The Keramion, Lost and Found: A Journey to the Face of God

By Philip E. Dayvault

“Vivid historical writing . . . a fascinating and factual defense for the authenticity of the famous Shroud” (Christian Newswire).
 
The Shroud of Turin, the traditional burial cloth of Jesus Christ, is either authentic or not. The Keramion, Lost and Found provides new answers to settle that centuries-old debate. In 2000, Philip Dayvault, a former FBI Special Agent, began a quest for ancient oil lamps in a faraway land, but it soon became an epic journey that gave rise to the questions…
 

• Could a small mosaic found in a faraway museum possibly have anything to do with numerous ancient, classical depictions of Jesus Christ?
• Could it bear an actual image of the God-Man, an image of God incarnate; and, perhaps, be the earliest known portrait image of Jesus Christ?
• Could it confirm vital, key elements of a 1700-year-old legend surrounding early Christianity?
• Could it possibly corroborate the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin as the first century burial cloth of Jesus Christ?
• Could the small mosaic, the ISA Tile, be the actual historical Keramion?

 
Experience the providential discovery of the “key,” a beautiful mosaic that unlocks some of the mysteries of the Shroud and ancient, classical depictions of Jesus Christ in sacred art. Dayvault instinctively conducted this research from an investigative perspective. Now, ample evidence from this resolute and intriguing pursuit of the truth is finally revealed. With his guide and translator, Hafize, Dayvault traversed Turkey in search of ancient oil lamps, but found something much more illuminating. Be advised, though, you may also find something, perhaps, that you have been seeking all your life . . . the Truth!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781630476434

Philip E. Dayvault

Philip Dayvault, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, served with the FBI, both as a former Special Agent and Physical Science Technician. Other professional career positions included sales, investment brokerage, management and security management consulting. Since 1973, Dayvault has studied the Shroud of Turin, the traditional burial cloth of Jesus Christ, and later served as the director of a local Shroud research organization. In 2000, he began independently investigating aspects of the Shroud, related relics, and sacred art. Dayvault lives in North Carolina, where he continues writing about other “new, unique, historical, and never-before-seen” discoveries. Stay tuned!

Book preview

PREFACE

Since 1973, I have studied the Shroud of Turin, the traditional burial cloth of Jesus Christ. It truly is the most enigmatic artifact ever known to man. Although modern science has made much progress, there are still many unanswered questions. Concerning whether the Shroud is authentic or not, the late scholar John Walsh once aptly declared; It is one or the other; there is no middle ground. I fully concur.

The Keramion, Lost and Found depicts several new and profoundly important discoveries which could influence even the most hardened critic and provides new evidence for the Shroud’s authenticity. This book seeks answers to the "who, when, and where investigative aspects of Shroud history. Other aspects, such as what, why, and how" have either partially been answered by other scientists and scholars, or the answers simply may never be. Some of the questions posed specifically regarding this work were as follows:

Could a small mosaic found in a faraway museum possibly have anything to do with the ancient, classical depictions of Jesus Christ?

Could it be an actual Image of the GOD-Man, an Image of God Incarnate, and perhaps, the earliest known portrait image of Jesus Christ?

Could it confirm vital, key elements of a 1,700-year-old legend surrounding early Christianity?

Could it possibly corroborate the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin as the first century burial cloth of Jesus Christ?

Essentially, the legend of King Abgar V is a synthesized collection of various accounts depicting the same central event surrounding early Christianity. According to the legend, sometime shortly after the Ascension of Jesus Christ, i.e., circa AD 30, a disciple, St. Thaddaeus, allegedly carried a cloth which bore the face of Jesus Christ (considered by many to be the current Shroud of Turin) to King Abgar V in Edessa. Upon seeing the cloth, King Abgar V was healed of leprosy and gout and converted to Christianity, as soon did the entire city. Edessa became one of the first Christian communities outside of Jerusalem. Also, according to the legend, King Abgar V displayed the cloth and had a tile bearing the same facial image of Jesus Christ placed over a Western Gate of the City (Citadel), as a memorial to this momentous event. Thus, all visitors to Edessa would see it and pay homage to the one true God. This tile is historically known as the Keramion.

The legend also deals with the concealment of the cloth, a mosaic tile, and oil lamp in order to protect them from pagan destruction. This providential concealment occurred from approximately AD 57 until AD 525, when these three items were rediscovered. Could the small mosaic, the ISA Tile, be the actual historical and legendary Keramion? If so, the historical provenance of the Shroud could be more accurately established and its date of origin may possibly be secured to the first century!

A short walk down my driveway to check the mailbox on a beautiful spring day in April 2000 began what has certainly turned into an eternal journey. Little did I know the lasting impact of looking through a dog-eared antiquities catalog. Thumbing through it while on the way back inside, I spotted a page with numerous stone oil lamps, each bearing a face strikingly similar to the face on the Shroud of Turin, the image of which is indelibly etched in my mind. These oil lamps were allegedly from circa second century Upper Mesopotamia (Turkey), the same general environment where the Shroud had supposedly spent over nine centuries of its history.

My logic was simple. If other similar oil lamps, with a strongly established provenance from a bona fide archaeological dig or elsewhere, were located in a Turkish museum, then it might just be possible to date the Shroud back to the established date of the lamp, assuming the facial images were identified as representing the same person. I had to go and seek those lamps.

Thus, in 2000, I began a quest for ancient oil lamps in a faraway land, but the Good Lord had other plans. What began as a simple overseas trip in search of ancient oil lamps in distant museums soon became a journey of transcendental faith—an epic journey to the Face of God.

You are invited to join me and my guide/translator, Hafi, for the trip of a lifetime. We will traverse Turkey and be exposed to beauty, excitement, challenges, frustrations, exhilaration, and more as we go in search of these oil lamps. There were potholes, obstacles, and barriers at every turn, but we pressed on—and succeeded.

So, buckle up, and come along on this amazing journey. But, be advised, you may even find something, perhaps, you have been seeking all your life: the Truth! I hope you enjoy the read!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This independent investigative research on the Shroud of Turin, related relics, and sacred art began in 2000. However, the actual events described herein took place approximately 2000 years ago. This final product certainly would not have been possible without the intervening Hand of God. He has blessed me with a loving family and a group of friends who have given their time, prayers, assistance, suggestions, and even financial support. I have devoted everything to the completion of this research and to this writing endeavor, which has not only been the greatest challenge of my life, but also the greatest blessing. I pray only that Yehovah God will use this work, and, if so, that many people may be impacted by these remarkable findings, via the Holy Spirit.

This book is dedicated to my dear parents, Mom (Hazel) and Dad (Harry), who abundantly shared the unconditional love of Jesus Christ with our family. Their abiding love of Him, and us, will never be forgotten. They both now rest in His eternal care.

A research trip to Turkey in 2002 was so remarkable that I also dedicate this book to my ömür boyu dost, my lifelong friend, Hafize. She was instrumental in serving as interpreter, guide, co-researcher, and dear friend, and she is still invaluable, many years later, in her assistance from almost halfway around the world. The trip would never have taken place without her taking a chance on this one inquisitive American. Her family and parents accepted me with open arms as a long-lost friend, and I will never forget them for their many kindnesses. Not surprisingly, Hafi and I both still live by our personalized travel credo:

Always give thanks; always take the road less traveled; and always ‘checkie out.’ Thus far in life, it has proven worthwhile.

This research is further dedicated to the thousands of early Christians from ancient Edessa who had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the events as depicted in this book. I pray I got it right. Requiescat in pace.

Sincere appreciation goes to the Turkish Ministry of Culture for its kind assistance in my special travel permissions, and thanks also to Dr. Eyup Buçak, the former director of the Şanliurfa Archaeological Museum, for his help during my visit in 2002. Much gratitude also goes to Dr. JeanAnn Dabb of the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and to Dr. Robin Margaret Jensen of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, Tennessee, for their professional assistance in reviewing some related portions of work. Also, thanks go to Dr. James P. Hibbard of North Carolina State University for his geological review assistance.

A special thanks to my brother and DE Board Advisor, David Dayvault, for letting me bend his ear with countless hours of discussion. His feedback has always been welcomed and is most helpful. I am also grateful to the following Advisors who have assisted with various aspects of this and other research, Sarah Morrison, Harriet Nowell, Bill Albrecht and Tom Vuke. Many thanks to the following friends and colleagues, including anonymous coin donors; Pastors and Advisor Gene and Shelia Bruton; Phil and Carol Beaumont; Jeff and Paula Blake; John and Jean Finkbiner; Johnny and Lynda McConnell; Alfonso and Rachael Weninger; Jim Shine; John and Shirley Dalrymple; Margaret Capone; Mark and Rebecca Francis; Cathy Peacock; John and Sara Fisk; Gerhard Hauber; Richard Harris; and Advisor Tom and Donna D’Muhala. Each one of these friends has been involved in the fulfillment of this book with their prayers, financial support, and suggestions.

Also, thanks to Lynn Titchener, Donna Mitchell, David Bennett, and Gio and Yves Velazco, who have all graciously provided their generous professional services and technical support. Thanks also to the Light of Christ International Outreach Center, Shalom Peniel Ministries, and Spring Garden Baptist Church for their numerous special blessings and support.

Last, but certainly not least, many thanks to David Hancock, Rick Frishman, Jim Howard, Terry Whalin, and the entire team at Morgan James Publishing, who believed this manuscript was worthy of publication and contributed their professional efforts to do so. Thanks also to SplitSeed for their editorial expertise.

Thank you all very much!

CHAPTER ONE

__________

The Journey: Preparation

Dateline: Friday afternoon, April 28, 2000, Raleigh, North Carolina.

As always, slight anticipation arose as I walked down the driveway to check the mailbox—the same kind of anticipation one gets at Christmastime when you are about to open the presents. You feel sure something is in the package, but you just don’t know what.

It was a beautiful spring day in Raleigh: low humidity; white, wispy clouds; a gentle breeze. I was beneath a Carolina-blue sky, so called because the color of the sky was that of the school colors of the University of North Carolina, my alma mater of many years past. The birds were chirping and spring flowers were in full bloom, as if to welcome me to the mailbox. I jokingly wondered what was inside: more bills or more junk mail. Surprisingly, only a dog-eared antiquities catalog, and a flyer advertising yard work awaited me. Junk mail, I thought, as I went back inside.

I always like to thumb through something before it gets trashed or round filed. When I glanced inside the catalog, something immediately caught my attention. I sat down at my desk and began methodically to check each and every page of this antiquities dealer’s catalog. The dealer, with whom I have dealt over the years, is reputed to sell only authentic artifacts. What surprised me and caught my attention—almost jumping off the page—was a picture of several oil lamps. These were not just any ancient oil lamps, but ones which had been carved from stone. They were allegedly from Upper Mesopotamia (southeastern Turkey) and also allegedly from circa second century AD. But, that is not what got my attention. What got my attention was the fact that each lamp bore the facial image of a man, one which strikingly resembled the face of the Man of the Shroud of Turin, the traditional burial cloth of Jesus Christ. After reviewing the entire catalog, I was able to find a total of nine oil lamps that appeared to be related and from the same group. Each one had a carved face that distinctly and remarkably resembled the face on the Shroud of Turin. I should know, as I have studied the Shroud since 1973 and the image of the Man of the Shroud is indelibly etched into my mind. So, when I saw these several lamps bearing a similar image, my attention was at once captivated. This type of fortuitous moment had occurred in the past, and I knew I had to take it seriously.

This book invites you to accompany this investigator and my intrepid guide as we experience, firsthand, the anticipation, frustration, and exhilaration involved in this fascinating and intriguing investigation. My quest is international in scope and universal in theological implication. The intent of this book is not an attempt to prove the Resurrection, but rather it is an attempt to date, accurately, the Shroud to the actual time of Jesus Christ. After all, if the Shroud is authentic, it must first be proven to be from that time period (i.e., first century AD) and associated with Jesus Christ.

The 1978 debacle with the carbon-14 dating concluded the cloth originated sometime between 1260 and 1390. At least, that is what made the headlines in print. However, a later statement in 1990 from Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro, calling the results strange and indicating further scientific studies would be considered, appeared only on page 6—right next to the appliance ads.²

The Shroud of Turin is the traditional burial cloth of Jesus Christ. If it is authentic, it is undoubtedly the most important archaeological artifact in human history—and certainly the most important one in Christendom. If not authentic, it is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated by man and would be even more miraculous to fabricate as a forgery because of its uniqueness. It has captured the interest of millions for many centuries and has long been venerated by the faithful.

Datum point is an archaeological term used to describe the central reference point at an excavation site. It has a definite location, is stationary, and is readily accessible. It is the true reference point, or anchor, on site from which all measurements are made. It is the standard. Its elevation is utilized to determine both vertical height and horizontal distance. This is an appropriate phrase because of the archaeological items being researched, as well as the reference point it indicates, vertically and horizontally (i.e., the Cross). Additionally, enterprise means a difficult or demanding challenge. Therefore, DATUM ENTERPRISE, LLC, is the name chosen for my company, meaning a challenge to seek reference points, or evidence, of the greatest event of all time: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Some of the lamps pictured in the antiquities catalog were in the shape of a cruciform, or cross. Others had different motifs carved on each side. However, each lamp bore an exquisite facial image strikingly similar and based on the face of the Man of the Shroud. A couple of the lamps even bore inscriptions in Greek and Latin, with Christian meaning when translated.

Within the next two years, I was able to arrange a trip to Turkey to the same region these lamps allegedly originated. I was attempting to locate in a museum other similarly dated oil lamps with an established provenance, which could, quite possibly, securely associate the Shroud to a first century date. Fortunately, I was able to travel with a professional guide and translator, Hafize, whom I met online while inquiring about the lamps. She is fluent in English, although she speaks it with a Turkish accent, and she served as an excellent guide, translator, and contact person for the various museums I lined up to visit. I spent over a year obtaining a special Resident Permit Card, which permitted me not only to visit the museums, but also to visit the depots, or storerooms, where the really priceless artifacts were kept. The Resident Permit Card also permitted me to take photographs and video clips of museum items that bore similar images to those depicted on the oil lamps.

According to synthesized versions of the legend of King Abgar V, a legend surrounding early Christianity, a ceramic tile, historically known as the Keramion and bearing the same facial image from the Image of Edessa (the purported Shroud of Turin), was placed over the entranceway, in commemoration, through which St. Thaddaeus allegedly carried the special cloth to see King Abgar V, circa AD 30. Reportedly, upon seeing the mysterious cloth, King Abgar was miraculously healed of his gout and leprosy. The king, his family, and the local citizens soon converted to Christianity, reportedly making Edessa one of the first Christian communities outside of Jerusalem. This story is fascinating, if true.

In 2002, I traveled to Turkey, looking for specific ancient oil lamps, but the Good Lord had other plans. In a museum in a faraway land in the same city where the Shroud allegedly was kept for over nine hundred years, I rediscovered a beautiful mosaic tile, which I called the ISA Tile, bearing the facial image of a Man that was surely derived from the Shroud of Turin, considered by many to be one and the same as the Image of Edessa. Could the ISA Tile actually be the historical and legendary Keramion? Quite possibly!

Throughout this entire research endeavor, I have fully utilized the investigative and forensic comparative skills I learned while formerly serving with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), coupled with the scientific method. I also used a healthy dose of common sense, logic, and reason to arrive at my evidence-based conclusions.

The Keramion, Lost and Found chronicles this remarkable rediscovery and its subsequent implications and significance to Christianity, the Shroud of Turin, archaeology, and art history. Hopefully, all who read this book will feel the same challenges, excitement, exhilaration, frustration, and jubilation Hafize and I experienced. The reader will also, hopefully, realize that this discovery represents physical evidence that confirms, in part, the vital key elements of a 1,700-year-old legend. It is my desire that this book will be as much of a blessing to every reader as it was for me to research and write it down. I refer here to Habakkuk 2:2–3, which has ultimately served as a personal mandate for this and my other Shroud research: "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Is the Shroud of Turin authentic? Is it the actual fine linen cloth that was once used to envelope the bloodied and crucified body of Jesus Christ for burial in the tomb? Does the Shroud now contain His holy Blood and image? Or, is it a counterfeit dirty old cloth masterminded by an ingenious forger to fool people into just thinking it contains an image of the body of Christ? A scientific radiocarbon-14 dating test was conducted in 1988. The results indicated an AD 1260–1390 time of origin. However, in 2005, several scientists disproved the test. A few scoffers have even claimed the great artist Leonardo da Vinci somehow produced this enigmatic image; yet, obviously unknown to them, the same Shroud had been on public display some one hundred years before Da Vinci was even born in 1452. For centuries, the mystery has continued, and more recently, thanks to scholarly research, it is considered the single most studied object in history. Still, the question of its authenticity should ultimately be contemplated and answered individually, after one has carefully studied solid scientific, historical and forensic evidence—circumstantial, documentary and physical in nature. Only then can a reliable conclusion be supported and justified in the heart of each man. This book reflects my humble attempt to provide such evidence.

The Shroud of Turin is either authentic or not. If authentic, it is the greatest and most important archaeological and religious object ever known to man because it bears the actual Blood and Image of Jesus Christ. If not authentic, it is the most elaborate hoax ever perpetrated by man. As scholar John Walsh once said, It is one or the other; there is no middle ground.³

Further, The…Shroud of Turin…(is) without a doubt…the most picked at, probed, x-rayed, examined, revered, reviled, tested, studied, scanned, and photographed artifact in the world today.⁴

Regardless of new and exciting research over recent years, three fundamental questions, among others, still continue to linger concerning the Shroud: (1) When did the Shroud image originate? (2) Where was it kept? (3) Who is depicted in the image? This decade-long quest has required me to take expeditions to Turkey and Italy to find these and other answers. These new findings have the potential to catapult the reader over the fence of doubt, where he will ultimately appreciate the Shroud for what it actually is, namely, the first century burial cloth of Jesus Christ.

Since 1973, I have followed and studied the Shroud of Turin. Actually, I prefer to call it the Resurrection Cloth in that, apparently, the blood stains were present before the image appeared because no image is present underneath the stains. This important attribute, therefore, suggests the image-formation mechanism occurred sometime after entombment following His death on Good Friday. Thus, if authentic, the Shroud contains the first image of Yeshua HaMessiach, Jesus Christ, and illustrates the genesis of eternal life, made, perhaps, at the actual moment of Resurrection!

Christianity rises or falls on the veracity and historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If He did not rise from the dead, then all of Christianity is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). However, He is risen, indeed! Over five hundred eyewitnesses saw Him after He rose. All but one of His faithful disciples was martyred for their belief in Him. One does not willingly die for a lie but, rather, only for something he knows and believes, beyond doubt, to be true. The Shroud is evidence that Jesus did what He said He would do, when He said He would do it: We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands (Mark 14:58). The image on the Shroud of Turin is known as the acheiropoietos, the image or icon not made by human hands.⁵

Over the centuries, skilled masons have built magnificent cathedrals all around the world in order to worship the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. However, the great cathedrals of Europe and churches elsewhere are virtually useless buildings and devoid of substantive meaning if He did not rise from the dead. But, fortunately for mankind, that is not the case. He did rise, and there is extant evidence which shows His visage, or imprint, and even contains His sacrificial blood.

He Who is raised has left a sign so that all may believe. The eyewitness accounts and the mountains of existing evidence all serve to prove that what Jesus did and everything He said is all true. However, that still may not be enough for many to believe in His Deity; therefore, Jesus Himself said, But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father (John 10:38, NLT). And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (John 20:30–31).

What you are about to read in the following pages is only a portion of independent investigative research I have conducted since April 2000. This research has accumulated much new data for sindonology, the dedicated scholarly research and study of the sindon, or Shroud of Turin. However, it is much more than just new data discovered by a dedicated scholar.

This new, unique, historical, never-before-seen, and—until now—globally undisclosed research could greatly impact the world by corroborating the authenticity of the most important object in the history of mankind: the Shroud of Turin. This book depicts the amazing rediscovery of a mosaic tile which could have profound influence on Shroud studies and art history. This is an extremely important work with major implications—but certainly not because I had anything to do with it. Rather, it is important because Yehovah God Almighty had everything to do with it. Because of that fact alone, this research has the awesome potential, via the Holy Spirit, to influence the eternal destiny of multitudes throughout the world. This is my humble attempt to portray

Reviews for The Keramion, Lost and Found

[Pierre Charette · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Could not get passed page 85. What I read is just an interminable introduction replete with rambling and repetition with promises of revelations to come. I learned very little in those pages which could have been shrunk 90% by a good editor. Sorry I cannot carry on further. I am intrigued but have lost patience at this point. Dayvault is clearly passionate about his subject, so passionate that he repeatedly affirms the Shroud is authentic at least 25 time or more in the first third of the book without offering any evidence. That makes me seriously doubt that he can be objective in the balance of the book, hence, I will not bother reading it.