Spiritual reflections on the heel injury of the Man of the Holy Shroud

Archaeologists have found the remains of the feet of two men we were crucified. Both had a nail through their heel bone. The Man of the Holy Shroud of Turin appears to have a similar injury. This paper looks at some biblical passages which may illuminate this wound.

Spiritual reflections into the heel injury of the Man of the Holy Shroud Pam Moon, Lent 2024 Archaeologists have found the remains of the feet of two men we were crucified. The first was discovered in 1968 in Jerusalem. From the ossuary box his name was Jehohanan. A large nail, bent at the end, was found to pierce his calcaneus or heel bone (top right). In 2021, in Cambridge, England, a similar discovery was made (below right). So the only archaeological evidence we can rely on would suggest crucifixion took place through the heel. This is possibly because the bone has the strength to hold the weight of a human body in a crucifixion position. It is significant that there are similar blood flows visible on the Holy Shroud of Turin. The feet of the Man of the Shroud were very badly water damaged following the fire in 1532. So, for instance, the dorsal toes of the right foot are no longer clearly visible. On the ventral image, there is a pool of blood to the front of the foot, in the classical position of the crucifix. However, on the dorsal view, there are blood flows which appear to come sideways from both heels. The evidence of the Shroud may suggest more than one nail in the feet. Water damage Blood flow to the front of the foot (ventral view) Water damage Blood flow coming sideways from the heels of the Man of the Shroud (dorsal view) Shroud images ©1978 Barrie M. Schwortz Collection, STERA, Inc. There are a few biblical reasons why these injuries are important. The first is the prophecy of crucifixion from Psalm 22:16: ‘Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet’ (NIV translation). This does not imply an injury between the metatarsal bones in the front of a foot, but the ‘piercing’ of the bones. The heel bone has sufficient mass to be pierced and hold the weight of a body. The pain of a nail through the heel bone must have been excruciating. Psalm 42:10 reads: “My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Another important biblical text is from the Fall of Man in Genesis. After Eve and then Adam were tempted by the serpent to eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden, ‘the Lord God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”’ Genesis 3: 14- 15 So, at the beginning of salvation history an injury to the heel was prophesised. For Jesus Christ to crush the power of Satan, and the power of sin and death, he would sustain an injury to his heel. Modern archaeology is confirming that crucifixion involved an injury to the heel and the Shroud of Turin illustrates its reality. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. Isaiah 52:7

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Spiritual reflections on the heel injury of the Man of the Holy Shroud

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