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Mary Magdalen: Myth and Metaphor
A dramatic, thought-provoking portrait of one of the most compelling figures in early Christianity explores two thousand years of history, art, and literature to provide a close-up look at Mary Magdalen and her significance in Christian thought. Reissue.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 28, 2025
HASKINS'S 1993 BOOK surveys the same topics covered in the more recent book by Philip Almond--Mary Magdalene in the gospels and the gnostic gospels, Gregory the Great's creation of the "composite Magdalene," the astonishingly inventive medieval legends about her, her becoming the icon of penitence--but in a great deal more detail.
Almond's book is brisker and a little livelier, but if you are in the mood for a really deep dive, go with Haskins. Haskins has an extensive background in art history, so she is particularly well informed on the long and ever-evolving iconological traditions around the Magdalene.
Her book was published ten years before Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, so there is just a glancing reference or two to the conspiracy theory that Mary and Jesus had children and that their descendants were the kings of France. The less said about that, the better, methinks.
Is Mary Magdalene having a moment? The New Yorker ran an interesting article by Eliza Griswold on her in April, and the Urban Abbey, a Methodist-affiliated congregation in Omaha, had a program called "Six Weeks with Mary Magdalene." I myself hope she is, and about time, too.
Almond's book is brisker and a little livelier, but if you are in the mood for a really deep dive, go with Haskins. Haskins has an extensive background in art history, so she is particularly well informed on the long and ever-evolving iconological traditions around the Magdalene.
Her book was published ten years before Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, so there is just a glancing reference or two to the conspiracy theory that Mary and Jesus had children and that their descendants were the kings of France. The less said about that, the better, methinks.
Is Mary Magdalene having a moment? The New Yorker ran an interesting article by Eliza Griswold on her in April, and the Urban Abbey, a Methodist-affiliated congregation in Omaha, had a program called "Six Weeks with Mary Magdalene." I myself hope she is, and about time, too.
January 17, 2016
Traces the evolution of the character of Mary Magdalen, starting with the scant source material in the gospels and her original importance as the first one to see Jesus resurrected as the first Apostle, to how she was merged with two other gospel characters (Mary of Bethany and Luke's unnamed sinner) in the Western Church (the Orthodox Church apparently never merged the three characters) to become the reformed whore, and how this merging coincided with women being stripped of positions of power within the early church that they once held. She argues for the return of Mary Magdalen as the first Apostle as an argument for women to once again hold positions of power within the church.
I thought the first part of this book was fascinating. It detailed the early history of the church and the early myths well. She makes the oft made point that one of Christianity's weaknesses the lack of important women in its mythos. As a non-Christian I will say one of the big reasons Christianity does not appeal to me that much is because none of the female characters in it's mythology are that interesting, but an early Mary Magdalen challenging gender norms to preach to men as well as women is far more interestingly than a reformed prostitute.
The sexism of the Virgin Mary-Mary Magdalen dichotomy was very much felt in this, and reading this it also puts into perspective a lot of our modern problems regarding contraceptive coverage in the US. 2000 years of a culture that glorifies sex phobia is hard to shatter overnight, no matter how harmful it is.
Towards the middle of the book, it turned art-literature critic, which got exhausting. I'm not a big art person, and ended up skimming large sections of the latter half of the book as a result. The last chapter was a return to the beginning of the book and worth reading.
I thought the first part of this book was fascinating. It detailed the early history of the church and the early myths well. She makes the oft made point that one of Christianity's weaknesses the lack of important women in its mythos. As a non-Christian I will say one of the big reasons Christianity does not appeal to me that much is because none of the female characters in it's mythology are that interesting, but an early Mary Magdalen challenging gender norms to preach to men as well as women is far more interestingly than a reformed prostitute.
The sexism of the Virgin Mary-Mary Magdalen dichotomy was very much felt in this, and reading this it also puts into perspective a lot of our modern problems regarding contraceptive coverage in the US. 2000 years of a culture that glorifies sex phobia is hard to shatter overnight, no matter how harmful it is.
Towards the middle of the book, it turned art-literature critic, which got exhausting. I'm not a big art person, and ended up skimming large sections of the latter half of the book as a result. The last chapter was a return to the beginning of the book and worth reading.
April 30, 2025
This book traces all the iterations of Mary Magdalene over the past 2000 years. It took me approximately one month to read in its entirety due to the extensive research and details throughout. Susan Haskins is both knowledgeable and thorough in her writing. My favorite quotes came near the very end of the book.
“In the radical version of much of what until now has been accepted interpretations of the early Church and women’s participation in it, Mary Magdalene’s figure has emerged in bold relief, restored to her New Testament role as chief disciple, apostle to the apostles, and first witness of the resurrection. The significance of this reevaluation has so far gone mostly unacknowledged by the Church of Rome…..”
“Magdalene may now be seen in her rightful role, this in itself has done little to re-establish the importance of that role. But as awareness of her role increases, so too does our awareness of her importance; she has become a touchstone in relation to such contentious issues as the wrangle within the churches over that last bastion of patriarchy, the ministry and ordination of women.
“Mary Magdalene continues to travel with the times, once again a prototype for women, but this time in her own guise, and as the symbol of women’s right to resume their place in the Church.”
“In the radical version of much of what until now has been accepted interpretations of the early Church and women’s participation in it, Mary Magdalene’s figure has emerged in bold relief, restored to her New Testament role as chief disciple, apostle to the apostles, and first witness of the resurrection. The significance of this reevaluation has so far gone mostly unacknowledged by the Church of Rome…..”
“Magdalene may now be seen in her rightful role, this in itself has done little to re-establish the importance of that role. But as awareness of her role increases, so too does our awareness of her importance; she has become a touchstone in relation to such contentious issues as the wrangle within the churches over that last bastion of patriarchy, the ministry and ordination of women.
“Mary Magdalene continues to travel with the times, once again a prototype for women, but this time in her own guise, and as the symbol of women’s right to resume their place in the Church.”
March 22, 2020
I read this book as research for a novel I'm writing, with particular interest in the legend of Mary Magdalene's life in France. This book does an amazing job of bringing all the information about Mary Magdalene together paired with a sober view. The author does not push her views on anyone, nor does she draw farfetched conclusions. She just describes how Mary Magdalene has been portrayed in art, literature, and religious sects through the ages, starting from the gospels and the letters of Paul, until the 1990s, when the book was written. It's a no-nonsense approach that will satisfy anyone who is looking to delve deeper into the myths and metaphors around the amazing Mary Magdalene.
August 7, 2025
I enjoyed tracing the history of Mary Magdalene and how perceptions of her changed over time. This book does not hold back on how horribly Mary Magdalene has been treated culturally. Finally she's getting the respect she deserves!
It's an academic book, so it can be challenging to read at times, but so worth the effort!
It's an academic book, so it can be challenging to read at times, but so worth the effort!
March 24, 2020
interesting story.
Different prospective on Mary Magdalen
worth rfeading
Different prospective on Mary Magdalen
worth rfeading
January 18, 2022
Very interesting read. I has helped me with some aspects of my dissertation, especially through the exploration of the creation of the mythical Magdalene.
Read
August 9, 2023DNF
July 23, 2010
The night before my wedding, I had a dream about Mary Magdalene. I was sleeping over at the home of one of my bridesmaids, a devout Catholic and one of my best friends.
When I woke up in the morning, I saw this book on a bookshelf I hadn't seen the night before! I told her my story of synchronicity and she told me that her spiritual director has said to her that when you see that beam of light, you should step into it. So I borrowed the book.
It's a cultural history book masquerading as an art history book. It is illustrated with depictions of La Magdalene from medieval times to the nearly-present. I was especially interested in the way that artists co-opted (i.e., exploited) her as a way to create erotic art during a time of censorship. I get it but it saddens me that her true story is obscured and subverted by art that gets the whole message completely backwards. (The message to which I refer? That Mary Magdalene was freed by Jesus from exploitation by men.)
I was most excited by the chapter describing ministries to prostitutes and sex slaves in Europe that were named for Magdalene and took her as patron saint.
As for the writing, you get what you pay for: it's an academic book and reads as such. You wouldn't mistake it for pop lit, but it's accessible and mostly steers clear of jargon and academese. (I suspect art history writing in general is less egregious than lit crit, which I say with love as a literary critic/theorist.)
Sadly, though, the book goes off the rails at the end when the author tries to conclude with a thesis she hasn't earned in any way. It read as though she had turned in her final draft and the editor was like, Good, good but what is the point? So she tacked on a conclusion that she wished she had brought up before but it's already the deadline and oh, well, who is going to argue when the point is clearly just that people made art about Mary Magdalene in ways that reflected themselves more than her. (See, there's your ending!) What does ordaining women have to do with what I just read, pray tell?
This book would have only gotten 3 stars were it not for the fact that when I stepped into that beam, it led me all the way into the church and a deeper relationship with God. Mysterious ways, indeed!
When I woke up in the morning, I saw this book on a bookshelf I hadn't seen the night before! I told her my story of synchronicity and she told me that her spiritual director has said to her that when you see that beam of light, you should step into it. So I borrowed the book.
It's a cultural history book masquerading as an art history book. It is illustrated with depictions of La Magdalene from medieval times to the nearly-present. I was especially interested in the way that artists co-opted (i.e., exploited) her as a way to create erotic art during a time of censorship. I get it but it saddens me that her true story is obscured and subverted by art that gets the whole message completely backwards. (The message to which I refer? That Mary Magdalene was freed by Jesus from exploitation by men.)
I was most excited by the chapter describing ministries to prostitutes and sex slaves in Europe that were named for Magdalene and took her as patron saint.
As for the writing, you get what you pay for: it's an academic book and reads as such. You wouldn't mistake it for pop lit, but it's accessible and mostly steers clear of jargon and academese. (I suspect art history writing in general is less egregious than lit crit, which I say with love as a literary critic/theorist.)
Sadly, though, the book goes off the rails at the end when the author tries to conclude with a thesis she hasn't earned in any way. It read as though she had turned in her final draft and the editor was like, Good, good but what is the point? So she tacked on a conclusion that she wished she had brought up before but it's already the deadline and oh, well, who is going to argue when the point is clearly just that people made art about Mary Magdalene in ways that reflected themselves more than her. (See, there's your ending!) What does ordaining women have to do with what I just read, pray tell?
This book would have only gotten 3 stars were it not for the fact that when I stepped into that beam, it led me all the way into the church and a deeper relationship with God. Mysterious ways, indeed!
December 17, 2014
My fingers brushed the spine of this book at the library many weeks ago, and I felt like I had to read it.
After finishing, I don't feel incredibly enlightened, but maybe the understanding for the need to read this will come to me soon.
This was very interesting. I actually couldn't put it down once I got going. A little repetitive and very dense at times, yet over all a very informative and interesting biography.
I'm glad I read it, as I know more now than I did before. ...And isn't that the point of reading?
After finishing, I don't feel incredibly enlightened, but maybe the understanding for the need to read this will come to me soon.
This was very interesting. I actually couldn't put it down once I got going. A little repetitive and very dense at times, yet over all a very informative and interesting biography.
I'm glad I read it, as I know more now than I did before. ...And isn't that the point of reading?
August 23, 2016
An interesting attempt to first, sort out all the multitudinous Mary's in the gospels. And then, explore the various different myths surrounding the Magdalene, along with what political ends these different myths served when they were formed. In addition, the author explores some of the beautiful art exploring the Magdalene legend.
January 5, 2013
I had trouble getting into this book, even though the subject matter was interesting.
April 23, 2016
General overview of the life of a devout woman. Not my favorite, but I appreciated her life more!
September 2, 2012
Explains how this woman has been maligned by the Church for two millennium.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews