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You missed my point entirely; I’m operating from the point of view that we’ll never know for sure who’s image is on that cloth until God himself says...”yeah that’s me”. Even if it was his “earthly image” the Bible records in Revelation what Christ really looked like to John when Christ revealed himself to him.

There is a reason why God commanded us to have no idols or make any graven images purported to be things of heaven or spiritual things. There is a reason why God (or by proxy via Michael the arkangel) hid the bones of Moses and why we have very few physical descriptions of persons in the Bible.The few descriptions there are, help explain the the context of the accounts of these individuals and why the stories unfolded as they did.

The Bible itself is devoid of any physical descriptions of Jesus, and I don’t think it was by accident! A Roman Historian Tacitus had recorded a physical description of Jesus in a history book describing religions of the empire as the researcher had purportedly spoken to folks yet alive who had seen him when the book was being written(65-70 AD?)

He was described as being about 69 inches tall, 175 pounds and having grey eyes, other wise looking fairly ordinary like most Jewish males at the time. In other words, nondescript, not very attractive nor ugly, a real “mook” as they might say in NYC.

Did he have a halo. He was wearing one in the paintings I have seen. ;0)

I’m operating from the point of view that we’ll never know for sure who’s image is on that cloth until God himself says...”yeah that’s me”.

OK.

There is a reason why God commanded us to have no idols or make any graven images purported to be things of heaven or spiritual things.

Well, yes. He had not revealed any such.

Then, there was the Incarnation. St. Paul speaks of it thus:

Colossians 1:

4Hearing your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which you have towards all the saints. 5For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6Which is come unto you, as also it is in the whole world, and bringeth forth fruit and groweth, even as it doth in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. 7As you learned of Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus; 8Who also hath manifested to us your love in the spirit. 9Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you, and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding: 10That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: 11Strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy, 12Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins; 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

And image indeed, for was not Man originally created in the "Image and likeness of God"?

Still, as I have argued above:

1) The particular appearance of Jesus is less important than the FACT that he did indeed have a particular appearance.

2) If, in fact, the shroud is Jesus' burial cloth, He may have left it as a reminder that the Incarnation was real. Maybe. IMHO.

I'm not sure I really have much more to say on this topic.

Not being a Biblical scholar, just a regular Joe, my thought would be that Jesus would be very humble in His appearance. I would guess, “just a typical man”. I think He would not want to stand out like a model or the like, thus his physical appearance would not distract folks from His message. I think he would easily blend in to the crowd. Was He not the most humble man ever?

Just my thoughts.