Neither debunking nor worshiping, Smith pierces the veil of myth and mystery around the Holy Lance--the spear that pierced the side of Jesus Christ on the cross. Illustrations.

The Spear is a gripping supernatural thriller by the master of horror, James Herbert. A young Mossad agent is found dead and private detective Harry Steadman is asked to investigate. On the hunt for a sinister arms dealer, however, what he discovers is a conspiracy of unfathomable horror. Neo-nazi cultists want to unleash an ancient and demonic power. A power so terrible it threatens the world itself . . .

The spear used by Longinus, the Roman centurion, to pierce the side of Christ as he hung on the cross has long been believed to be an object of great supernatural and occult power, with the capacity for good or evil. It has been sought by the most powerful figures in history, who have believed that its power, as the Spear of Destiny, can change history. The spear's history from the Dark Ages to the Twentieth century is a dark one, of mystery and death. Alec Maclellan tracks the spear from mention in the Bible through sagas of the Middle Ages to its last known resting place, as a prized possession of Adolf Hitler

An account of the legendary spear which pierced the side of Christ which has been invested with occult powers. It tells the story of the chain of men who possessed the spear, from Herod to Adolf Hitler, and how they sought to change the face of history by wielding its good and evil powers.

The year is 1191. A daring counterattack against the Saracens' last-ditch effort to relieve the besieged city of Acre has not only saved the Third Crusade from a fatal defeat; it has also brought the leader of that counterattack, English Templar Michael Fitz Alan, to the attention of King Richard the Lionheart. In the days that follow, the king charges Fitz Alan with a life-or-death mission - to recover the long-lost Holy Lance, a religious relic widely believed to be responsible for the near-miraculous success of the First Crusade. The ensuing quest leads Fitz Alan and a hand-picked band of Templars on a journey deep into enemy territory, where they battle Saracens, Assassins, hostile Christians and even a traitor within their own ranks as they seek to return the Holy Lance to Christian hands and thereby ensure the liberation of Jerusalem and the success of the crusade.

Religious relics, defined as “either portions of or objects connected with the body of a saint or other holy person,” are among the most revered items in the world. Christian relics such as the Holy Grail, the True Cross, and the Lance of Longinus are also the source of limitless controversy. Such items have incited people to bloodshed and, some say, have been a source of miracles. Relics inspire fear and hope among the faithful and yet are a perennial target for skeptics, both secular and Christian. To research the authenticity of numerous Christian relics, Joe Nickell takes a scientific approach to a field of study all too often tainted by premature conclusions. In this volume, Nickell investigates such renowned relics as the Shroud of Turin, the multiple heads of John the Baptist, and the supposedly incorruptible corpses of saints, first examining the available evidence and documented history of each item. From accounts of true believers to the testimony of the relics’ alleged fabricators, Nickell then presents all sides of each story, allowing the evidence to speak for itself. For each relic, Nickell evaluates both the corroborating and contradictory bodies of evidence and explores whether the relic and attributed miracles can be reconstructed. In addition to his own experiments, Nickell presents findings from the world’s top scientists and historians regarding these controversial objects of reverence and ire, explaining the circumstances under which each case was examined. Radiocarbon dating and tests to determine the validity of substances such as blood or patina indicate a variety of possible origins. Nickell even reveals some of the techniques used to create archaeological forgeries and explains how investigators have exposed them. Each relic is a mystery to be solved; guided by the maxim, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof,” Nickell seeks only the truth.