AUBURN — Fostering personal growth and curiosity, the Lewiston-Auburn Senior College and the Auburn Public Library will continue the Curious Minds Series with a seminar by Alan Elze on the Shroud of Turin.

The free program will take place at noon on Tuesday, April 25, at the Auburn Public Library.

The Shroud of Turin, a length of linen cloth bearing the image of a man, is believed by some to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. The shroud is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The Catholic Church has neither formally endorsed nor rejected the shroud, but in 1958 Pope Pius XII approved of the image in association with the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.

The origins of the shroud and its images are the subject of intense debate among theologians, historians and researchers. Diverse arguments have been made in scientific and popular publications claiming to prove that the cloth is the authentic burial shroud of Jesus, based on disciplines ranging from chemistry to biology and medical forensics to optical image analysis

There has been much written on what the Shroud of Turin is and how it came to be. Elze will look at its history and possible conclusions of its origin. Elze has a masters of arts degree in American History and Museum Science from the University of Rhode Island. A frequent professor at the Lewiston-Auburn Senior College, Elze has a M.A. in American History and Museum Science from the University of Rhode Island and is involved in local history preservation throughout the city.

Every spring the Lewiston-Auburn Senior College and the Auburn Public Library partner to bring a free lecture series to the community. The lectures cover a variety of topics and run on a weekly basis throughout the months of April and May.

FMI: www.auburnpubliclibrary.org.

Shroud of Turin