The Quest for the True Cross

by Carsten Peter; D'Ancona Thiede

The Cross is arguably the most recognizable symbol of Western civilization. But what are its historical origins and what happened to it after Christ's crucifixion? In a church outside Rome, a fragment of wood may hold the answer to these questions and could be fundamental to our understanding of Christianity. Focusing on a long-ignored fragment of the Titulus Crucis-the inscribed headboard from Christ's cross-the authors provide evidence that it may date from the time of Christ and was brought to Rome by Queen Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, in AD 328. Their claim is a radical challenge to the modern view that all supposedly holy relics are fakes. Following in Helena's footsteps and drawing together the threads of history, archaeology, myth, religion, and science, this journey through the ancient world may transform your beliefs about early Christian faith.

Genres: Religion, History, Christianity

205 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Alessandro Nicolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero interessante, ottimo sostegno storico e buona lettura, con spunti interessanti dedicati agli addetti al settore ma allo stesso tempo interessante anche per il profano

[Will Waller · Rating 2 out of 5]

THIS WAS A SLOG. This book is chockful of material about reading ancient script (which the title above Jesus' head would be). It's quite difficult to get through without a) reading ancient hebrew b) knowledge of the time period c) an ardor to know more about it. Don't get into this book unless you're doing research on a very specific piece of history.

However, it is helpful for those who want to know more about Helena, Constantine's mother. What a fascinating woman! The authors do a fine job of painting her as a feisty, irascible socialite who had a passion for artifacts. A 4th century lady Indiana Jones.

This book was given as a Christmas present years ago and having read it, I realize that the person who gave it to me didn't realize it was a such a academic work.