Description |
xii, 401 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-385) and index. |
Contents |
Prologue: Rome -- Discovery -- Doubt -- Proofs -- The stranger -- The downturned book of revelations. |
Summary |
"In 2012, Dr. Karen King, a star professor at the Harvard Divinity School, announced a blockbuster discovery at a scholarly conference just steps from the Vatican: She had found an ancient fragment of papyrus in which Jesus calls Mary Magdalene "my wife." The discovery made front-page news around the world - if early Christians believed that Jesus was married, it would threaten not just the celibate, all-male priesthood, but the entire 2,000-year history of the faith. Biblical scholars were in an uproar, but King had impeccable credentials as a world-renowned authority on female figures in the Gnostic gospels. The "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," as she titled her discovery, was both a crowning career achievement and powerful proof for her arguments that there were alternative, and much more inclusive, versions of Christianity from its beginnings. Assigned to write a story about King's find, award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar began to unearth disquieting questions about the papyrus. His globe-spanning investigation would lead to a rural hamlet in inland Florida, where he discovered a college dropout with a prophetess wife, a curious past in Germany, and a tortured relationship with the Catholic Church. The deeper Sabar dug into the mysteries of the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," the more surreal the story became. VERITAS is at once a surprising detective story, a fascinating journey through the rarefied worlds of Biblical Studies and Egyptology, a piercing psychological portrait of a many-faced con artist, and a tragedy about a brilliant scholar handed a piece of ancient paper that appealed to her greatest hopes for Christianity--but forced a reckoning with fundamental questions about the line between reason and faith"-- Provided by publisher. |
Subject |
King, Karen L., 1954-
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Jesus Christ -- Words -- Extra-canonical parallels.
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Gospel of Jesus's Wife -- Manuscripts (Papyri) -- Forgeries.
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Coptic manuscripts (Papyri) -- Forgeries.
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Forgery of antiquities.
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Forgery of manuscripts.
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ISBN |
9780385542586 (hardcover) |
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