Drawing together an amazing amount of research, Acharya S—a classically trained archaeologist and historian—utterly demolishes the facade of Christianity, showing that it is 100 percent mythology. Not only was Jesus not the Messiah/God with supernatural powers, she contends, but such an historical figure never existed at all. Jesus, Mary, the Wise Men, the Disciples, the Patriarchs, the Saints—all are amalgamations of gods and other characters that have existed in the mythologies of almost every culture on earth. The savior-figure, Jesus, is merely a personification of the Sun, which has been revered for millennia for its ability to chase away darkness and bring light and warmth (and, thus, life). Among Acharya's many other points are that early Christians were not persecuted to nearly the degree that today's Christians say they were; Christianity spread much later and more slowly than is generally believed; the four Gospels did not appear until 150 A.D. at the earliest (and perhaps much later than that); the books of the Bible have been repeatedly altered and even outright forged; the canonical Bible was not assembled until after 1000 A.D.; and the Hebrews did not develop monotheism and were actually latecomers to the concept. Acharya brings in secular history, church history, archaeology, theology, mythology, linguistics, and other disciplines to provide plenty of backing for her theses. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to know the reality behind the world's dominant religion.