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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Way To See And Discuss Our World
Who was the man who thrust the spear into Jesus as he hung from the cross? Why did he do it and whatever became of him? Where is that spear, long since referred to as "The Holy Lance" or "The Spear of Destiny?"

For those of us who question everything, books uncovering those details of history omitted in commonly-cited sources are better than good fiction: We...
Published on November 21, 2005 by Don Harkins

versus
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Book
There are two types of bad books: poorly written and poorly researched.
Unfortunately, Secrets of the Holy Lance by Jerry Smith and George Piccard
has both elements. The Authors did not even bother to check their European
History and the result Holy Lance contains several mistakes. According to
the Authors, Austrians called for a union with...
Published on November 21, 2009 by Bookworm70


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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Way To See And Discuss Our World, November 21, 2005
This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
Who was the man who thrust the spear into Jesus as he hung from the cross? Why did he do it and whatever became of him? Where is that spear, long since referred to as "The Holy Lance" or "The Spear of Destiny?"

For those of us who question everything, books uncovering those details of history omitted in commonly-cited sources are better than good fiction: We love to find evidence that thickens the plots of the past because it makes fast-forwarding to the present so much more interesting-and our conversations so much richer.

Jerry E. Smith, author of, "HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy," has teamed up with George Piccard, author of "Liquid Conspiracy: JFK, LSD, the CIA, Area 51 and UFOs," to bring a lot of relatively unknown facets of the Crucifixion out for consideration. Then they take us on a journey through history following the path of the Holy Lance. The passages recreating the Crucifixion alone, where the story of The Holy Lance begins, brings new frontiers of discussion to the most celebrated event in human history.

But the story continues-with lesser and greater known kings and queens who came into the possession of The Holy Lance. Though I, personally, haven't the historical authority to qualify the accuracy of the authors' interpretation of history, it seems like theirs is the type of concise overview written by those who have command of the subject matter. Regardless, it is so much fun to rethink what we know about history with the spice of a new rogue element-kind of like putting the glasses on in the 1989 cult movie classic "They Live."

Charlemagne and Hitler both possessed The Holy Lance and this book makes both more interesting for the role this holy relic played in their lives. The authors spend quite a bit of time exploring the formative years of Hitler's life to give us a completely different perspective on how he took power and why he wielded it in the way he did.

I treasure The Secrets of the Holy Lance like I treasure all the things that have come my way proving, individually and in the aggregate, that the laws of natural science do not explain everything. There are so many stories down through the ages describing the magical power of certain objects and the supernatural abilities of certain individuals we cannot logically dismiss them all as tall tales-The Holy Lance now included.

I read all day long-you can imagine what I read to be part of the team publishing The IO. The way I have been reading Secrets of the Holy Lance is several pages at a time before falling asleep late at night. It says a lot, in my life anyway, that this book is, while it lasts, my favorite bed time reading.

There are a few scattered typos and misspellings, but this is a truly marvelous read that does exactly what all us dissident types love the most: Having a new way to see and discuss our world.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From One of the Authors, October 1, 2005
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
"Secrets of the Holy Lance" weaves together the many threads of the Spear of Destiny's legend like no book before it ever has. Simply put, we address more issues, events and topics than any other single book yet written on the Spear.

What is this "Holy Lance"? According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, as Jesus Christ hung on the Cross a Roman centurion pieced His side with a spear. A legend has arisen that "whosoever possesses this Holy Lance and understands the powers it serves, holds in his hand the destiny of the world for good or evil."

Also called the Spear of Destiny, this strange relic has been written about for nearly two thousand years. Trevor Ravenscroft captured the world's attention with his 1982 opus "The Spear of Destiny." Later that decade Col. Howard Buechner released two books that became underground classics, "Hitler's Ashes" and "Adolf Hitler and the Secrets of the Holy Lance." These picked up where Ravenscroft left off, with the Spear leaving Europe to hide for a while beneath the ice of Antarctica! Unless you have read Buechner's books you don't know that part of the story -- and there's more!

"Secrets of the Holy" Lance places this legend against the backdrop of world history: from its mythical creation by Tubal-Cain, seventh generation grandson of Adam, to its appearance at the Crucifixion; its use by Constantine, Rome's first Christian Caesar; to Charlemagne's claim that with it he ruled the Holy Roman Empire by Divine Right; and on through twelve hundred years of kings and emperors, until it came within Adolf Hitler's grasp -- and beyond! Did it really rest for a while in Antarctic ice? Is it now hidden in Europe, awaiting the next person to claim its power to shape the destiny of mankind? Or is it just an old spearhead, with no powers of its own?

We cover at length the several objects claimed to be The Spear, and the scientific testing that suggests that none of them are. Conversely, we delve into the metaphysics of this object and the hundreds of strange tales of supernatural events surrounding it. Could it really be a link to the "other side"? Mere belief that it was infused with magic by virtue of its shedding the Savior's Blood has made men kings. But what if it's more? What are those mysterious "powers it serves"?

As well as religious and metaphysical angles we also cover the political. Operation Paperclip at the end of World War II brought Nazi rocket scientists and spy masters to the US. Escaped Nazis set up vast German reservations throughout South America. We trace where these Nazis went and how the Third Reich morphed into the Fourth, which is part of the slid of America in totalitarianism today. If the Buechner scenario is true, then the Spear is again with them. Is there a connection between the Spear and current events -- like the horrific events of 9/11?

Topics in the book include: The Holy Grail; The Templar Knights; Nazi Occultism; Secret Societies; the quest for Agharta, Shambhala & Atlantis; Nazi UFOs; Operation Paperclip and the founding of NASA and CIA; Operation Highjump, Station 211 & The Battle For Neuschwabenland; The Rise Of The Fourth Reich, and much more.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A complete, unbiased history! Finally!, September 29, 2006
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
Jerry E. Smith and George Piccard provide a great overview of the legends surrounding the Spear of Destiny, aka the Holy Lance. Students of the subject know that the first book on the Spear (Ravenscroft's) was a wee bit on the crazy side. It spent more time talking about who the Nazis were in their past lives than the Lance. The second main Spear book, (Buechner and Bernhart's) was great, but is now unavalible. Smith combines all these books into one, handling the legends as well as all known facts about the Lance. I would call this the most imformative and well-written book on the subject. Smith and Piccard's volume is like Alec Maclellan's "The Secret of the Spear"... but on steriods. Anyone interested in Christian relics, Nazi occultism, or just looking for a good read should pick up "Secrets of the Holy Lance" as soon as possbile.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Book, November 21, 2009
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
There are two types of bad books: poorly written and poorly researched.
Unfortunately, Secrets of the Holy Lance by Jerry Smith and George Piccard
has both elements. The Authors did not even bother to check their European
History and the result Holy Lance contains several mistakes. According to
the Authors, Austrians called for a union with Germany (Anschluss) and Hitler
had support within the state (223). This was non-sense because the support
was minimal because the Majority preferred to preserve the republic.

The Bibliography is confined to secondary english sources. Omitted were the
German and Latin literatures that contained full history or treatment of the
subject. I a^m greatly disappointed by this book. It is not worth the price.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a fun read., May 12, 2006
This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
Hey I've read all the usual books on the Spear. This one is the most complete. The full history of the Spear (I mean all the 'Spears") is not included in any of the others. LOTS of info here.
It's rare for a book to get better towards the end (Come on, most info authors run out of steam before they finish. They just add junk at the end cause nobody reads that far!) If you get bogged down in the middle, skip to the end for the excitement. In fact the writting style also gets even better at the end.

As to the poor proof reading comment. The guy's right. If typos bother you.... However that's a publisher's problem. The truth is these kinds of books don't sell enough to pay for high quality proof reading. Still in truth I wasn't bothered by them (and I usually am) because the material is so well organized and written that I focused on what I was reading. Also as I understand this book is ready to go into a second printing. AUP (the publisher) usually corrects typos then. Seriously typos are a big issue for me and I gotta say there really were not that many in this book.
They didn't bother me and I've stopped reading other books because of typos.

Buy the book. Jerry's neutrality on the good vs. evil issue of the Spear is refreshing. He's not a Nazi. He's a fair reporter on a very controversial topic.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Lost History of the Lance and Post-WII Events, September 29, 2010
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
The Lance doesn't usually get the same attention as the Holy Grail (The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief) or the Ark (Searching for the Ark of the Covenant: Latest Discoveries and Research), but its history is just as fascinating. With some trepidation one might pick up this book because its authors are conspiracy chasers, but by and large they do a decent job surveying the history of the Lance. Sometimes they do jump off a cliff like when they compare the Lance metal to metal found at Roswell. Or when they dredge up an obscure text on a descendant of Cain who worked with metals and thus postulate he must have made the Lance. And where did they get the idea that Boadicea, Queen of the Celts, obtained the Lance? They don't say. But I have found three portraits of Boadicea holding a spear. Coincidence?

Since the Lance pops up and disappears so many times, it's hard to trace all of its whereabouts, and there are more than one relic claimed to be the real Lance. The authors mainly focus on the one in Vienna which is the one that the Germans were interested in. The details of the influences that shaped Hitler's depravity is an insight into why he did what he did. Surrounded by evil people only furthered his. The discussions of what the Germans did after the war is more of a highlight than the Lance history itself. After all these decades maybe the truth of the secretive and hidden post-war era will finally be figured out.

The authors usually get their religion right, not subscribing to the fantasies of those who think Christ never died (The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ and The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus). They mention the interesting possibility of Joseph of Armitheia, and even Christ, visiting Britain (Did Jesus Come to Britain?: An Investigation into the Traditions That Christ Visited Cornwall and Somerset). On occasion they do get a bit new ageish in certain discussions. They later mention the unfounded Grail theories of Christ surviving without comment and it really doesn't have much to do with the discussion at hand. They also state at one point that the Bible claims the world is only 6000 years old. The Bible does not claim this (see The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis). While I didn't take the time to confirm every fact and figure in the book, there is a lot of interesting material here for those interested in relics and history. See also Hitler's Holy Relics: A True Story of Nazi Plunder and the Race to Recover the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, Hitler's Flying Saucers: A Guide to German Flying Discs of the Second World War, Hitler's Suppressed and Still-Secret Weapons, Science and Technology and Reich Of The Black Sun: Nazi Secret Weapons & The Cold War Allied Legend.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Save your money for a real book about the Spear, May 19, 2010
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
I am currently reading Jerry Smith's book, that he so highly reveres, and am having great difficulty trying to finish it. Maybe its the typos on every other page or sentences that start "To save his bacon". Or maybe its the over use of quotations exemplifying his inability to write for himself. I bought it with the intent to learn about the Spear and its history but most of the book is spent talking about things other than the Spear itself. If I wanted to learn ever minute detail about the founding of Rome I would have bought a book about the founding of Rome. The only redeeming value in this book is that it gives some solid history on everything except the Spear. Get and editor.
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14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Legend of the Spear of Destiny., September 11, 2005
This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith there came thereout blood and water. - Gospel of John, 19:34.

". . . whosoever possesses this Holy Lance and understands the powers it serves, holds in his hand the destiny of the world."

_Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History and Legend_ by independent esoteric researchers Jerry E. Smith and George Piccard published by Adventures Unlimited Press is a fascinating account of the Spear of Destiny, its history, and the role this sacred relic used to pierce the side of Christ as he suffered upon the Cross has in the rise and fall of nations and empires. The authors are indebted to their friend the late Jim Keith, occult and conspiracy research, whose researches on mind control, the Illuminati, secret societies, and the New World Order global tyranny proved most prescient in the light of the events following the September 11, 2001 horrors. This book traces the development of this occult relic, believed to hold powers over the destiny of men and nations as it passed from one great leader to another, culminating in the seizure of the spear (the "Heilige Lanze") by the megalomaniac madman Adolf Hitler.

The Spear of Destiny was a spear wielded by the Roman centurion Longinus, who became a convert to Christianity, used to pierce the side of Christ as he suffered upon the Cross. Later legends speak of the spear in conjunction with the Cup of Christ's Holy Blood, the Holy Grail, believed by some to have been taken to Glastonbury in England by Joseph of Arimathea. Prior to this, the spear had been wielded by Boadicea, the pagan queen, leading an army of brave Celts against the Romans. The spear also came to be wielded by the Roman emperor Constantine upon his conversion to Christianity (having had a dream in which the sign of Christ appeared in the sky and he was told to conquer under this sign). The spear also played some role in the lives of the emperor Julian the apostate, who attempted to return Rome to paganism, as well as the barbarian warlord, Atilla the Hun. In later days, Charlemagne, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the emperor Frederick Barbarossa were believed to have wielded the spear, along with the Knights Templar. Adolf Hitler, under the influence of various initiatic secret societies ultimately deriving from Blavatskian Theosophy, is believed to have taken an interest in the spear. The book shows the development of Aryan philosophies through such individuals as Guido von Listz and Rudolph Sebottendorf under the influence of Blavatsky. Hitler as well as Himmler (the "pagan pope") took an extreme interest in this holy relic, fueled by his megalomania (perhaps brought about after his experience with a psychologist who attempted to cure him of blindness by showing him the power of the human will). The Nazis actively sought out relics around the world and may have hidden in South America (Argentina?) or in secret bases in Antarctica after their Third Reich fell apart. The authors show how various U.F.O. sightings may be linked to Nazi interest in rocketry and flying saucers. Finally, with the creation of a New World Order, particularly in light of Bush I's speech justifying a "new world order" oddly reminiscent of a similar speech by Hitler, the Holy Spear has again come to light. The role of secret societies including the freemasons but also particularly the Skull and Bones fraternity (which has actively taken a role in politics and supplied most of the U.S. presidents and business and political leaders) need not be underestimated. With the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Patriot Act was put into effect which may justify unconstitutional measures by the government. These events are oddly reminiscent of the kind of New Order programs specified by the various totalitarian regimes of the past century. Finally, there is the issue of Antarctica, a vast untamed wilderness, and the various expeditions which have visited this southernmost continent and the believed presence of the spear buried beneath the ice.

For those interested in occult history as well as folklore and legend and conspiracy theory, this book provides a very fascinating account of a holy relic which may influence the events of world history. Perhaps, the Antichrist is actively using the spear to promote discord among nations until the Second Coming of Christ, a return that is truly expected and hoped for by billions of Christians across the world.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing the spear's metaphysical truths and cult history, May 5, 2006
This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
Expertly researched and knowledgeably co-authored by Jerry E. Smith and George Piccard, Secrets Of The Holy Lance: The Spear Of Destiny In History And Legend is an explorative study of the historical pursuit, ownership from Constantine to Adolph Hitler, and influence of the spear attributed Christian folklore as the one used by a Roman legionnaire, Cascus Longinus on the body of Jesus Christ when He was crucified just outside of Jerusalem and thought to be endowed with supernatural powers as a result. Revealing the spear's metaphysical truths and cult history, Secrets Of The Holy Lance informs its readers by providing them with a progressively unfolding understanding of this empowering object's mythic truths and background, leading readers to questions with respect to its current whereabouts and future destiny. Secrets Of The Holy Lance is very highly recommended reading, especially to anyone interested in the timeless stories surrounding of the Spear of Longinus.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book., March 30, 2006
By 
Ryan C. Mercer (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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This review is from: Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend (Paperback)
Much of the stuff covered in this book I've heard briefly mentioned in various other places. It was nice to see it all put into one place and elaborated on. Mr Smith personally responded to some emails of mine I had when I had a few questions about the book... that is impressive, most authors are nearly impossible to contact, and even if you manage to find a way to contact them they don't want to answer your questions, especially when they are authors of books similiar to this one.

I wish the book would have been a bit longer but it was still a superb read... I have to admit, now I want to steal the spear for my own plans of world domination, but that probably isn't smart. Mr. Smith needs to pump out more books on this topic as now he's got me, hook... line... and sinker. This is a great book, but don't take my word on it (sorry reading rainbow) so check it out for yourself. Mr. Smith needs to write more on this subject, as he's got me hook... line... and sinker.
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Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend
Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend by George Piccard (Paperback - April 10, 2005)
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