"This astonishing book--part detective story, part exercise in reporting conducted at its highest level--reaches hold of you by the shirt collar and doesn't let go. Here is a gallery of types that have surrounded Christianity since its earliest beginnings: the professionally cynical, the frankly mercenary, and the profoundly faithful. It is a tale that takes us from the offices of two Harvard presidents to, perhaps inevitably, that of a Florida pornographer. Exciting on every level, it poses the deepest question of faith: does it depend on the scholarly verification of ancient fragments or on what Heaney called a journey 'into the marvelous?' I was bowled over by it." -- CAITLIN FLANAGAN , author of Girl Land "Sabar's meticulous reporting shows how quickly the first victims of a forgery turn into con men themselves, desperately manipulating the evidence to keep plugging holes in a forger's fragile story. A masterful portrait of desire and a gripping analysis of a scandal that reveals the blurred lines between scholarship, faith, and lies. An unprecedented contribution to the study of forgery." -- DR.

ERIN THOMPSON, art crime professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author of Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors from Antiquity to the Present "[An] intriguing religious/true-crime story involving a possible wife of Jesus.[A] fascinating tale." --KIRKUS REVIEWS "Sabar has written a true story of mystery and intrigue.blending religious history with a tale of deception.Well-researched, engrossing." -- LIBRARY JOURNAL "A work of exemplary narrative nonfiction.fitting neatly into the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction category.Provocative and probing.

" -- BOOKLIST/American Library Association (starred review) "Ariel Sabar is an excellent investigative journalist explaining in detail a con that could have changed all of Christianity. Whatever the scam, the con artist and the victim both have an agenda." -- FRANK ABAGNALE , author of Catch Me If You Can "VERITAS is a fascinating journey into theology and academia, meticulously researched, well-written, consistently engaging." -- GREGG EASTERBROOK, author of It's Better Than It Looks "In this entertaining outing, journalist Sabar ( My Father's Paradise) tells the story of a mysterious scrap of papyrus and the scholar who staked her professional reputation on it. this meticulous account is packed with enough intrigue to keep readers piqued" -- Publisher's Weekly.