome in its reality, brutal in its telling, draws heavily on the shroud as well as the Scriptures and other historical sources. Pieced together they present a narrative as shocking as it is enlightening.

It begins.

The night was pitch dark, pierced only by flaming torches and lanterns some distance away; its silence marred by the sound of men marching up a hillside. They are led by Judas, followed by the chief priests, the Pharisees, a Roman tribune and his command of 480 soldiers.

Jesus, seeing them coming walks down to greet them, “Who are you looking for?” he asks. “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answer. Jesus replies, “I am.” Startled, they shrink away, some fall to the ground. (“I Am,” is the name of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.)

Jesus then directs the tribune's attention to his disciples. He calmly instructs him to “take me and let these go their way.” The tribune meekly obeys both commands.

Then Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest and condemned to death for blasphemy. But the Jews under Roman jurisdiction are forbidden to carry out a death sentence. Thereupon, in the morning they take Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

Now Pilate examines him and thrice pronounces him innocent of all charges. Yet the mob cries the louder, “Crucify him.” Again, Pilate seeks to free Jesus by giving the mob a choice. He will release Jesus or the murderer, Barabbas. They choose Barabbas.

Pilate then has Jesus scourged and leads him before the multitude, “Behold the man.” But even this does not satisfy them. “Crucify him. Crucify him,” they shout.

The Scourging.

The scourge or Roman flagrum was a most fearful instrument. The one used on Christ had three leather thongs. At the end of each were two 1-inch dumbbell-shaped pieces of metal.

Christ was tied to a short post. Two men, one one either side, give him 60 lashes each. After every stroke the flagrum is pulled back taking with it a chunk of flesh.

One lash would be enough to send a man into shock. Christ was given 120 lashes. From torso to calfs his body is mutilated, front and back, with hundreds of wounds: “His visage was marred more than any man.”

Yet ne'er a sound emerges from his lips: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

The crucifixion.

The vertical beam was about 12-foot long, the crossbeam some 5-feet. Christ, striped naked, willingly takes the cross on his right shoulder and drags it as far as he is able to the crucifixion site.

Just outside the walls of Jerusalem there is a hill, 30-feet high, with the unmistakable features of a human skull. In Latin the hill is called Calvary; in Hebrew, Golgotha; in English, The Skull.

The cross is laid on the ground. Christ reclines on it and stretches his arms out on the crossbeam. He offers no resistance needs no restraint: “To this end was I born.”

A soldier fastens a wooden washer on each of two 4-inch iron spikes. Each spike is hammered in just below the wrist. Next his feet. They are fastened to the upright with 8-inch spikes.

The third spike is driven through the left foot diagonally; it comes out through the heel and into the upright. The right foot is placed on top of the left and a fourth spike is hammered through both feet into the upright. Only the sound of the hammer is heard.

His death.

At the sixth hour, the moment the High Priest sacrifices the spotless Passover lamb, Christ gives his sinless life: “No one takes my life from me. I give my life.” There on Golgotha's hill, elevated on a cross, suspended between heaven and earth, he is visible to all in Jerusalem and later to the world.

On impulse, a soldier drives his spear upwards and diagonally into the right side of the lifeless body into his thoracic cavity and heart. Blood and water pour forth from nonfunctional arteries.

Upon expiration the bodies of those crucified were cast into a burning offal pit in the Valley of Gehenna or as the Bible translates it, “Hell.” Not so with this man. He would rest and rise in a rich man's tomb.

The resurrection.

“An angel came and rolled back the [15-ton] stone” and breaks it so the Pharisees cannot replace it. The entrance is now permanently open, not to let someone out but to allow all who would to enter the vacant tomb and leave with the risen Christ---as Christians do symbolically every Easter.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

During the weeks leading up to the last presidential election, I saw plenty of pro-Romney bumper stickers. In fact, I saw enough to re-enforce my conjecture that the majority of Susquehanna County’s voting residents are strongly pro-gun. Truth be told, it’s a darn good bet that quite a few residents would cheerfully rally in Harrisburg for a pristine Second Amendment.

What’s more, I can believe that this same majority puts a lot of store in the slogan: “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”.

Thanks to my personal experience, I put a little store in that same slogan. Quite some time ago, during one very sultry night, I heard a pretty strange noise in the building where I live. It was strange enough to motivate me to get out of bed and go about investigating, with my Remington 38 Special revolver in hand. Truth be told, I felt both much relieved and a tad foolish, after I had found nothing amiss, concluding my investigation.

Anyway, that little story strongly indicates I regard my sidearm as security precaution. With regard to security, The NEW YORK TIMES carried a piece about how some huge corporations get tax breaks on private jets by listing same as security measures. I suppose that would be good to know, in the event I go shopping for my own private jet. Sad to say, that’s not going to happen for a pretty simple reason.

From the neck on down, I am in the 47% the recently defeated Republican presidential candidate disdains. Some bartender with a camcorder provided some very strong evidence for that assertion. By the way, the disdain is mutual. Evidence for that is found in an interview Romney did for FOX “News”.

Willard “Mitt” Romney lamented the miserable failure of those people in the 47% to support his candidacy. Count me guilty of that offense. And one may as well count Mitt guilty of ingratitude.

At the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, he completely ignored the monetary and shoe leather contributions provided by the National Rifle Association to his campaign. Nary a word on that topic came out of his mouth. That might have perturbed the two NRA spokesmen, with whom he shared the dais.

It’s a good bet that either of those latter two would vociferously defend, to my death, my right to own an ammunition drum that can hold and deliver into the chamber of a military assault rifle every one of one hundred rounds, within six seconds. And it’s a good guess Mitt would have tolerated that aforementioned right, had his presidential campaign been successful. After all, politics involves returning favors.

According to our most authoritative historians … emphasis on authoritative … President John Fitzgerald Kennedy changed the world with how he dealt with Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Oh, yeah, quick history note, that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What’s more, those historians take note of the irony of JFK’s accomplishment. He could not have done it without the inadvertent help of the First Secretary.

True enough, I am merely a historian of science manqué. Well, my status is enough for me to have an interest in how historians will regard the accomplishment of President Barack Hussein Obama jr in his electoral triumph over Mitt.

Likely enough, those historians will compare and contrast the accomplishments of JFK and Obama. The magnitude of what JFK accomplished internationally is matched by what Obama accomplished domestically. With his re-election, he changed the United States of America … this I believe.

And I shall now claim the irony involved in JFK’s accomplishment is likewise matched by that in Obama’s. Obama could not have done it without the inadvertent help of Mitt …. oh, yeah, and that one bartender with his camcorder.

So far, our current President seems bereft of any clue as to the magnitude and implication of his accomplishment. Take my word for it. The instant he gets even an inkling, he shall pull that so-called “chained CPI” of his current negotiations with House Speaker Boehner.

Submitted By

A Alexander Stella

Susquehanna, PA

I recently came across this piece in the Transcript by Bob Scroggins entitled, "Johnnie's Been Naughty - Again". I just had to write to thank you/him from the bottom of my heart for this "breath of fresh air" in the otherwise toxic environment of misinformation, twisted facts, and outright lies, that have taken over and permeated our air (waves) since this industry's arrival in our State. It seems that our own State Government, local universities, media, and all those across our communities with new dreams of instant wealth, are all too willing to aid this industry in their shameless self-promotion and trivialization of any consequences to our communities, whether potential or actual, and to their end goal of effectively managing public perception and alleviate themselves from any liability. It's nice to know that there is at least one person out there who will still stand up to challenge the "facts" as presented by the industry and their supporters, and present the truth in such an entertaining manner.

For me, his line that "Dollars and sense keep poor company", sums it all upnicely. In fact, with all the dollars being thrown around town, along with the promises of sudden wealth, many actually believe they have won the lottery, and all sense that might otherwise dampen their mood, has apparently flown this chicken coop.

Thank you Bob Scroggins for being a voice of sanity and adding some well

considered perspective to the issues we face. I look forward to reading your

future contributions.

Sincerely,

M. Solar

New Milford, PA