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The official website for BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and BBC World Histories Magazine

Religion

(Illustration by Davide Bonazzi for BBC World Histories magazine)

Is the world still living in the shadow of the crusades?

The Crown of Thorns allegedly worn by Christ during the Passion. It was one of the prized possessions in Notre-Dame Cathedral until April 2019 – when it was rescued by the inferno that gutted the building. (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Father, son and holy goat? The dark side of medieval relics

Thomas Becket was brutally murdered by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral at the request of King Henry II in 1170 – making him an instant martyr and eventually a saint. He is, says Emma Wells, "perhaps the most controversial historical saint". (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

7 controversial saints in history

Black and white portrait image of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Who was Cardinal John Henry Newman?

Cardinal John Henry Newman

How to become a saint

The murder of Thomas Becket

Q&A: What happened to the assassins who killed Thomas Becket?

A c1616 edition of King James bible. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

5 reasons why the King James version of the Bible matters

The Temple Scroll, from the Dead Sea Scrolls

General ancient history

Digging for the Bible: 10 key discoveries from the Holy Land

Four figures in a boat, including the ibis-headed god Thoth and the scarab-headed god Khepri

8 ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses you might not know about

A painting by Italian painter Defendente Ferrari (c1480-1540) showing a Saint performing a miracle.

Medieval saints and sinners: tales of saintly miracles in the Middle Ages

Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy

'The Last Supper', 1803. A copy of the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1490s. Some think the superstition about Friday 13th being unlucky is related to the Last Supper, when 13 people were present at the meal before Jesus's crucifixion on Good Friday. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Q&A Why is Friday 13th considered unlucky?

Illustration by Joey Guidone

The big question: has terrorism ever achieved its aims?

An open Bible on an altar

General ancient history

A history of the Bible: who wrote it and when?

Jan Žižka, the general whose peasant army defied the Holy Roman Empire in the 1420s.

Christ’s communists: the radical religious sect that challenged the Holy Roman Empire