The Sign by Thomas de Wesselow finally solves Christianity's greatest mystery

'The thinking man's Dan Brown' Sunday Times

How did Christianity really begin?

In this powerful and controversial book, art historian Thomas de Wesselow reveals that the answer to this puzzle lies in one of the most mysterious images in the world - the Shroud of Turin.

Re-examining the Shroud and New Testament texts, he argues that the traditional Christian view - that the apostles were inspired by seeing Jesus raised from the dead - is a profound misconception.

Using scientific, archaeological and historical evidence, The Sign demonstrates that the Shroud is the actual burial-cloth of Jesus. That haunting image - which is a natural stain - holds the key to the greatest mystery in human history.

This astonishing book will appeal to readers around the world and is a must for fans of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, Inferno by Dan Brown and Diarmaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity.

'Very intriguing' Mail on Sunday

'A fascinating account of the Shroud as an image' BBC History Magazine

'Thorough, well-researched and fair-minded. Persuasive... much more than just an addition to the canon of Shroud literature' Irish Times

Thomas de Wesselow earned his MA and PhD at London's Courtauld Institute, researching the controversial Guidoriccio fresco in Siena, before becoming a Scholar at the British School in Rome where he worked on another of the great mysteries of Italian art history, the Assisi Problem. He has written on a number of famous Renaissance pictures whose meanings have hitherto defied analysis, including Botticelli's Primavera and Titian's Sacred and Profane Love. Since 2007 he has been researching this book full-time. He is 40 years old and he lives in Cambridge.