Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26895 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-30
• Released on: 2002-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

From Booklist
Interest in Mary Magdalene, the quasi-legendary woman of the Gospels who stood in an ambiguous relationship to Jesus, is booming just now. According to noncanonical sources, she was Jesus' wife, and probably not the prostitute with whom she is often conflated or confused. Among those unorthodox sources is one of the fragmentary early texts rejected by the church fathers and now called the gnostic gospels. Found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in the Egyptian desert, it is a short but complex Coptic text that appears to render the voice of Mary Magdalene. This volume contains English translations of Leloup's French version of the original and Leloup's extensive commentary, which discloses the theology that inspired the lost gospel. Less dualistic and more woman-affirming than the canonical quartet, the Magdalene's gospel might be embraced by contemporary seekers, both Christian and non-Christian. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
. . . taken with the inspired commentary by Jean-Yves Leloup, can help toward making the teaching of Jesus once again alive. -- Jacob Needleman, author of Lost Christianity and The American Soul

. . . the Magdalene's gospel might be embraced by contemporary seekers, both Christian and non-Christian. -- Patricia Monaghan, Booklist American Library Association, April 2002

Leloup's commentary presents a scholarly translation with an inspirational and passionate interpretation. -- Steven Sora, author of The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar

One welcomes this solid telling of the story and meaning of a neglected text at the root of Christian wisdom. -- Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing

Readers will welcome this perceptive translation of the Gnostic "Gospel of Mary" and the insightful commentary by scholar-mystic Jean-Yves Leloup. -- Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar

Review
"The Gospel of Mary, taken with the inspired commentary by Jean-Yves Leloup, can help toward making the teaching of Jesus once again alive."
(Jacob Needleman, author of Lost Christianity and The American Soul )

"Leloup's commentary presents a scholarly translation with an inspirational and passionate interpretation. . . . Going  beyond the gospels to the laws of the Torah and the philosophical writings of Kant, the author at once discovers the truer meanings of an ancient text and a message as important today as it was two millennia ago."
(Steven Sora, author of The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar )

"Readers will welcome this perceptive translation of the Gnostic 'Gospel of Mary' and the insightful commentary by scholar-mystic Jean-Yves Leloup. The journey of the soul and other profound and subtle teachings of Jesus and his beloved Miriam will enlighten modern seekers."
(Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar )

"One welcomes this solid telling of the story and meaning of a neglected text at the root of Christian wisdom, and of a neglected figure who had a special relationship both with the historical Jesus in his lifetime and with the Christ spirit after the death of Jesus."
(Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing )

" . . . the Magdalene's gospel might be embraced by contemporary seekers, both Christian and non-Christian."
(Patricia Monaghan, Booklist American Library Association, April 2002 )

"There are some fascinating glimpses at gender politics between the earliest followers of Jesus and the enigmatic personage of Mary Magdalene. Christians have come to think of her (with no basis in biblical fact) as the repentant prostitute, while to his followers she was the one Jesus loved 'differently from other women.'"
(KJ, Napra ReView, May/June 2002 )

"He sets the record straight and provides ample commentary on where the historical records went astray."
(New Women New Church, Summer 2003, Vol.26 No.2 )

"I love this gospel . . . it speaks such truth as the Church desperately needs in these times."
(John Gilbert, Ph.D., Gnostic News, December 2003 )

"The commentary by Professor LeLoup is beautifully done. He is indeed a scholar of the earth Church."
(John Gilbert, The Temple of Gnostic Yoga, December 2003  )

"Powerful, almost Taoist in range, this is an important book and should be read by anyone interested in Mary Magdalene or the early Church."
(Pamela Crossland, TCM Reviews )

Customer Reviews

Analyzed.
This is a Gospel that is very short in itself. Taken from the parchment found in a cave. It is analyzed
by a lot of different people, and is ear opening to listen to.

Re-read it and you will get more out of it!
The first time I read this book it was as if my Catholic brain could not absorb the detail. I re-read it and similarly I have very limited memory of reading it at all. The third time was the charm, it all started to click in to place, it was as if my brain had to be jump started. I am now reading it again, 4th time, and hope that I glean even more. I like the way the material is presented by the Author as well, his insights into early Christian/Jewish, or vice versa, traditions are interesting as well. All in all this book is worth the re-read!

a little objectivity please....
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.