“Brilliant . . . Essential reading for anyone who cares about Church history and gender equality. . . . speaks to our times with impressive relevance.” —Reading in Translation From one of Italy’s most renowned historians of religion, an exciting new portrait of one of Christianity’s most complex—and most misunderstood—figures: Mary Magdalene Jesus’ favorite and most devoted disciple? A prostitute shunned from her community? A symbol of female leadership and independence? Who really was Mary Magdalene, and how does her story fit within the history of Christianity, and that of female emancipation? In this meticulously researched, highly engaging book, Adriana Valerio looks at history, art, and literature to show how centuries of misinterpretation and willful distortion—aimed at establishing and preserving gender hierarchies—have stripped this historical figure of her complexity and relevance. By revealing both the benign and the pernicious misrepresentations of Mary Magdalene, this thought-provoking essay reaffirms the central role played by women in the origins of Christianity and their essential contribution to one of the founding experiences of Western thought and society. “Persuasive. . . . Academics working in Christianity should get much from this well-argued study.” —Publishers Weekly “A masterful work.” —Osservatore Romano “A short and readable yet sweeping and well-researched essay that stands out for its intellectual honesty [ . . . ] We are all Mary Magdalene.” —Cultura al femminile

The author, a pastor, examines the interpretation of Jesus Christ's life and the beginnings of Christianity in Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code," attempting to discern fact from fiction.

Based on stunning new details discovered in the personal archives of former Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Harold R. Nye, "And Every Word Is True" lays out a fresh, meticulously-researched perspective on the Clutter murder case made famous by Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."

Father Jonah Barlow is dead. The respected Jesuit scholar of apocalyptic studies might have died from a fall in his apartment . . . or was he pushed? All that is known for sure is that the provocative manuscript he was working on-a book that promised to reveal the upcoming fulfillment of ancient and recent prophecies, including the ghastly and shocking Third Secret of Fatima-is missing. Two female detectives-one from Chicago, the other from Rome-take on the investigation as a possible homicide, turning to Vatican archivist Father Michael Dominic for his help, since Barlow sent the young priest the only other copy of the manuscript. Newly elected Pope Ignatius, Enrico Petrini, intent on verifying the content of the manuscript against the original handwritten version of the Third Secret-which has been kept sequestered in the Pope's personal vault for decades-discovers that the keys have been stolen. The search is on for the only other set, kept safely in the hands of a trusted monk in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, a sinister ancient order known as the Knights of the Apocalypse seem to be using the predictions of the manuscript to create fear and chaos as the prophecies appear to be coming fulfilled. Is the end of the world imminent? From Chicago to Jerusalem to Scotland, from Rome to the ancient island nation of Malta, join Father Dominic, journalist Hana Sinclair, their trusted team of Swiss Guards, a French commando, and the two detectives as they solve the bewildering puzzles of the Petrus Prophecy.

Waiting to be rediscovered in the British Library is an ancient manuscript of the early Church, copied by an anonymous monk. The manuscript is at least 1,450 years old, possibly dating to the first century. And now, The Lost Gospel provides the first ever translation from Syriac into English of this unique document that tells the inside story of Jesus’ social, family, and political life.The Lost Gospel takes the reader on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm shifting manuscript. What the authors eventually discover is as astounding as it is surprising: the confirmation of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene; the names of their two children; the towering presence of Mary Magdalene; a previously unknown plot on Jesus’ life (thirteen years prior to the crucifixion); an assassination attempt against Mary Magdalene and their children; Jesus’ connection to political figures at the highest level of the Roman Empire; and a religious movement that antedates that of Paul—the Church of Mary Magdalene.Part historical detective story, part modern adventure, The Lost Gospel reveals secrets that have been hiding in plain sight for millennia.

During the papal conclave of 1740, violinist Antonio Vivaldi is given a devastating secret by his dying mentor, the man favored to be elected Pope before he was poisoned. Fearful of the Italian Camorra, Vivaldi hides the secret in a special cipher in his music-a cipher revealing a breathtaking centuries-long operation of art theft from the Vatican Museum.

‘This 5-star thriller is a non-stop action-packed adventure... Reads like the latest blockbuster film... I was left breathless, my heart pounding as I turned the last page’ NetGalley review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You’ve cracked the Da Vinci code, now uncover the Vatican secret...