Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth

Rating:
Summary: Meditations on the record
Review: I enjoyed this book a great deal. I failed to agree with the author's conclusions, but doubt the intent was to convince. She shares her own meditations, but they are inspirational comments rather than legal epitaphs.

The book starts with a review of contemporary treatment of the icon 'Mary Magdalene'. We make a pilgrimage to a church dedicated to her and experience the emotions her passion play evokes. This image is then undermined by reviewing the history of Mary Magdalene's persona as described by church fathers over the last 1800 years.

De Boer then goes beyond the church fathers to the earliest evangelical quotes attributed to Mary herself: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. While the document is at least 1500 years old, it isn't clear what it represents: does it quote the words Mary spoke or is it simply another 'myth' about Mary.

De Boer spends a good deal of time addressing the problem of differentiating the three personas attributed to Mary:
1. Mary, the follower of Jesus presented in the canonic gospels,
2. Mary, the priestess of Christ as presented in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene,
3. Mary, the 'reformed prostitute' as presented by medieval European church fathers.

In the end, De Boer concludes the 'real' Mary was accurately quoted in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Rating:
Summary: Who was Mary?
Review: I read all I can about Mary. This is a nice addition along with Starbird, and of course, Defenders of the Holy Grail. We have been the victims of a patriarchal plot to remove Mary's role. This book helps restore balance

Rating:
Summary: If rumor were fact....
Review: If you want to read a book that deals with the facts of Mary of Magdalene's life and skip all the rumor and speculation presented as fact try "Mad Mary" by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Rating:
Summary: clear and informative
Review: This book was truly a pleasure to read. It is written clearly and gives a great deal of information in a relatively small space. It is worthy reading for one doing serious research, yet also qualifies as fun reading for one who is simply interested in Mary Magdalene. It includes excerpts from the Gospel of Mary, which are fascinating. I highly recommend this book to anyone.