The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

Book Description

Restores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine

• The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary

• Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought

• Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual tradition

Perhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more controversy and debate than Mary Magdalene. Also known as Miriam of Magdala, Mary Magdalene was considered by the apostle John to be the founder of Christianity because she was the first witness to the Resurrection. In most theological studies she has been depicted as a reformed prostitute, the redeemed sinner who exemplifies Christ's mercy. Today's reader can ponder her role in the gospels of Philip, Thomas, Peter, and Bartholomew--the collection of what have come to be known as the Gnostic gospels rejected by the early Christian church. Mary's own gospel is among these, but until now it has remained unknown to the public at large.

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the Gospel of Mary from the Coptic and his thorough and profound commentary on this text are presented here for the first time in English. The gospel text and the spiritual exegesis of Leloup together reveal unique teachings that emphasize the eminence of the divine feminine and an abiding love of nature over the dualistic and ascetic interpretations of Christianity presented elsewhere. What emerges from this important source text and commentary is a renewal of the sacred feminine in the Western spiritual tradition and a new vision for Christian thought and faith throughout the world.

Customer Reviews:

a little objectivity please...........2007-08-22

In all this debate about Mary Magdelene (and now Judas), one all-important fact seems to elude us "enlightened" moderns: the Church Fathers, who established the official canon at the Council on Nicaea, lived nearly 1600 years closer to the time of Christ than we do. That means that the apostolic Traditions, which they strove to follow, were much fresher in memory; in other words: there were only 400 years of transmission of those traditions. 1600 years later, along come the moderns, suddenly boasting that now we know what REALLY happened with Christ and His followers! This is the height of pride. The Church Fathers were not dreaming or pleasing their own ideological fancies, as most moderns are in these matters; they were striving to strictly adhere to the truths and sacred memories that were passed down to them, in an unbroken line of apostolic succession. Think of that before dismissing their decisions about rejecting certain texts.

Gospel Truth.......2007-08-10

One of the happy outcomes of The Da Vinci Code phenomenon is a wider awareness of the "Gnostic Gospels". Publishers have not been slow to respond, but this precious volume towers above the crowded scene along with its companion titles in the series: the Gospels of Thomas and Philip. The French admire and understand these long-lost Scriptures and Leloup uniquely combines mystical insight with scholarly wisdom. The big problem is that other most editors and commentators "leave the track" because they are one or the other. Your best guide is qualified in both fields! Take this book to your heart.

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.......2007-08-09

Enlightening and very well written. Confirms what I always felt was Mary's status in relation to Jesus.

The Gospel Of Mary Magdalene Words To Live By:.......2007-05-29

It's disheartening that the first 6 pages and pages 11--14 of Mary Magdalene's gospel are missing. It would've been a gemütlich experience to read those missing passages considering the inquiries that were raised.
On page seven of the gospel the inquiries asked were "What is matter? Will it last forever?" It seems that Jesus (in the tradition of Aristotle) and his apostles were engaging in a dialogue about physics. Could Jesus have been an academic in philosophy? It seems to delineate in that direction and Jean-Yves Le Loup's interpretation of the gospel may indeed hold the argument apposite.
It isn't at all surprising to note that the Catholic Church won't endear this document since it (along with the Gospel of Philip) shows unequivocally that Jesus wasn't a virgin, that he had passion for a woman (Mary Magdalene) who also had intimacies toward him. (How salacious of them!)..........{I'm being cynical so don't be offended.}
Furthermore, most religious individuals who are indoctrinated by the lies of the Church still believe that Mary was a prostitute even though the Bible doesn't indicate this. "Mary's identity as a prostitute stems from Homily 33 of Pope Gregory I, delivered in the year 591[AD], in which he declared that she and the unnamed woman [prostitute] in Luke 7 are, in fact, one and the same, and that the faithful should hold Mary as the penitent whore." Pope Gregory's comments were and still are abhorrent, but what is even more despicable is the fact that it wasn't until 1969 that "the Catholic Church officially repeal[ed] Gregory's labeling of Mary as a whore, thereby admitting their error--though the image of Mary Magdalene as the penitent whore has remained in the public teachings of all Christian denominations. Like a small erratum buried in the back page of a newspaper, the Church's correction goes unnoticed, while the initial and incorrect article continues to influence readers [believers,]" said Le Loup.
Anyway, what ever happened to love, respect and forgiveness? Isn't that what Jesus was being pedagogical about?
Religion has never been about love because religion is really a euphemism for government, and governments since the beginning of time have always been malevolent!
And this gospel, plus many others (such as the Gospel of Thomas) demonstrate that fact. If religion were really about love then why would the Church be so adamant about hiding the fact that Jesus had a companion? It's something you should really think long and hard about especially after reading this book.
Ponder on this thought; in chapter seven Peter asked Jesus: "Since you have become the interpreter of the elements and the events of the world, tell us; what is the sin of the world?" Jesus then answered by stating, "There is no sin."
Now, just think about that for a moment "There is no sin." This quote from Jesus is what the Religious institutions don't want you to read because then you'll begin to ascertain what the meaning of life really is.
Jesus then went on to say; "It is you who make sin exist, when you act according to the habits of your corrupted nature," as religious leaders and governments do all the time. They are corrupt and give into their proclivities for empire, which is something we should never ascribe to. Jesus also said; "This is why you become sick, and why you die, it is the result of your actions; what you do takes you further away. Those who have ears let them hear!"
The arguments that Jesus and Mary Magdalene raise are simplistic, yet uncanny. What is even more amazing is the leadership role that Mary takes after Jesus' death. She becomes the teacher and leads the Apostles on their godly mission.
Insofar as Le Loup's commentary, it is very intricate yet deep. Le Loup searches for a deeper meaning by using philosophical arguments to make his case. He meticulously uses the gospels in the Bible and makes comparisons to Mary Magdalene's gospel in hopes of showing a correlation between them; that there isn't any contradiction.
In my opinion, Le Loup successfully validates the authenticity of the Gospel Of Mary Magdalene, and that we should all take a profound glimpse into our Four Dimensions of Humanity, which he thoroughly explains in his commentaries.
In some aspects Le Loup's commentary reads like a new-age self help book, which makes it an A+ dissertation because personal spirituality is always healthy, whether you are an atheists, or a religious person it doesn't matter just getting in-touch with your positive self for the good of all mankind is worthwhile. Le Loup effectively demonstrates that this is what Jesus was ascribing to achieve.

Earns a re-read.......2007-04-17

Very interesting that Jesus shared w/Mary the details of a woman's inner knowing, we call women's intuition. Some of this writing was over my head & I've read many parts many times.

The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus

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The Gospels of Mary
Scholarship imitates (bad) art.
Will the real Mary please stand up?
The Beloved Disciple.

The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus
Marvin W. Meyer , Esther A. De Boer , and Esther De Boer
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Apocrypha | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060727918
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com

One of the foremost scholars on Gnosticism now explores the fascinating and often misinterpreted woman known as Mary Magdalene. Following the recent whirl of interest in Mary Magdalene that was generated by The Da Vinci Code, Marvin Meyer (The Ancient Mysteries) delves into the earliest texts available to reveal a disciple of great spiritual maturity who was extremely influential in the survival of Christianity. Although he is doubtful of the grand conspiracies laid out in The Da Vinci Code, Meyers does believe that it was institutionalized sexism that caused Mary to be deliberately "marginalized" as a prostitute in the New Testament. "The portrait of Mary in literature and art as a reformed whore is impressive, but it is mistaken in terms of historical accuracy and literary interpretation," he asserts. "…It was not until the late sixth century that Po! pe Gregory the Great formally identified Mary Magdalene with the prostitute of Luke 7, and the identification stuck." In fact, Meyer claims that there is no convincing documentation to link Mary with the unnamed prostitute who washes Jesus' feet with her tears. Using his scholarly authority as well as extensive research supplied by Esther A. De Boer, Ph.D. (Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth), he helps Mary emerge from the shadows of Orthodox Church and gain her rightful place as the highly influential disciple and apostle of Jesus. He believes that Mary had a physical love relationship with Jesus, and was probably the mysterious "beloved" disciple that is mentioned in the Gospel of John. Furthermore, he believes that Jesus may have seen Mary as the most spiritually evolved disciple. Much of the book includes quotes and interpretations of the earliest literary sources available, including the recently discovered Gospel of Mary (written in the second century), as well as the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, Peter, Thomas, and Phillip. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

Collected together for the first time are the original Gospel of Mary, one of the "Gnostic Gospels," and three other secret texts that reveal the significant role Mary Magdalene played in Jesus' inner circle of disciples.

This is a new translation of the Gospel of Mary, as well as Meyer's translations of significant portions of other Gnostic gospels and texts in which Mary Magdalene plays a major part, including the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas, Dialogues with the Saviour, and Pistis Sophia. Also included are the passages in the New Testament Gospels that feature Mary Magdalene, and they can now be read in a whole new light. Cumulatively, these texts reveal a vibrant oral tradition in which Mary Magdalene is not only a follower of Jesus but his companion and closest disciple.

The book will include lively historical introduction by Meyer, and an interpretive essay by Karen King at Harvard Divinity School, the foremost expert on the Gospel of Mary, whose translation and commentary on the Gospel of Mary is being published by an academic press in October '03.

Customer Reviews:

The Gospels of Mary.......2007-08-09

A rivetting read. Confirms what I have always believed - women do have a role to play in the church other than arranging flowers, or providing morning tea.

Scholarship imitates (bad) art. .......2006-06-16

The idea of putting together all the texts for the Mary Magdalene tradition is an interesting one; if you're really interested in that subject, you might find this book worth your time and money.

I am, however, losing patience with the misdirection and disingenuity of the growing "Gnostic Gospel" racket. Dan Brown is rightly criticized, as a novelist, for playng fast and loose with history; as a scholar, Meyer ought to care primarily about historical fact, which is more remarkable in this case than the fantasies. But he shows a soft spot for the merely sensational.

Meyer introduces his texts as follows: "This book presents English translations of the earliest and most reliable texts that shed light on this remarkable woman and the literary traditions about her." In fact, only the canonical Gospels (some would add parts of Thomas) have any claim to telling us about the woman; the rest are about the tradition - as Meyer and every serious scholar knows. (Like Karen King, whose parallel book on Mary plays similar, but less blatant linguistic games.) But unlike King, Meyer allows his readers to glide through the entire text of his book without once honestly marking the line between history and legend.

Meyer does draw a line between canonical and extra-canonical works: "Within these texts Mary Magdelene plays a leading role, but often, particularly in the New Testament, the centrality of her role may be obscured by the interests of the authors of the Gospels, who advance the cause of the male disciples (especially the Twelve) and the place of Peter." So it seems the NT texts "obscure" the truth about Mary for political gain, while the latter are more willing to give her a fair shake.

What could it possibly mean to say the Gospels "obscure" a "fact" that would not be invented for decades, or centuries, after they were written? Did they have time machines with which they went forward a century, read the Gnostic texts, and returned to the 1st Century to deconstruct them?

Meyer repeatedly commits such gross anachronism (first among deadly sins for historians). His eye for detecting "spin" is selective: he finds it in the canonical Gospels, but not in the "Gospel" of Mary. But in the Gospels, the followers of Jesus are shown in all their flaws, none more fully than Peter. In Mary, by sharp contrast, the favored disciple is presented (as King put it) as a "model disciple," while Peter, her orthodox foil, is intentionally undermined. So Meyer detects manipulation in texts that describe the "pillars of the church" in all their perversity, pigheadedness, and lack of understanding. But he sees none in later texts that present heroes and villains in bright, shiny white and black hats, nary a flaw in the one, hardly a virtue in the other!

I have no reason to doubt Meyer's competence as a translator, and the texts themselves can be interesting. (Though most are readily available elsewhere.) The "Manichean Psalms of Heracleides" was most interesting to me, partly because I had never read it before, but also because it is a nice poem about Mary at the resurrection of Jesus. Philip, Thomas, Mary, the Dialogue of the Savior and Pistis Sophia are full of metaphysics, but fortunately in small doses. The final essay by De Boer is a lot better than I expected; actually a rather balanced discussion of how both Gnostic and orthodox texts treat women, sometimes with some misogeny, but better than the norm for the times. The reason I expected worse is because earlier, Meyer repeats the ludicrous argument De Boer made elsewhere that the "beloved disciple" was Mary M. John obscured the fact, and then, after 2000 years of misunderstanding, De Boer finally figured out the truth. I am always amazed when a scholar calls the author of a Gospel a liar, then feigns to "read between the lines" of his work and tell us "what really happened." This seems particularly unfair in the case of John, accused by Elaine Pagels of undermining Thomas in a similar way, since in fact John treated male disciples much more roughly than the ladies, and gave us a picture of everyone far more rounded and realistic than any of the Gnostic texts.

All in all, this has the feel of a book Harper & Row hopes for a healthy return on a small investment of capital, time, character, or cottonwood fiber.

author, Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could

Will the real Mary please stand up?.......2005-09-22

Anyone who has heard of the Da Vinci Code (which is, by now, much of the world) will likely also know that the central idea is that Mary Magdalene was a rather different person in actual life than the person portrayed in church tradition and the gospel extrapolations.

Indeed, as has become better known in the past generation, there were many more gospels floating around the early Christian world than the canonical four (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), most of which were lost to the world through various processes. Among the stronger early traditions that later got branded as heretical was the Gnostic tradition, and in this community, Mary Magdalene had a place of honour.

Drawing from the four canonical gospels, as well as writings such as the Gospel of Peter (in fragmentary form), the Gospel of Thomas (a collection of sayings), the Gospel of Philip, the Pistis Sophia and other texts including the Gospel of Mary, Marvin Meyer presents a new look at the importance of Mary Magdalene as being one of the most important figures in early Christianity. The Eastern church has preserved her memory of prominence, often referring to her as the Apostle to the Apostles, the first to announce the resurrection and the first to witness the risen Christ. These recollections are preserved in the canonical witness.

The Gospel of Mary exists in a fragmentary form among the Nag Hammadi documents, discovered in 1947. Many pages are missing, including the beginning, middle and ending. However, the character of Mary is highlighted in many gospels; Meyer selects texts throughout the various gospels to show an extensive interaction between Jesus and Mary, the other disciples and Mary, and Mary's own prominence as a witness to the outside world.

This text presents a more realistic way of viewing the character of Mary Magdalene than sources such as Da Vinci Code/Holy Blood, Holy Grail/Woman with the Alabaster Jar present. According to Meyer, 'the sources about Mary Magdalene published here may not be as flamboyant as some of these later legends, but they are more trustworthy as witnesses to the figure of Mary and literary traditions about Mary.' Indeed, Meyer speculates that Mary might not have been only 'a' beloved disciple, but perhaps 'the' beloved disciple referred to not by name but by relationship in the canonical gospels.

This is a short text, consisting mostly of Meyer's own translations of the primary documents; Meyer's commentary is kept to a minimum, useful in its way, but he permits the texts to speak for themselves. He gives a useful index and helpful scholarly notes.

This book will be of special interest for those who want to dig deeper into the realities underpinning modern novels and explorations about the subject, and of general interest to those who want to see the diversity in Christian belief, practice and writing in the earlies centuries.

The Beloved Disciple........2004-05-05

Since the discovery of The Gospel of Mary in the late nineteenth century in Egypt and the Nag Hammadi texts in 1947, the figure of Mary Magdalene has gained prominence in religious scholarly circles as well as popular culture.

The first to bring Mary Magdalene to a wider audience was Elaine Pagels' groundbreaking text, The Gnostic Gospels. Though, interestingly, it was the popular thriller by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, that really caught the imagination of a wide readership, sparking many texts, both scholarly and otherwise, to be published.

Marvin Meyer, editor of the Gospel of Thomas, has written and compiled in this text a selection of extracanonical literature, including the New Testament Gospels, revealing the central role of Mary Magdalene in the formation and history of Christianity. However, Meyer points out, that, The New Testament obscured the importance of Magdalene's role through the interest of the author's who..."advanced the cause of the male disciples (especially the Twelve) and the place of Peter." (iiv) There is no doubt that Mary Magdalene, after reading this brief though informative selection of texts, was the beloved disciple to Jesus, and for many reasons, culturally, politically or otherwise, her importance was suppressed, and only now, over two thousand years after the birth of Christianity, has her central role as apostle and teacher, is gaining prominence once again.

Meyer's has compiled a selection of Christian literature, including segments of the New Testament, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, The Gospel of Mary, Thomas, Phillip, The Dialogue of the Savoir, excerpts from the Gnostic text, Pistis Sophia and segments from The Manichaean Psalms of Heracleides, that all mention Mary Magdalene in one context or another, emphasising her close relationship with Jesus and her pivotal role in Christs crucifixion and resurrection.

Close examination of the numerous non-canonical texts along with the New Testament, to my mind, will only strengthen one's belief and spiritual insights into the divine. There are many reasons why the figure of Mary Magdalene has been marginalized from the "official" church, however, her emergence as the beloved companion to Jesus in our modern times from the "shadows of history", can only nurture our spiritual natures, guiding us on our personal journeys.

Book Description

Jesus touched the lives of many women with compassion, love, and forgiveness. However, the story of the women who followed Jesus goes almost unnoticed in the gospels. The Magdalene Gospel shatters the centuries of silence imposed on these women. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and others devoted their lives to Jesus; they gave up everything for him, because he had given them everything. As Jesus gave his life for them, these women shared his pain at the foot of the cross, and risked their lives by caring for his crucified body. In the dark nights and gloomy days between Jesus' death and his resurrection, Mary Magdalene and the other women tried to make sense of their Lord's tragic end. This is their story. The Magdalene Gospel tells the very personal, moving stories of how Jesus changed people's lives. Stricken with the unspeakable pain of losing Jesus, Mary Magdalene and her friends grieve, cry, and care for one another. They emerge from this dark hour by caring for others, as Jesus had cared for them. Weakly, but then with increasing strength, they give voice to the depth of their love of Jesus and their reasons for following him. In sharing their stories, Mary Magdalene and her sister mourners begin to shed the burden of grief. No other book allows women disciples to tell their own stories. This fresh perspective, presented in a captivatingly personal, yet very accessible style, enlivens the well-known story of Jesus. The Magdalene Gospel is good news for everyone.

Customer Reviews:

Jesus' ministry, from the perspective of the females.......2005-06-04

The Bible tells us that females were there, also, when Jesus walked the Earth and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Though men wrote the Gospels and have received most of the attention among Jesus' disciples, there were the women, also, and it's their perspective that Mary Ellen Ashcroft takes in this slim hardcover.

In a quick, easy-to-follow read, Ashcroft adopts the first person for each character who speaks in this novel: Mary Magdalene, Salome, Martha, Joanna, Rhoda and others. Each tells the effect Jesus had on her life. The tone is dark, dramatic and loving, and the women show emotions that reflect not just a student attitude toward their Teacher, but also motherly and sisterly feelings. The most captivating story to me was the telling of the Biblical woman (Ashcroft names her Lydia) with a longtime discharge of blood, who pushes through a crowd to touch Jesus' robe and be healed.

Like novelist Margaret George, Ashcroft sees a Mary Magdalene who is a smarter-than-average female of her time, and is tormented by various nightmares and demons before Jesus calls her to follow Him. Ashcroft address the age-old assumption of Mary Magdalene as prostitute: "Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute," she writes, "but a young woman straining at the confines of her culture's restrictions on women, and God alone knows how many women like her have been driven to madness over the centuries. Her reputation as a prostitute has been propagated by men who wanted to believe that anything might be possible of a woman who won a place so near the Christ." From a female perspective ... nice.

This book is fiction, a glimpse at what the women who followed Jesus MIGHT have felt and said to each other. I found it respectable, plausible and enjoyable.

The Gospel according to Women.......1998-12-31

Outrageous. Unthinkable. The Gospel as experienced through the lives of the women who followed Jesus, that is The Magdalene Gospel. As a woman feeling out of sink with the rest of the world, no matter where she turns, how refreshing to realize we each in relation to Jesus have our own stories to tell. The Gospel accounts are filled with Jesus' friendships, encounters, even dependence upon women and yet most of my own focus has often been on the men who surrounded Jesus. Why is that? This book touched something deep inside me as a disciple of Jesus Christ, a story crying out to be heard, my own story aching to be told, how I see things, how I express my own relationship with Jesus, different from men and yet just as important and precious in Jesus' eyes. Truly an affirming book. I found myself identifying with Mary, Martha, Mary the Mother of Jesus and others as they each stood at the cross watching their dreams come crashing in around them, sharing their stories as they wait for the break of day, only to be first at the tomb to care one last time for his body in gratitude for all that He had meant to them and all that He did for them. They were no lesser disciples. They were His and they sought to follow their Master no matter what. Well researched. Well written. Readable and affirming for not only women but also men. We can be who we are as we follow the one who came to make us all we are meant to be.

an interesting and easy read but lacking in depth.......1998-09-22

If you are looking for an interesting and emotional account of what Jesus meant to some of the women who followed him, you will enjoy this. If you are looking for true scholarship, this is not for you. It's a quick, easy read. You can probably finish it in a single sitting if you are an avid reader.

The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine

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Begin your spiritual journey
Frightening Book -- shame on Dan Brown for referencing her work
Starbird as Scholar
Highly disappointing
Don't Read This Book First

The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine
Margaret Starbird
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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Unexplained Mysteries | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 187918155X
Release Date: 1998-10-01

Book Description

In an era that has reclaimed many aspects of the feminine, Margaret Starbird’s The Woman with the Alabaster Jar stands out as a courageous exploration of the scorned feminine in the Western religious tradition. But espousing the marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene created a personal crisis for this Catholic scholar. In The Goddess in the Gospels the author tells how she was guided in her ever-deepening study of the New Testament and the gematria--number coding of the Greek alphabet--by an incredible series of synchronicities that mirror the inner and outer worlds and which reveal the Sacred Marriage of male and female--the hieros gamous--leading to her own personal redemption.

Customer Reviews:

Begin your spiritual journey.......2007-01-14

This is the book that changed my life. I read it and I began my spiritual spiral towards feminist religion. Margaret Starbird was a Roman Catholic when she read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, a book that dared to suggest that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalen and that their descendants carried on his holy bloodline in Western Europe.. Her theological beliefs were profoundly shaken, so she set out to refute the book, but instead found evidence for the existence of the bride of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was the same woman who anointed him with precious unguent from her "alabaster jar."

This book is part non-fiction thesis proving that Mary Magdalene was the bride of Christ. Starbird draws evidence from history, heraldry, symbolism, medieval art, mythology, psychology, and the Bible itself. It is also part narrative of Starbird's spiritual crisis. She got to the point that she felt that she was going crazy.

Upon reading this book, I too had a spiritual crisis. Although I was not raised Roman Catholic, I found it amazing that the Church suppressed Mary Magdalene and the sacred feminine. I began to fear I was becoming a conspiracy nut. I dreamed that God was talking to me, telling me I needed to investigate the presence of females in religion. I feared that I spiritual crisis would lead to a mental crisis. I read more and more until I realized that I was not alone, and that my beliefs were valid. Then my spiritual journey became a part of my everyday life.

Frightening Book -- shame on Dan Brown for referencing her work.......2006-05-05

Starbird's The Goddess in the Gospels is a frightening book in it's near-zero use of reason and reasonableness.

The issues in this book are legion, much like the demons in Luke 8:30. But, because I just tied the word "legion" from a Bible passage about demon possession to her book, can I then make the conclusion that Starbird is possessed? No, I cannot. I am just making that connection up. Yet, that's what Starbird does throughout this book. She uses numerology (Greek "Gematria") to draw connections between words from all over history - ancient fertility cults, the Bible, the planets and stars, etc.

Let's look at an example on page 156, in the section where she overviews Gematria. Here Starbird associates 1080 with the numerological value of the letters of the Holy Spirit (gr. to agion pneuma) -- note, she needs the definitive article here to get what she wants. But, she drops the article in other places, with other words. The number 1080 is also "based originally on the calculation of the radius of the moon" and the moon is associated with the feminine throughout the "ancient Middle East" (the "Middle East" here is never defined, no support is given outside conjecture that this is tied together, and the radius calculation is never explained). In Gematria, the Greek word for dove adds up to 801, which is an anagram of 1080 (it is???)! The dove was later adopted by Christians to represent the Holy Spirit (whose number is 1080). "So by Gematria, the Holy Spirit is linked explicitly to the lunar or feminine principal and to the dove" (pg 156).

This is how she makes connections. The problem with numerology is that you can take all the words you want, transcode them into numbers, and then pick and choose the connections that agree with your theory, and ignore those that don't. If you add the ability to do number anagrams (which she does), you get an unlimited number of combinations you can make. AND when you take into account that ancient texts can have minor variants from their originals (from being copied multiple times) - how do you know you're working with the right one? Finally, on page xvi, she admits herself that she has changed the spelling of certain words she uses (in Magdalene, she has added the `e' at the end, and in hieros gamous, she has added the u). This would change the value of these words, but I am sure these new values help her make new numerical connections. Did she go back and invalidate the old ones??

What gives Starbird peace of mind that she is revealing truth, and not just reveling in delusions? Simple - she is having this "truth" revealed to her by the Holy Spirit through 3 modes (page xi-xii): 1) through connections from her earliest childhood memories, including "blue iris and stone citadels, beloved fairy tales, storybook titles, symbols, and puns", 2) her charismatic community Emmanuel , in which she has had "prophetic revelations" including "timely scriptural passages, locutions, and often startling synchronicities" and 3) Gematria. So, in common terms, she feels revelation is coming to her by 1) childhood memories of fairy tales, 2) people saying what they want (locutions) and coincidence, and 3) numerology where she can make up whatever connection fits her model.

Addressing priest sexual abuse, priest celibacy, and looking to empower women are all noble aims. Doing it with nonsensical quackery is not helpful. For shame on Dan Brown for referring to her as an authoritative source in the Da Vince Code (page 253, DVC).

Starbird as Scholar.......2005-08-14

After reading the "review" by an "English professor" who attacked Margaret Starbird as scholar and author, I felt compelled to respond. Does a degree in English make one an expert in religious studies or scriptural exegesis? It seems hypocritical for an unqualified critic to accuse Starbird of being unqualified. Starbird's work is certainly more solid than the attacks on her work.

Margaret Starbird is a scholar of comparative literature, with a focus on scriptural texts, and literary traditions of the Medieval period. Starbird sticks to her own area of expertise. Her work is comparative analysis and interpretation of texts.

Starbird is an independant scholar, no longer teaching, now devoted to full-time writing and lecturing. Her academic work is impressive. She completed both a BA and MA in Comparative Literature and German at the University of Maryland. After that, she studied for a year on a Fulbright Student Fellowship to Albrechts Universitt in Kiel, Germany. She then pursued Doctoral studies in German, Comparative Literature and Linguistics at the University of Maryland. Following that, she studied at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Theological Studies.

Margaret taught university German as full-time faculty at the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University.
Following that, she was faculty, teaching religious education and scripture course for a variety of schools, including U.S. Army schools and Roman Catholic parishes. I should mention that while Margaret was doing all of this academic work and teaching, she was moving around the globe with her husband, an officer in the military, and rasing their five children. Margaret is the author of six or more books, some of which have sold many thousands of copies and been translated into several languages.

Margaret knows her texts well, she has analyzed and compared them extensively, can quote or cite them at length from memory. She also has an uncanny gift of finding deeper paralells and meanings embedded within the texts. She deftly excavates patterns and connections between texts. Margaret opens new meanings previously locked within texts. She has an ability to connect texts, stories, symbols, and traditions to a 21st- century mindset, making them live in contemporary society. She is not just a scholar, she is an inspired scholar.

It's easy to criticize others' work, but hard to produce something oneself. Unless one is an author or scholar, one cannot appreciate Margaret's knowledge, skill, comfort with her area, or ability to speak about the texts eloquently.

Margaret is not trying to be an historian, she's doing feminist theological interpretation of literary texts. She never claimed to be an historian, and she's not using historical method. It's illogical to accuse of her failing to do something that she's not trying to do. She claims to interpret text from a feminist perspective. And that's what she does--interpretation of texts. Meanwhile, even historians don't view biblical texts as history.

Highly disappointing.......2005-07-30

After reading "The Da Vinci Code," I started tracking down Dan Brown's sources, mostly to verify if his research is as sound as he presents it to be. Among the books mentioned were Margaret Starbird's two books dealing with Mary Magdalene. Knowing nothing about Ms. Starbird and judging by the title of "The Goddess in the Gospels," I expected a scholarly, historical and exegetical work which would shed light on biblical material.

Instead, I waded through page after page of painfully atrocious writing dealing mostly with Ms. Starbird's conflicted beliefs, crisis of faith, disappointment with the Catholic Church, struggle with mental illness, as well as some of the wildest connections ever made between unrelated events (e.g. the tragedy of the Challenger was a sign that the Catholic Church is corrupt). Along with these, there are plenty of so-called "prophecies," which basically consist of Starbird matching biblical passages to important events in her life, and of the "signs" that Emmanuel, the charismatic group she is part of, receives through the years. None of these, of course, have any scholarly or objective validity.

If you expect (as I did) to read new interpretations of obscure biblical passages or descriptions of historical evidence, you are out of luck. Since Ms. Starbird has little training as a theologian, biblical scholar, biblical exegete, etc., it is not surprising that all her information comes from already existing studies, so her contributions to the topic of Magdalene are minimal. She also makes grave, inexcusable errors, such as conflating Mary Magdalene with Luke's sinner, with the adulteress, and with Mary of Bethany. While some of these identifications were made by Gregory the Great, there is absolutely no evidence in the Gospels that Magdalene is all of these women, and serious scholars have long disputed the conflation. Ms. Starbird also seems to regard "Magdalene" as a personal epithet, without seeming to realize that it simply points to Mary's town of origin: Magdala or Migdol. Aside from these errors, there are references to books like "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," from which Ms. Starbird got the idea of the marriage; I will not deny that "HB, HG" is an entertaining read, but it is also based on a hoax (apparently, the authors themselves have realized that in the past years; maybe they should give Ms. Starbird a call).

The realization of the elimination of women from the structure of the Church is praiseworthy, but not new. If you want to learn more about it, and about the true, historical Magdalene, I highly recommend a scholarly book written by Dr. Susan Haskins - "Mary Magdalene - Myth and Metaphor." I was somewhat impressed when I saw that Starbird also consulted this book, but aside from ripping some of its more sensational discoveries, little of its serious research found its way into the pages of "The Goddess." For those interested in the Gnostic Gospels, I recommend Dr. Elaine Pagel's book.

All in all, "The Goddess" is a highly misleading book - it promises scholarly analysis and delivers the crazed autobiography of a self-proclaimed prophet (or, what ignorance does when allowed to run rampant).

Don't Read This Book First.......2004-04-25

To get the most out of Margaret Starbird's personal religious journey memoir, please read her other more scholarly works first. It will be less confusing for you. Otherwise, it is a good read on what one might go through when taking a leap of faith in a completely different direction.

The Gospel of Philip: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union

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"Steamy Sex with Jesus and Mary"? Hardly, But a Fine Book.

The Gospel of Philip: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union
Jean-Yves Leloup
Manufacturer: Inner Traditions
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ASIN: 1594770220
Release Date: 2004-08-16

Book Description

A new translation and analysis of one of the most controversial of the apocryphal gospels

• Emphasizes an initiatic marriage between the male and female principles as the heart of the Christian mystery

• Bears witness to the physical relationship shared by Jesus and Mary Magdalene

• Translated from the Coptic and analyzed by the author of the bestselling The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (over 90,000 sold

The mainstream position of the Christian church on sexuality was perhaps best summed up by Pope Innocent III (1160–1216) when he stated that “the sexual act is so shameful that it is intrinsically evil.” Another Christian theologian maintained that the “Holy Ghost is absent from the room shared by a wedded couple.” What Philip records in his gospel is that Christ said precisely the opposite: The nuptial chamber is in fact the holy of holies. For Philip the holy trinity includes the feminine presence. God is the Father, the Holy Ghost is the Mother, and Jesus is the Son. Neither man nor woman alone is created in the image of God. It is only in their relationship with one another--the sacred embrace in which they share the divine breath--that they resemble God.

The Gospel of Philip is best known for its portrayal of the physical relationship shared by Jesus and his most beloved disciple, Mary of Magdala. Because it ran counter to the direction of the Church, which condemned the “works of the flesh,” Philip’s gospel was suppressed and lost until rediscovered at Nag Hammadi in 1947. Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup’s translation from the Coptic and his analysis of this gospel are presented here for the first time in English. What emerges from this important source text is a restoration of the sacred initiatic union between the male and female principles that was once at the heart of Christianity’s sacred mystery.

Customer Reviews:

"Steamy Sex with Jesus and Mary"? Hardly, But a Fine Book........2004-10-18

Kudos to Mr. Leloup for a valuable contribution (if a somewhat free "translation") to our knowledge of this gem from the Nag Hammadi library, where it lay in jar in the same "volume" as the profoundly important "Gospel of Thomas" for nearly 2000 years. As to the publisher's misleading (and inadvertently hilarious) back-cover enticements, well, that's another story. "The Gospel of Philip," we are assured in the breathless copy, "is best known for its portrayal of the physical relationship shared by Jesus and his most beloved disciple, Mary Magdalene." Ahem - not quite. There is a line, in this translation anyway, in which Jesus kisses Mary "on the lips," eliciting what is apparently jealousy on the part of the other disciples (though this is not quite clear). And that's about it for the Jesus - Mary connection. It is true that, in this translation at least, the reunification of mankind required for the return to God is described twice in terms of an analogy to sexual union in the "bridal chamber," but there is nothing at all depicting Mary and Jesus in any such bridal chamber or union (the aforementioned lip-kissing excepted). Sorry to have to be the one to tell you.

As to the translation itself (following a scholarly Introduction, dating the Gospel of Philip to roughly 150 C.E.), Leloup concedes that his rendering of the opaque original text (largely incomprehensible gibberish in the earlier Nag Hammadi Library translation) is creative and speculative, and it is fairly obvious that he has been influenced by A Course in Miracles, for which he finds ample support in the Gospel. Indeed, the most moving (because most comprehensible) parts of the text are those which depict the re-gathering of mankind (all life, actually) into what the Course describes as the Sonship, as the last triumphant step before the return to God. If Leloup is correct, and these elements are in fact a key part of this ancient forgotten Gospel, then the Course itself also deserves a second (and third) reading. Or is Leloup only "finding" these themes in the strange Coptic text, the way one "finds" shapes in Rorshach inkblots? Without a working knowledge of Coptic, it's difficult to tell, of course. But Leloup certainly makes a strong case that the Gospel of Philip was shockingly different from any of the canonical Gospels, and even from the (much earlier, Leloup believes) Gospel of Thomas. What is really needed, but what we will likely never have, is a Gnostic Skeleton Key text, a Gnostic Rosetta, to provide the background theoretical framework (possibly Jesus' own, or a derivation of His teachings, it is true), without which the text is almost hopelessly strange and seemingly garbled. (Ancient Gnostics, no doubt, would be proud of the opacity of the Gospel, which only the Enlightened Ones would be able to make sense of).

This is not to say that, in Leloup's hands, the Gospel of Phiip does not have moments of numinous beauty and clarity as breathtaking as anything in the Gospel of Thomas. "God is a dyer;/ The good dyes, known as genuine,/ become one with the materials they permeate./ This is how God acts." (p. 73, ll. 43-46) (And even here, what is the gratitous "known as genuine" tag doing there?) And, "Humanity is the food of God" (p. 79, l. 50). What a strange notion. Again, "In the beginning, God created humans;/ then humans created god." (p. 115, ll. 94-95). And a masterful sermonette on the need for God's teachers to accord their message to their listeners: "There are many animals in the world who appear in human form;/ the wise one gives acorns to pigs, barley, hay, and grass to livestock, bones to dogs,/ to servants he gives basic lessons;/ and to his children, the teaching in its entirety." Where do the canonical Gospels fit in this hierarchy, one wonders.

Did Jesus really say these things? Hard to imagine this, but possible - though the Gospel text does not attribute these to Jesus (only once or twice is Jesus directly quoted). Presumably these are meant rather to be Philip's reflections on what he learned from Jesus. Whichever it is, this is essential reading!

The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Wisdom)

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Content/ Packaging

The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Wisdom)

Manufacturer: Watkins
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1842931210

Book Description

In 1945 several secret gospels, hidden since the first century, were discovered in the Egyptian Desert at Nag Hammadi. They caused a sensation in the religious world as they revealed the mysteries of Gnostic Christianity. The gospels selected for this volume reveal intimate conversations between Jesus and his disciples and shed new light on his relationship with Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Thomas, also included, consists of symbolic mini-parables, many of which are not in the New Testament.

Customer Reviews:

Content/ Packaging.......2007-06-11

Been wanting this material for nearly 20 years and in this form it is the more easily picked up and put down as time allows. Excellent edition and extremely well-packed.

The Magdalene Gospel: Meeting the Women Who Followed Jesus

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Spiritual and Moving
Compelling

The Magdalene Gospel: Meeting the Women Who Followed Jesus
Mary Ellen Ashcroft
Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0806643587

Book Description

Mary Ellen Ashcroft paints a portrait of the Saturday after the crucifixion and before the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene and the other women followers of Jesus have gathered together to comfort one another in this time of unspeakable loss and sadness. As each woman shares her story, it becomes clear that her experience as a follower of Jesus has changed her life forever.

Customer Reviews:

Spiritual and Moving.......2003-06-26

Reading this book was a profound faith experience. Through her fictional narrative, Mary Ellen Ashcroft takes the reader beyond the stark simplicity of the Gospel accounts and explains the depth of meaning of the lives of the women in the Gospels. The "woman with a hemorrhage," for example, is given life through Ashcroft's moving descriptions of what it MEANT to a first-century Jewish woman to live with a "hemorrhage" - how it made her ritually unclean, shunned by all society, and how her unauthorized touch of Jesus' robe made HIM ritually unclean as well. For readers unfamiliar with the intricacies with the ancient Jewish faith, this book breathes life into Jesus' story, making him a real, true friend of women and a radical thinker with regard to "women's rights" - a concept which didn't even exist at the time.

Compelling.......2002-07-08

Sometimes the truth smacks us hard between the eyes. It hurts, but we are better for the encounter. That's the way it is with Dr. Ashcroft's work.

Drawing extensively upon Biblical, archeological and sociological resources, Professor Ashcroft draws a vivid picture for us of the women who followed Jesus. Her end-notes are generous and irrefutable.

Dr. Ashcroft helps us to understand how Jesus' message and ministry liberated these women from unjust cultural and religious bonds. His presence led to freedom for them just as surely as it did for the poor, the sick, the demon possessed, the Gentiles, and all the others oppressed by the religious and secular authorities of his day.

Many Biblical scholars have argued that Jesus' angry exchange with the money changers in the Temple led to his crucifixion. Dr. Ashcroft, subtlely, demonstrates that the incident in the Temple courtyard was part of a larger constellation of his empowering the oppressed and standing against the oppressors, which ultimately led to his execution. In the end, the powerful men of first century, Pallestinian, Jewish society simply could not afford to allow this trouble-maker to hang around. He was just too threatening to their interests to be allowed to live.

Dr. Ashcroft, implicitly, argues that we have not often heard this liberating Gospel, because in a Church controlled by men it is both inconvenient and embarrassing. If that is so, then we have forgotten why Jesus came. If that is so, then we are as wrong, and as subject to judgement, as were the scribes and the Pharisees.

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This requires a careful read but it can change your mind.

The worst piece of dribble that I have ever read

Still crazy after all these years

Jesus the Man: Decoding the Real Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene
Barbara Thiering
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unlocking the Secrets of His Life Story

Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unlocking th Secrets of His Life Story

Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed

The Magdalene Legacy: The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy

Jesus the Man

ASIN: 1416541381

Book Description

Jesus was the leader of a radical faction of Essene priests. He was not of virgin birth. He did not die on the Cross. He married Mary Magdalene, fathered a family, and later divorced. He died sometime after AD 64.

In this controversial version of Christ's life, theological scholar and bestselling author Barbara Thiering presents, after more than twenty years of close study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gospels, a revolutionary theory that, while upholding the fundamental faith of Christianity, challenges many of its most ingrained supernaturalist beliefs.

Jesus the Man will undoubtedly surprise those for whom a traditional understanding of biblical history is immutable and unchallengeable. But for the throngs who have been fascinated by new interpretations of this history, Thiering's work will be an essential and thrilling read.

Customer Reviews:

This requires a careful read but it can change your mind........2007-08-13

Let's assume you are not a literal Christian that cannot accept anything that would threaten the Jesus as God preaching. Otherwise, don't buy or even touch this book because it is blasphemy.

Ok, for those of you who can think for yourselves, give it a try. It is complex and takes a careful reading to follow what was a complex society in Qumran. Those scholars (with credentials) that have examined this book (and the others) have not found fault with her compilation of the data. As a scientist I'm impressed with her method which is careful and consistent. Her story makes more logical sense than any other Jesus story I have read (including the Bible). She may be right or wrong but she is definitely not a crackpot or whacko.

As for the duplication; the original "Jesus the Man" was not available in the US for many years because of pressure from Christian groups(according to the publisher). Since there is money to make riding on the Da Vinci Code phenomenon (which Thiering detests) another publisher has jumped in for the bucks.

Her other two books are easier to follow but this one is the core information.

The worst piece of dribble that I have ever read.......2007-04-28

It should be noted, as other reviewers have also pointed out, that `Jesus the Man: Decoding the Real Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene' is the same book as `Jesus the man', which is the same book as `Jesus & the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls'; all different ISBN's and publishers but essentially the same book; repackaging in trying to dodge the negative reviews of the past and trying to cash in on the Da Vinci $.

Thiering uses the pesher technique to try to prop up her works. A look at most other reviewers from those that have read her books, will tell you how flawed this technique is.

I think very little of the present author along with another writer, Laurence Gardner. They both contend that Jesus descended from the cross of which he was nailed and crucified to. Gardner goes that bit further and say's that Jesus Christ was drugged while on the cross until reviving post crucifixion. Both authors use this argument to then continue to say that Jesus lived the happy family life in begetting children. This then is Gardiner's cash cow, the power of the crucifixion to give the appearance of power via an imaginary blood line. Let's put the word 'Logic' on the cross instead. Even if you don't believe in Jesus Christ having been crucified, try to at least understand this. Crucifixion is a death sentence. You have a crowd of people watching and Roman soldiers doing the crucifying. You then have a body that is nailed to timber at the hands and feet. Added to all of this is the scourging that the Romans inflicted inclusive of the spear that pierced the side of Jesus, causing water and blood to gush out. According to scripture, Christ did return to walk this planet, but in a glorified state i.e. "Touch me not for I have not yet ascended". From an esoteric perspective, the mission of Jesus was an evolutionary pathway. According to esoteric wisdom, the need for a human partner would have been a necessity prior to Jesus' sacrificial mission. To insinuate Christs return to father children is preposterous.

So which is it, there is no proof of Christ ever existing, as most armchair internet theologians would try to tell you, or Christ died and came back and fathered children; all equally trying to devalue the mission of Christ in the spirit of Antichrist; the continued voice of the masses, which still cries to this day "Crucify him and give us the murderer Barabbas instead". Hardly the middle ground of Christ came as a sacrifice to die for the sins of humanity. Christ gives us the example towards spirit and spiritual ascension, while the ego with its desires, passions and lusts, stands in direct opposition to this.

This book deserves a 0 star rating. This is the worst book that I have ever read, a book full of unverified fabrications and outright lies. If you're into the Da Vinci code stuff, do yourself a favour and look for a book and author with more credibility, so as to not waste your time and money and to save filling your mind with useless dribble.

Still crazy after all these years.......2007-03-17

Read this in 1992, and bought it again recently. It's still whacko. That is except for one brilliant point that stuck in my mind all this time. The probelm is she mentions it only in passing..and doesn't follow it to the obvious conclusion.

The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene: Including the Lost Verses of The Gospel of Mary, Revealed and Published for the First Time

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Claire & Margaret - You've done a good job!!
An Intuitive and Historical Literary Art
Before you buy...
The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene
First Book I ever Returned to Amazon for a Refund!

The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene: Including the Lost Verses of The Gospel of Mary, Revealed and Published for the First Time
Claire Nahmad , and Margaret Bailey
Manufacturer: Watkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1842931822

Book Description

Discovered in fragments in Egypt in 1945, The Gospel of Mary remains one of the most controversial texts of early Christianity. This translation of Mary’s teachings, from the original Greek and Coptic, offers a unique new perspective: authors Claire Nahmad and Margaret Bailey utilized "inner listening" to uncover lost material, and they present Mary’s ideas in the form of a dialogue between the (risen) Savior and His disciples. Most importantly, the volume includes a description by Mary of special revelations given to her by Jesus. Nahmad and Bailey argues that Mary was not just the consort of Christ but the feminine Christ herself, and in their view, the partnership between Jesus and Mary exemplifies the crucial balance of male and female in spiritual and corporeal life. It’s an interpretation that uncovers a rich subtext in Mary's words offering wisdom on an extraordinary range of concerns, from the origins of the human race to the pathway to Christlike consciousness.

Customer Reviews:

Claire & Margaret - You've done a good job!!.......2007-04-20

I bought this book for myself on my birthday, January 6th, and read it in 1-2 days. It was interesting and a very easy read from beginning to end. Good work (wink)!!

An Intuitive and Historical Literary Art.......2007-01-01

I too am surprised at some of the negative reviews, given so much historical accuracy in the book. I have not read her other works, but intend to buy them now. I am a Mystic and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I believe that all spiritual paths eventually get us to the same place of union with each other and the Divine Source.

There is just as much validity in communicating with fairies as there is in communicating with Jesus and relatives who have exited this body. I have communicated with all of these and more. I communicate with Jesus and my angels the most and believe Him to be in every path, as is Buddha.

Whether you choose to believe all that is written here, it is in my opinion, a wonderful compilation of many ideas around the historical and Biblical accounts of Mary Magdaline. The authors report the historical interpreations that differ from their own.

In the end, a book is always written from the perspective from the author. Just as 5 people can see an auto accident and report 5 different accounts of what "really happened" we will always have many different interpretations of history, of the Bible, and of spiritual books that are not the Bible. Ultimately, we all can go into ourselves and connect with our own Guidance for the valid answers for ourselves.

I enjoyed reading the "channeled" missing pages of the Gospel of Mary. Until the missing pages are found, these offer one possiblity of what is missing. There is much depth in the book siting Mary's connection to The Egyptians, the Essenes, Camelot, to Britian. There is even information to tie this to our chakras.

I applaud the authors for standing in the integrity of thier beliefs and their interpretation of the Mary Magdalene Story.,

Before you buy..........2006-09-25

Those expecting the revelation of hitherto unknown writings of ancient origin will be sorely disappointed. From the onset, the reader must accept without skepticism the claim of the authors that they are in direct communication with Mary Magdalene herself, and that not only has she transmitted the so-called "secret teachings" to them but is also the corroborator of the book's claim to "historical" accuracy. If one does not accept this proposition, one is faced with reading a stew of fact, theory and fiction consisting primarily of gigantic leaps of faith, unreasonable assumptions and unsubstantiated conclusions. One might also consider the previous works of author Nahmad, which includes "Fairy Spells: Seeing and Communicating with Fairies" when deciding the validity of the author's "sources". Personally, it was a claim I was unable to bring myself to consider beyond the first few chapters.

As an aside, I would offer the analysis that such books do nothing to advance the study and practice of feminist spirituality, except perhaps for those who are satisfied with merely feeling good about it.

The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene.......2006-05-03

I have just finished reading 'The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene.' I find it hard to believe that one reviewer suggested it was a work of fiction - she can't possibly have read it from cover to cover as she would be well aware that it is full of verified historical content. I would also suggest that she has little understanding of Gnosis - inner knowing. Has she not heard of the Gnostic gospels and of the group of people calling themselves Gnostic, who believe that spiritual development and enlightenment are achieved through inner knowledge? It does state clearly on the synopsis that the authors have intuited inner knowledge i.e. Gnosis. The book also discusses the immense connection to Great Britain that the group called the Bethany party has. The group included the three Marys, Joseph of Arimthea and other disciples. Source documents verify Mary Magdalene's presence in Britian. These historical events are recorded in the British Royal Archieves, The Doomsday Book and in many other ancient texts including the Vatican Library - FACT! Mary Magdalenes gospel found in 1896 in Cairo- FACT! In AD 36 the first chapter of land dedicated to Jesus Christ was the land in the Isle of Avalon / Glastonbury, given to Joseph of Arimethia by King Guiderius and his brother Prince Arviragus. The land consisted of 12 hides, a hide for each of the 12 disciples of the Bethany party. These 1920 acres are officially recorded in the British Royal Archives one of the orinial charters is embodied in the Doomsday Book AD 1066 - FACT!
Quote Doomsday Book AD 1086 - Survey Folio P249B
"The Donus Dei in the great monostary of Glastonbury called the secret of our Lord. This Glastonbury church possesses in it's own ville X11 hides of land which have never paid tax."
These are just a few examples of the many historical facts in this book. Facts- not myths, legend or fiction.
I personally feel very strongly about this wonderful book, beautifully written, full of fact and Gnosis. It gives insight into how, if we wish to embrace Mary's message within, humnity could be restored to a place of peace and balance. A transformative read - a must for all!

First Book I ever Returned to Amazon for a Refund!.......2006-04-22

Absolute FICTION. This book should be labeled FICTION, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT HISTORY! When a book is "channelled" , this should be made absolutely clear in the info & description given about the book and should not be catagorized as HISTORY! This is the first book, out of 100's that I have ordered from Amazon that I have returned for a refund. I am willing to eat the shipping charges on the return, which I shouldn't have to pay - as this book is mislabeled by the publisher!

The Gospel of Philip: Annotated & Explained (Skylight Illuminations)

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The Gospel of Philip: Annotated & Explained (Skylight Illuminations)
Andrew Phillip Smith
Manufacturer: Skylight Paths Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159473111X

Book Description

The Gospel of Philip is one of the most exciting and accessible of the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. The source of Dan Brown's intriguing speculations about Mary Magdalene in his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, the Gospel of Philip draws on ancient imagery--the natural world, the relationships between women, men and family, the ancient distinctions between lord and servants, free people and slaves, and pagans, Jews and Christians--to offer us insight into the spiritual interpretation of scripture that is at the foundation of Christianity.

The Gospel of Philip: Annotated and Explained unravels the discourses, parables and sayings of this second-century text to explore a spiritual, non-literal interpretation of the Bible. Along with his elegant and accurate new translation from the original Coptic, Andrew Phillip Smith probes the symbolism and metaphors at the heart of the Gospel of Philip to reveal otherwise unrecorded sayings of Jesus, fragments of Gnostic mythology and parallels to the teachings of Jesus and Paul. He also examines the joyful imagery of rebirth, salvation and mystical union in the bridal chamber that was the pursuit of Christian Gnosticism.

Now you can experience this ancient Gospel even if you have no previous knowledge of early Christianity or Gnostic thought. This SkyLight Illuminations edition provides important insights into the historical context and major themes of the Gospel of Philip, and gives you a deeper understanding of the Gospel's overarching message: deciphering our own meaning behind the symbols of this world increases and enriches our understanding of God.

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