Pseudo-Archaeology · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Shroud of Turin: The Regurgitation - Ep 166

·38 min·2 clips

Father Spitzer's wildest claim: protons and deuterons from Jesus's body imprinted the image.

This episode critiques a resurgence of pseudo-archaeological claims about the Shroud of Turin, specifically targeting arguments made by Father Robert Spitzer on the "Dad Saves America" podcast. Host Dr. Andrew Kinkella, an archaeologist dedicated to debunking false historical claims, dissects Spitzer's interview as a prime example of how debunked ideas cyclically reemerge. Kinkella recounts initially hearing Spitzer's podcast in the background while doing chores, then rewinding to analyze it after the Shroud was mentioned. Spitzer spent the first half of his interview discussing the Big Bang and the relationship between faith and science, correctly citing its age as 13.8 billion years. He then pivoted to assert that serious cosmological discussions must acknowledge a creator, a leap Kinkella identifies as a classic pseudo-scientific tactic. The core of Spitzer's Shroud argument hinged on dismissing the 1988 carbon-14 tests from three independent labs, which dated the linen to between 1260 and 1390 AD. Spitzer claimed the image was not painted but was "intrinsic to the linen," miraculously formed by "protons and deuterons emitted from the body" in a "low temperature nuclear reaction." He also argued the carbon-14 dates were invalid because the shroud was "irradiated" and cited an alleged 1100 AD date from the shroud's edge, which Kinkella could not verify. A particularly surprising claim was Spitzer's insistence that the bloodstains remain red because they were irradiated, contradicting forensic knowledge that ancient blood darkens. Kinkella found it ludicrous that Spitzer used the "cold fusion" of Jesus's body as his explanatory mechanism. The host was disappointed that Spitzer, who started with competent scientific history, descended into what he calls "word salad babble" and cherry-picked data. Kinkella contrasts this with factual research, noting the Shroud first appeared in 1350s France, where contemporaries deemed it a fraud, and its depiction aligns with Gothic art styles, not a realistic human. The tone is conversational, sarcastic, and deeply skeptical, blending academic critique with exasperated humor. Kinkella adopts a mock-theatrical style when ridiculing the proton emission theory, imagining his own bedsheets being soiled by such particles. Listeners who enjoy debunking pseudoscience, analyzing flawed arguments, or learning the real history behind famous forgeries will love this episode. Those seeking a sincere debate on religious relics or who are offended by sarcastic critique of faith-based claims should skip it.

As heard by us

A brisk, evidence-first takedown of a Shroud claim that refuses to go away.

Andrew Kinkella treats the Shroud of Turin as another pseudo-archaeology claim that keeps resurfacing after it has already been pushed aside. He ties the discussion to Dad Saves America, then takes on Robert Spitzer's low-temperature nuclear claim and the familiar habit of…

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Why you'd press play

You want a fast, pointed revisit of the Shroud of Turin, with the host treating it as another pseudo-archaeology story that keeps coming back.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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