In a short lecture delivered to the British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) in 2022, coin historian Justin Robinson demonstrates the startling similarities between Byzantine bronze coins struck in Constantinople in the tenth century and the face that appears on the Shroud of Turin.
In 944 AD, a mysterious cloth bearing a mysterious image of Christ "not made by human hands" arrived in Constantinople. It came from the city of Edessa, where it had been for centuries. Legend has it that Jesus' disciples brought it to Edessa in the first century and entrusted it to the protection of King Agbar after he converted to Christianity. After the King died it was hidden for its own protection and lost. Workmen discovered it hidden in one of the city walls in 525 AD. It quickly became one of Christianity's holiest relics, as pilgrims travelled to the city to marvel at the face that appears on it.
When the Image of Edessa (also known as the Mandylion) arrived in Constantinople it was considered to be too holy to be put on public display. One dignitary who saw it described it as “blood and water … sweat and image”.
Twenty-five years after the cloth arrived in Constantinople, the Emperor John I Tzimiskes ordered that the image of Christ appear on his circulating coins. It is likely that at least one coin engraver was given the privilege of seeing the Mandylion up close. We know this because he carefully copied the lines that make up the face image in order to create the best possible likeness for the emperors new coins.
When we compare the coin design to the face on the Shroud of Turin, the startling resemblance is compelling evidence that the Image of Edessa (Mandylion) and the Shroud of Turin are the same historical artifact.