The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican

Benjamin Blech · Roy Doliner

oct 2009 · Harper Collins

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A New York Times bestseller, The Sistine Secrets exposes the shocking revelations found in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel artwork.

The cleaning of the Sistine Chapel frescoes removed layer after layer of centuries of accumulated tarnish and darkness. Rabbi Benjamin Blech and scholar Roy Doliner’s The Sistine Secrets endeavors to remove the centuries of prejudice, censorship, and ignorance that blind us to the truth about one of the world’s most famous and beloved art treasures.

For hidden in plain sight within his masterpiece, Michelangelo shared his personal beliefs about brotherhood, acceptance, and individual thought among other ideals that the Church would have found blasphemous.

“It’s hard to believe that the Sistine Chapel—decorated by Michelangelo, one of civilization’s greatest artists, studied by legions of art historians, and seen by tens of millions of visitors—could reveal secrets of such enormous magnitude. And yet it all rings true. This book of astounding revelations is built on careful scholarship, lucid exposition, and it is, above all, compelling reading.” —New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Harr

“Like the best art historians, the authors give us a fresh context for the times, never hesitating to make contemporary parallels. . . . This is a stimulating exploration that makes familiar masterpieces seem strange and new.” —Los Angeles Times

“The journey of analysis of the complex images rewards the reader with many profound insights about the artwork and the complex nature of Michelangelo’s ideas. . . . Fascinating and engaging.” —The Jewish Press

*Some images that appear in the print edition of this book are unavailable in the electronic edition due to rights reasons*

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Rabbi Benjamin Blech is an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, author, and lecturer. A recipient of the American Educator of the Year Award, he has been a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University since 1966. He is the author of eleven books and has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, and Newsday. He lives in New York City. Roy Doliner's studies span the spectrum of the humanities: languages, comparative religion, art history, Italian and Roman history, and Judaica (including Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah). He is often called upon to act as a docent for scholars and international dignitaries to Rome and the Vatican Museums. He divides his time between Rome and New York City.