The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus

by James D. Tabor

A world-renowned historian of early Christianity and ancient Judaism lifts the veil on the life of Mary—revealing her revolutionary role as the matriarch of the Jesus movement

“Tabor restores her voice, her faith, her motherhood, and, most of all, her humanity, in this groundbreaking portrait that challenges everything we thought we knew about the origins of Christianity.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot

Mary, mother of Jesus, is the best known—and least known—woman in history. Revered and worshipped by millions, she remains a figment of the imagination, the ethereal subject of Raphaels and Botticellis, bathed in heavenly light, too virginal and pure to move among us.

But what about the real Mary? The young Jewish woman and single mother of eight—five boys and three girls. The defiant citizen of Roman-occupied Galilee who survived through one of the most dangerous periods of Jewish history—an ancient “game of thrones” that claimed the lives of three of her Jesus and Simon by crucifixion, James by stoning. The historical Mary whose teachings and courageous example may in fact make her the “first founder” of what we now call Christianity.

This Mary has not only been lost to us—she has been systematically erased over the past two millennia by a theological, cultural, and political programme intent on removing her from the human realm and marginalising her womanhood, motherhood, and Jewishness.

In The Lost Mary, James D. Tabor corrects the record, laying out the results of his intensive textual and archaeological sleuthing over the past three decades, including new evidence regarding Mary’s genealogy (which may be hiding in plain sight in the New Testament!). Tabor’s quest for the historical Mary offers a transformative perspective on Jesus and his early followers, and recovers the nature and essence of earliest Christianity.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biography, Audiobook, Spirituality

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he has taught since 1989. He previously held positions at Ambassador College (1968-70 while a student), the University of Notre Dame (1979–85), and the College of William and Mary (1985–89).

Reviews

[Jenny]

I am not going to write a long review. I obviously disagreed with many of his conclusions. The editing did not help his argument. The buried ledes and organization of the information hurt the line of logic he was trying to develop. He did not spend much time discussing validity of sources he chose, but this is a popular level book, so that is not unusual.

I did very much enjoy the historical cultural context. The chapters focused on Herod and the generations leading up to Mary were fascinating and really helped bring to life the world Jesus was born into.

[Jean-Philippe Laugs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The central message of this book, that Mary, mother of Jesus, is THE inspirational founder of the Jesus movement, and a true Jewish heroine, is quite daring - and hard to accept. Is this book proof of a fact, or an attempt, made up of wishful thinking, answering perfectly to the current interest for the role of women in history?

Yes, the book brings together some quite interesting views on Christianity and the times and circumstances when the movement came about:
- The many Jewish uprisings, messiah candidates, crucifixions and beheadings before Jesus and after Jesus, that Mary must have witnessed when she was living in Nazareth, Sepphoris and Jerusalem.
- The sheer terror exercised by Roman occupiers and Jewish royalty.
- Herod not being of noble - i.e. royal and priestly - descent, being envious of and hostile to competitors to the throne. His many murders.
- Mary being of both royal AND priestly descent, making her offspring legitimate claimants to the throne of Israel.
- Mary being godmother of John the baptizer, mother of Jesus, her eldest born, and mother of 4 more sons and 3 daughters.
- Three of her sons (Jesus, Simon and James) having been executed, as was her nephew John. All were leading the movement one after the other.

However, the ample speculations about who might have been Jesus’ carnal father, and the many lines dedicated to the Roman? Jew? Pantera?, remain very unsatisfactory. The answer simply cannot be given and we need to acknowledge and accept that. Jesus was a man, born from a woman, father unknown. Joseph was already an old - but just - man but no more than Jesus’ adoption father - although he likely was the father of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
Tabor pictures Mary as being the sole person - a young widow - raising her kids, transferring values, insights, spiritual learnings onto them, including their cousin, John the baptizer. He makes the whole beginning of the movement a family affair, Mary at the centre, and in doing so puts the role of Jesus in a new perspective. Through time the ‘true’ Mary that he claims to have discovered, family affair included, has been written out of the official story and was forgotten. History favoured the christianity as it was retold by Peter and redesigned by Paul.
For all this Tabor draws ‘evidence’ from multiple sources, and this includes his many travels to the holy land and his own archaeological research. He states that he has spent many years in making up the picture. An obsession? What can we really know for certain, what can we conclude, make up, guess, what can we only speculate about?
When I was reading the book, it struck me how adamant Tabor is right from the start about the mystery that he is about to unravel in all detail. This finalistic way of telling the story I did not really appreciate.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short version is I think there's some interesting stuff in here but (IN MY OPINION.) Tabor is clearly so close to the material that he could not successfully make this a great book for a general audience.

The LONG version is as follows:
The problem with writing a book about the historical Mary Mother of Jesus is that there is so little written about her in our historical sources. Which Tabor admits, and he gives us his best approximation of Mary's life based on the circumstances in ancient Judea/Galilee under Roman rule, what we generally know (or can safely say) about Jesus's life, and then some educated guessing. The last part is where I start raising some eyebrows. Because yes, I do agree that it makes sense for Mary to have been an original founder and a leader after Jesus' death. But I think the leap to his ultimate conclusion, that Mary set the stage for the entire 'Jesus' movement by raising him with their founding radical ideology. Why not Joseph? Or Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother? Or someone else entirely? I don't totally fault Tabor for this because sure, it's possible, and even probably that Mary had some effect on the principles of what became Christianity, and I also realize that this entire project is about giving her a voice (which I see as a worthy and frankly necessary cause!)... but I also don't know if there's enough emphasis on this all as JUST possible, not definite. Or if he really gave some of the counterarguments a fair shake? Part of it could also be that, despite it being a book about Mary, the parts about her oftentimes felt tacked onto the end of chapters about wider Roman/Judean issues, so the whole thing sounded like "well this all was happening around her, so she probably felt this" which is necessary but I would've liked to hear more about what her life as a woman would've entailed. To that same end, I felt like I learned more about Roman history, or even her other son James, than her at times.

The book itself is also somewhat difficult to follow. He arranges the book by theme, which is neat, but he ends up going back and forth between different historical events and documents so it definitely got confusing at times. I would've preferred a more linear chronology. This is made worse by the fact that EVERYONE HAS THE SAME NAME. Two different Herods and he didn't always specify which one. I can't read minds I'm so sorry. Not a big thing, but I was disappointed that he didn't address the mistranslation of the septuagint that in part brought about this whole virgin birth business, even when he dedicates an entire chapter to Mary's supposed virginity! But I'm biased bc I love that fun fact

I didn't hate this, to be clear! I learned a lot, about Mary's life, the academic discourses around her, and her history as a figure created by the church. But having been out of the early Christianity research game for a few years, this was not super accessible or satisfying. I like his ideas though and I'm willing to bet that his academic papers go absolutely crazy

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting take on the forgotten life of the Virgin Mary. I never thought about how we’ve erased core parts of her - her instilling values within Jesus (ie. the entire Christian framework and values come from her mothering him and sharing these ideas), her sexuality and motherhood (Jesus had 7 siblings - and this was erased in the Bible because male theologians wanted to portray her as “pure” and “clean” and yet as a woman her womanhood was completely erased and that is a defining identity of her), and her strong hand in the Christian movement - she was ever present and a leader that isn’t discussed. I would recommend reading this for a new perspective. Some of the historical context and way it was written was hard to follow and a bit repetitive but overall really good and backed by a ton of research.

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting research by James Tabor. I admire the quest to research a woman we know not much about, except what later was deemed “appropriate” to fit the story the later church tried to create. The historical context given by the author paints a more comprehensive picture about the times in which Mary, Jesus, James and John the Baptist lived. I found it focused a little too much on the male perspective of history, unfortunately most of the sources are from the male gaze thus not offering a lot of opportunities to properly reconstruct the female perspective on all this.
The final message of the book is wonderful and well thought out with arguments.

[Vanessa Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book on the historical Mary, and what her world looked like, especially under the violent reign of Herod. Will use this in future iterations of my undergraduate Mary Through the Ages history seminar.

[Matthew O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it twice! Dr. Tabor has once again released a work that will have you flipping through your Bible. Lots of new insights into the very important role the matriarch of this holy family played, as did her less-famous children. Mary grew up in a world that terrified her, and she taught her children, Jesus included, how to really put the fear of God into Herod and his offspring.

[Kiran Kumili · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE LOST MARY By James D Tabor

JAMES D. TABOR is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he served as department chair for a decade. His previous ten books include the international bestseller The Jesus Dynasty, The Jesus Discovery, and Paul and Jesus. Over the past three decades Tabor has combined his study of ancient texts with field work in archaeology, and since 2008 he has been co-director of the acclaimed Mt. Zion excavation in Jerusalem. Tabor’s work has been featured in dozens of major magazines and TV documentaries, including on PBS Frontline, BBC, Discovery Channel, Nightline, 20/ 20, and the History Channel. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

STORYLINE: Its one of the best books that every Christian should read to learn about how Christianity was born and evolved over two centuries. The book is full of interesting facts and illustrations about Mary, the biological mother of Jesus and her re-discovery from the lost status in Bible. Equally astonishing are the facts about how she and her surviving family of Jesus have been effaced from the Bible tactically to start an entirely different ideology. Though the book might be appearing highly controversial by followers of Jesus Christ as God, the author produced enough archaeological evidences about Jesus’s birth and life as on ordinary man who inherits the genes of King David. All facts presented in this book point out to the reality that he was a Messiah of God along with John, the Baptist (his elder cousin) but not God himself. The book turns even more interesting when the evidences of Mary’s royal lineage are illustrated and how she is portrayed as a “Virgin” having been the vessel to bring in the Messiah of God into the world. It is also proved that she has six more biological children (four sons and two daughters) after Jesus’s birth. The author mainly concentrated on establishing Mary as the torch bearer of starting and taking forward the Jesus movement after the crucifixion and death of Jesus through his brother James. But her efforts have been diluted in the New Testament by strategically masking her involvement in the birth of Christianity. Instead, Paul, one of the later apostles who haven’t even met Jesus ever, wrote the New Testament of the Bible under the influence of his allegiance to Roman kings. The main reason behind this cited to be as to present Jesus as a God and not just Jewish Messiah of God for which he needs to be born of divine intervention but not through regular biological methods. This tactical move of Paul silenced the original seeds of Christianity started by Mary and her family, through his original preachings as a Messiah. The author put all his efforts to bring back Mary to lime light whom he considers as the one who bore the brunt of all sufferings during the reign of King Herod the Great to give birth to Jesus and also raising him through the ruthless barbaric killing of thousands of Jews by means of crucifixions in Jerusalem. He considers her as the most important of the greatest women of the world who needs to be given the credit of bringing Jesus, the son of God to the mortal world and also raising him to become the future leader of the deprived and needy, during the most tumultuous periods of Jewish sufferings.

Pros : The wonderful archaeological evidences with graphic, Biblical citations and original illustrations of the proofs of every aspect of Mary’s birth, her life before the birth of Jesus and her being silenced after that is worth reading. The author’s deep inquisitive knowledge about the geographical area of Nazareth, Jerusalem and its surrounding places gives even more strength to his evidences proving every aspect about Mary’s family history. Truly wonderful.

Cons : Though there is quite a believable historic evidence put forward, some to be just imaginations of the author that a particular event might have taken place at that time. Such were again mostly based purely on Biblical citations of New Testament which according to him was a deviation from originality of Christianity.

My rating : 4 out of 5

[Robin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

In college, I took a year-long Biblical Literature course. And, like my professor, author James D. Tabor traveled many times to the Holy Land and worked on archaeological excavations there. Besides following the literary legacy of Mary, mother of Jesus, they both followed her historical footprints, from the rooms she lived in to the journeys she took. That insight makes the Bible and religion more alive.

In The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus, Tabor strips away what we think we know about Jesus and his family. Then, using his background in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, the Bible, history, and archaeology, Tabor rebuilds the puzzle, making the pieces fit into a more cohesive whole.

More than 100 sects formed in Jesus’ name,* with a wide variety of stories and beliefs that either died out or were subsumed by what became the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible then became the official arbiter of what was gospel truth, and if not for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other hidden treasures, we would not have such a clear an understanding of the original Jesus—or of Mary.

Structured and ruled only by men, and celibate ones at that, the Christian church ignores and later vanishes the importance of the matriarch Mary. It’s her doubly royal bloodline, of Davidic lineage and priestly pedigree, that recalls ancient prophesies and threatens the power of established governments. Instead of being foundational to the building of Christianity, she is idolized as the Virgin Mary and seen as a mere follower of her son. Yet she is neither.

For instance, in the Bible, Peter and Paul appear as co-leaders of the religious movement. But historically, it was Jesus’ blood brothers who led the church. James takes over after Jesus’ crucifixion until he himself is stoned to death in 62 AD. Then Simon leads until he is crucified under Trajan in 106 AD. Why did they die? Jesus and his siblings were a threat to power—through their mother Mary, as the Old Testament proclaimed.

Tabor clearly explains how the written word and the historical record help readers understand and appreciate Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her role in the founding of Christianity.

Thanks to Knopf for the ARC.

* As Lance Grande described in his book Evolution of Religions.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's start with my reasoning for reading this book. When I first saw this in my public library's catalog, I was intrigued, because I am a Catholic Christian and my section of Christianity has a focus on Saint Mary to the point that other Christian denominations think we worship her like Jesus. When I got the book and started to look at it, I was like "No! I am not reading this," because it seem to contradict what I know and the seemingly impressive bibliography and notes section indicate that my faith will be shaken and shattered, if I read this book.

Eventually, I decided I needed to read this book. Some of you may ask is my faith shattered? No, it's most definitely not! My thoughts and emotions were the following words: disbelief, shocked, the author's audacity, annoyed, and frustrated. I would give the author more credence if he cited his statements with his sources.

Yes, there was a substantial bibliography and a notes section. Yet, not a single sentence was tied to a footnote, an endnote, or something that said this information came from this source. The notes listed a page number, but not which sentence it was supporting. This made me doubt everything in this book, especially from the first chapter where James D. Tabor, where he said Jesus' Davidic lineage came from Mary! Tabor didn't attempt to explain himself until Chapter Seven: Doubly Royal, which I don't believe (Update 11/23/25: the author may be right, but I have to check this eventually). First, he has to refute Jimmy Aiken in his book a Daily Defense, where Aiken said the genealogies could differ. Second, there was nothing tying the "evidence" to a source! That is sloppy writing, which as a professor James D. Tabor should know! Does he allow his students do this type of work? Yes, citations can be clunky, but there important when you are being a sledgehammer to millions, even though Tabor says he is not trying to ruin the beliefs of others. Who believes that?

Verdict: With his bibliography and notes, James D. Tabor seemingly is bringing a vibranium sledgehammer into the wall of Christianity when it comes to Mary. That should have shattered that wall or at the very least make a sizeable dent. In reality, it only has the appearance of a vibranium sledgehammer and it is made out of foam. Also, this book is a dream for certain types of feminists for Tabor basically claims and comes out says it that Mary is the founder of Christianity. While I do not think Tabor has a leg to stand on, I would be curious to know what Marian scholars think about Tabor's claims about finding the "lost" Mary and her impact.

[Luke Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard not to love Dr. Tabor! His writing style is clean, succinct and even, at times, fun! In “The Lost Mary,” Dr. Tabor attempts to shed centuries of theological, political and social varnish that taints our modern understanding of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Tabors quest is to remove this varnish leaving behind the true authentic Mary of history - a courageous first century Jewish Mother whose ideas shaped the movements of John the Baptist, Jesus and James (Jesus brother). To this end, Dr. Tabor hits a home run.

For me, this book has three primary issues:

1. In order to truly understand this book, you “almost” have to have already read his previous book titled, “The Jesus Dynasty.” Reading “The Lost Mary” without reading “The Jesus Dynasty” would be difficult for the average reader.

2. Much of this book is already in “The Jesus Dynasty.” So, at times, it felt like I was rereading a book that I’ve already read. I know it’s customary for authors - especially historians - to reuse portions of their previous works, but this felt especially lengthy.

3. Dr. Tabor uses a lot of speculation in his books and this one is no different. Speculation, in and of itself, is fine as long as the historian makes it clear that he/she is speculating. Dr. Tabor sometimes makes this clear, other times not so much. I like Tabors imaginative approach, it makes his writings unique and fun to read, but sometimes I wish he substantiated his claims with a bit more evidence.

With all of that said, this was a good book in which I learned and processed many new things. But ultimately this is also a book that I must advise needs to be taken with a grain or two of salt.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating exploration of the many theories surrounding the life of history's most influential yet also most misunderstood and erased woman. It was also nice to get a Jewish perspective on the life of a Jewish woman whose Jewishness is often overlooked.

My only criticism is that, while Tabor is very knowledgeable and does his best to recount Mary's story as he sees it, a woman's perspective, or the perspective of a scholar of women's history, would have made for a fairer and more authentic interpretation. At one point, for instance, Tabor asserts that it is impossible that Mary could have borne her eldest son, the boy who grew into the man we today know as Jesus, after being raped by a Roman soldier because there was no record of a Roman soldier raping her, or anyone in this period. Yet he also asserts that Mary must have been between 13 and 16 years old at the time of her pregnancy and Jesus's infancy, and he recognizes the oppressive force of Rome on the citizens of its empire at the time. It would be nice to imagine that the conception of Mary's son at such a young age was, if not miraculous, at least consensual, but I think it's incredibly naive to assert that a nonconsensual coupling was not only unlikely but also impossible because the Roman authorities didn't keep written records of their worst acts.

Nevertheless, this was an enlightening work despite its brevity and Tabor's apparent naivety. I also appreciated the way Tabor presented findings that both dispelled common misconceptions and reductive stereotypes, and that he withdrew a previous theory of his that has been widely disproven by the research of other scholars in his field.

[Lauren Bowlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very digestible for what I reckon is an extremely convoluted and controversial topic. As someone who grew up Christian, I was often offended by what I felt like was a downplay of female leaders, female capability, and female intellect. Tabor does a great job reminding me that all of this religion is built upon the heart and teachings of a woman, the woman who redeems us of Eve's transgressions, a woman who does not need to be perfect, or pure, to be good.

My favorite part was learning a very concise history of Herod the Great, and understanding Mary as not just placed in history, but a part of it. Christmas has really sterilized our concepts of Jesus's birth, huh? and his Childhood. I wish I could retain every piece of archaeological evidence and uncovered text so I could convince my Catholic friends that Mary was more woman than god, but not any less worthy of reverence because.

I would say that at times Tabor really pushed the same point home and some of his overall statements maybe felt a tad watered down because of said repetition, and I think the last chapter especially so felt a little watery and loose, but overall, I appreciate this man's obvious care for Mary. As an archaeologist myself, I resonate with touching the remains of antiquity and sitting in their homes and truly attempting to feel their spirit with me.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers with a committed Christian faith will either hate or love Tabor’s book - most, I think, will not like his conclusions. I’m not religious and see the Bible as a work of literature with most of it metaphorical or fictional. I found the book fascinating. As I’m not wedded to a religious interpretation, I find Tabor’s educated musings as likely to be true as what got voted on as canon. It’s a book club pick for The Biblical Studies Academy and I’m looking forward to the discussion (I am faithless, but love the academic study of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament).

One of the more interesting aspects of this new interpretations was the explanation for the two differing genealogies of Jesus. That, and the theory that Mary was from a wealthy family.

If you have strong Roman Catholic beliefs or identify as fundamentalist/evangelical, this book will likely either frustrate you or enrage you. But if you’re more like me and are curious about the history, but accept that the details are largely lost to us, you may find the book intriguing.

[Kate Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lost Mary does not so much rediscover the mother of Jesus as invite the reader to consider the importance of doing so. The author provides an impressive account of the messianic age, which felt like the book’s real focus, but Mary still lies at the periphery. What is clear is how much of the historical Mary is lost as a consequence of a single church narrative. Of note is the author’s claim that Mary perhaps came from an affluent family and was the parent with both the royal (Davidic) and priestly (Aaronic) lineage. Claims as to Mary’s influence on Jesus’s teachings seem based on no more than the general truth that mothers influence their children. Archaeological evidence has given us interesting insights into the daily life of a Jewish woman of the first century, but I was hoping for more esoteric insight into this remarkable woman. For anyone else looking for this, I recommend The Marion Way of Heart Knowledge by Neill Reilly.

[Cheryl Beseler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells a more realistic and historical story of who Mary was. Stripping the centuries of embellishment related sexual purity, bodily functions, and even death, this is the story of a women raising children in harsh times under Roman rule in the first century AD. Although we cannot know what role Mary had in the early Jesus movement, we can assume that women were generally written out of the history due to the patriarchal systems that have long existed. The same is true of Mary Magdalene who was never a prostitute. This text explains why the church over the centuries has minimized the humanness of Mary, erased James, and made Peter and Paul the pillars of the early church. It is an engaging read and helps put Biblical text back into its first century historical context. Dr. Tabor's ten years on this book was well worth the time it took to create this beautifully written reimagining of the mother of Jesus.

[Joseph J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upfront. I am Catholic, attended parochial school taught by nuns. Years later, novitiate and seminary. That said, many Catholics and other Christians will be uncomfortable if not disturbed by this book. Mary referred to as the mother of eight! But I found much here gathered together from Biblical and extra-canonical sources to be informative and fascinating. And overall the author, a retired professor of religious studies presents Mary as THE MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN IN ALL OF HISTORY OVERSHADOWING EARTHLY MONARCHS AND OTHERS OF HISTORIC INFLUENCE. Mary's priestly and Davidic roots are examined, as well as a possible high societal station which would cast traditional portraits in doubt. To come from that station would place Her Son's preferential option for the poor and powerless in greater force. My CATHOLIC FAITH remains unshaken, but I was fascinated and "thoughtful" by the pages in this book.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great for Historical Context ONLY

This book offers an intriguing historical reconstruction of Mary’s social world and lineage, but it falls short in key theological areas. While the political and historical context is engaging, the book treats the Gospels as layered theological constructions rather than reliable testimony, leading to speculative conclusions. At several points, Jesus’ divinity is minimized and arguments are made that place Him under figures like John the Baptist without sufficient textual support, resulting in interpretations that feel forced and misaligned with the Gospel witness. Ironically, in James’ viewpoint in the over-idolization of Mary within Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Church, he himself has made Mary an idol in his quest to “uncover her story”.

[Lindy High · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found out some things that I didn’t know before: that Mary had five sons and three daughters; that she was descended from King David’s bloodline; that her father was a wealthy man; that she probably died around 48 A.D. , living long enough to see three of her sons — Jesus, James, and Simon — die. The author faced the same problem other biographers face when writing about someone about whom little is an actually known —that is, not much is really known. So Tabor is left with the usual hedges: “Mary likely…,” “Mary would have witnessed…,” “We can assume…” and the like. What I learned a lot about was the reign of Herod the Great and the rule of the Roman Empire. The book is not easy to read: there are redundancies, shifts back and forth, and some references to modern archaeological findings. On balance I’d describe this as some about Mary and a lot about the era in which she lived.

[Mary Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read, much like a detective story, where little is known about the lost person, although millions know her name. To find her, Tabor assembles the context of her life. This book, like Tabor's other books written for the non-academic, is an easy read. In the back, he provides many Notes, an extensive Index, and Bibliography so the reader can dig deeper if desired. If you do not, then you will still come to know the violent world where she raised a large family: apparently as a single parent and stood in front of her crucified firstborn. If you want to meet the woman who was put into a box by the Church, stripped of her sexuality, family, and nationality, then this is the book for you.

[Mimi Ottavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone raised Catholic, this book was revelatory in providing historical context to the “Virgin Mary, Mother of God” and the erasure of her independent personhood. Though the text itself is somewhat dry—understandably, considering it remains very focused on timelines, lineage, and biblical or other theological texts—the information revealed and discussed brings the story of the historical Mary to life, finally showcasing her as more than just a vessel for the Son of God, but in fact a revolutionary leader and founder of one of the largest religious movements of all time.

[Janice LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Tabor’s book was an interesting read, knowing he is an expert on Jesus historically as well as an anthropologist involved in excavations in the Holy Land.

Pros: Definitely found the historical perspective fascinating. Understanding the culture, royal bloodlines, struggles for political dominance by Herod and the Romans during the lifetime of Mary and the short, earthly life of Jesus more dimensional and relatable.

Cons: I really couldn’t follow his point or conclusions. His citing of sources were vague.

[Ann Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. While some of the 'facts' about Mary are grounded in what we can know of the early Jesus movement ((like the assertion that Mary had several children), some of Tabor's argument is based on historical imagination and speculation. I enjoyed learning more about the Herods and the difficult political times in Galilee and Judea at the time of Jesus's life and death. Overall, I appreciate Jared Tabor's assertion that Mary was a good Jewish mother doing her best in a difficult time. That I can relate to though I am not Jewish.

[Bob Stains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating exploration of historical and archeological evidence of who Mary actually was, apart fro the legends developed about her long after her death. The author describes her pedigree, background, family life and her role as a prime leader in the early church. We also learn a lot about the seminal role Jesus' brothers James and John played in the early church. Lastly, what also stands out is what was erased in efforts to make Mary more holy and to strip the church and its Savior of their Jewish roots and identity.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited about this book. The beginning of the book described the times in which Mary lived. Then the end got to the heart of the matter.
Scattered throughout was the constant thread that Mary was human. She wasn't "just" the eternal virgin who gave birth to Jesus and was rarely heard from again.
But the lineage, all the Herods ... that all confused me.
Bottom line is that Mary is the bomb!

[Ethan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historian takes an on orthodox look into the life of Mary the mother of Jesus. This book has lots of interesting historical perspectives on her life, some which bring potential clarity and depth to what we know of her from the scriptures, and some things that would seem to contradict what we are taught. Definitely worth giving a lesson or read to those who are interested in the historical world Jesus grew up in.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a lot of interesting historical context regarding the life and times of Jesus. his major arguments were interesting, and I have no issues with the ideas, but he makes a lot of big statements without a lot of clear evidence. he states the evidence is clear and obvious, but I don't feel that it's well supported.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I'm no longer religious, and have never put great stock in the patriarchal Bible, I've always enjoyed journalistic research books about historical religious figures. This one has a difficult task because so much about Mary has been lost. Who could the real father of Jesus be? How did she grow up? Interesting. At times repetitive.

[Laurence Hidalgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on Mary, the mother of Jesus. I tend to agree that Mary was a leader in the early Jesus movement. As a matriarchal figure, she would have been respected and listened to. Much of the book discusses other historical figures, particularly the rulers of the ancient world in which Mary lived. Some of it was fascinating, other parts, not so much. Still, this is worth the read.

[Denise Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this. Mary as a real woman. She was so much more than The Church would have us believe. I could read more from James Tabor; whether or not he speculates, he researches and is very knowledgeable.