*** A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice *The acclaimed author of Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts introduces us to the extraordinary keepers and companions of medieval manuscripts over a thousand years of history**The illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages are among the greatest works of European art and literature. We are dazzled by them and recognize their crucial role in the transmission of knowledge. However, we generally think much le...

From the bestselling author of Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, a captivating account of the last surviving relic of Thomas BecketThe assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 is one of the most famous events in European history. It inspired the largest pilgrim site in medieval Europe and many works of literature from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral and Anouilh's

**An extraordinary and beautifully illustrated exploration of the medieval world through twelve manuscripts, from one of the world's leading experts.Winner of The Wolfson History Prize and The Duff Cooper Prize.A San Francisco Chronicle Holiday Book Gift Guide Pick!**Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is a captivating examination of twelve illuminated manuscripts from the medieval period. Noted authority Christopher de Hamel invites the reader in...

*** A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice *The acclaimed author of Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts introduces us to the extraordinary keepers and companions of medieval manuscripts over a thousand years of history**The illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages are among the greatest works of European art and literature. We are dazzled by them and recognize their crucial role in the transmission of knowledge. However, we generally think much le...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Is the classic, accepted view of the life of Christ in some way incomplete? The authors of The Messianic Legacy present a provocative and meticulously researched look at Christ and the history of Christianity.“Enough to seriously challenge many traditional beliefs, if not alter them.”—Los Angeles Times Book ReviewExplosive, thought-provoking, fiercely compelling, Holy Blood, Holy Gr...

It is the hiding place of the Holy Grail, or a great secret that will rock the Church. It is a place of hidden treasure and dark knowledge. It is the place where Jesus is buried... These are just some of the many theories now current about the village where a Victorian priest became strangely - and massively - rich, and where he left clues to a great mystery in the very fabric of his church. What is the truth about Father Sauniere and the now-famous village of Rennes-le-Château?Thi...

NOW UPDATED FOR POPE FRANCISFor at least five centuries scholars have puzzled over a document known as The Papal Prophecies that were ascribed to St Malachy, an Irish cleric who died in 1148. The Prophecies clearly state that both Rome and the Papacy will be destroyed at some date in the early 21st century. Given that this date is now upon us, it is worth taking a closer look at the Papal Prophecies to decide what it is that they mean, what they can tell us and what - if anything -...

Next to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, no other place on Earth holds as much esoteric symbolism as France's Rennes le Ch'teau. Its location and design are the subjects of countless rumors, myths, and legends. Mysteries of Templar Treasure and the Holy Grail, formerly published as The Secrets of Rennes le Chateau, delves into the reality behind the action and adventure of The Da Vinci Code. Rennes le Chateau has plenty of secrets: buried treasure, unsolved murders, s...

Saints are recognized and venerated in almost every corner of the world. This stunning visual dictionary of saints chronicles the mysterious history of sainthood, telling the story of individual holy lives from a modern perspective. It also unravels some of the myths surrounding sainthood, and explores related issues as the importance of symbolism in Christian art, how certain places become holy sites, the significance of relics, miracles and how the purpose of pilgrimage has changed over ...

The Book of Kells is a magnificently illuminated manuscript Gospel in Vulgate Latin containing the four Gospels of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks on the small Island of Iona off the coast of western Scotland in about 800 CE. The text is mainly in Vulgate Latin dating from the 4th century CE, though there are passages in Vetus Latin or ‘Old Latin’ that predate the Vulgate Bible....

"An indispensable point of departure for anyone interested in the cult of the saints in the Middle Ages." —Eamon Duffy, The New York Review of BooksFrom its earliest centuries, one of the most notable features of Christianity has been the veneration of the saints—the holy dead. This ambitious history tells the fascinating story of the cult of the saints from its origins in the second-century days of the Christian martyrs to the Protestant...

Journey into twelve of the world’s favorite medieval mysteries and cross the threshold into the world of the High Middle Ages. From Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose to Dan Brown’s bestselling The Da Vinci Code, the medieval period continues to intrigue, inspire, entertain, and fascinate many today.This is a book for the general reader and specialist alike, Medieval expert, former Rosslyn Chapel museum exhibition curator, and be...