El evangelio de María: Myriam de Magdala

by Jean-Yves Leloup, José María López de Castro (Translator)

El Evangelio de María ha quedado prácticamente ignorado por el gran público. La primera redacción de este Evangelio, cuyo manuscrito se conserva desde 1896 en el Departamento de Egiptología de los Museos Nacionales de Berlín, dataría alrededor del año 150. Se trata pues, como los otros Evangelios, de uno de los textos fundadores o primitivos del cristianismo, atribuido a Miriam de Magdala, esa María Magdalena que fue el primer testigo de la Resurrección, la amiga íntima de Jesús y la #iniciada# que transmitió sus más sutiles enseñanzas.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, History, Philosophy, Theology

216 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 1997

About the author

Jean-Yves Leloup, an Orthodox theologian, is well known in Europe, North and South America as a popular author on spirituality and psychology. He is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. He has written more than fifty books and has also translated and commented the gospels of Thomas, Miriam of Magdala, Philip and John.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

...history itself ceases to exist when it degenerates into a mere collection of facts unconnected by a story—and this story cannot be found without a transcendent dimension that sees these facts from within and beyond.

Such is the thesis statement of the life of Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus' closest companions—some speculate his lover or his wife—the first witness to the Resurrection, and the purported author of the Gospel of Mary, rediscovered at the turn of the 20th century. (Note: the actual written text was not penned by Mary herself, but recorded by someone or someones unknown, likely in Greek, before being translated into the discovered text's language, Coptic).

Attempts to suppress the Gospel of Mary have only served to elevate it, and its author, into the realm of legend and mysticism. Leloup, a French theologian, translated the Gospel from its original Coptic (Egyptian) into French and provided extensive commentary and interpretation of Mary's words and her role in Christianity. This book is an English translation of his original, which was published in 1997.

Mary, Miriam as she is known in Hebrew, represents the Feminine, the Imaginal, the nous aspects of Christianity that elevate it to its most spiritual—the act of faith—and yet ground it in the utter simplicity of its fundamental message—that of love.

My reaction to this book is a set of swirling ribbons of thought and emotion. I am fascinated by Mary Magadalene's life and found many doors opening into the novel idea that's needling my brain. As a reader long fascinated by this era of history, I'm eager to explore more. As a person who was raised an evangelical Christian, who walked away from the church many years ago, and who is now reexamining her spirituality, I connected at a profound head and heart level with the Gnosticism inherent to Mary's gospel and its message of transcendence and transformation.

[Rama Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gospel of Mary Magdalene from the perspectives of a female disciple

The gospel of Mary Magdalene discovered in Egypt in 1896 is a Gnostic gospel like the gospel of Thomas, which was also found in Egypt at Nag Hammadi in 1949. The Gnostic gospels of Nag Hammadi include; the secret book of James, the gospel of Thomas, the book of Thomas and secret book of John. They teach on acquiring knowledge and spiritual development to reach salvation. This is contrary to the message of canonical gospels and New Testament. The path of Christianism taught in this gospel is one of gnosis or divine knowledge that alone would pave the way for salvation. Mary Magdalene does not state that Jesus is a savior or he died for the sins of others. It does not say Jesus is the son of God. She presents him as a preceptor who teaches his followers to seek knowledge necessary to find unification with the Lord, the creator, the Source Principle. Jesus calls "my Father, your Father," and "my God, your God" as he tells Mary Magdalene in John 20:17. This is the principle teaching of Vedanta philosophy found in Upanishads, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The Upanishads were widely known throughout the ancient India since 500 B.C. The philosophy of Gnosticism brings ancient Christianism closer to Hinduism in the spiritual and metaphysical aspects. This is further exemplified by the following: The soul answered: "Why do you judge me, since I have made no judgment? I have been dominated, but I myself have not dominated. I have not been recognized, but I myself have recognized, all things which are composed shall be decomposed, on earth and heaven" (Gospel of Mary Magdalene Page 15, lines 19-25). The essence of this is that root of all evil is ignorance. It is the ignorance that makes us indifferent, and indifference is wretched climate surrounding all comfortably numbed consciousness.

The following passage from the gospel makes an interesting reading: Peter said to Mary: "Sister, we know that the teacher loved you differently from other women. Tell us whatever you remember of any words he told you, which we have not yet heard. Mary said to them: "I will now speak to you of that which has not been given to you to hear. I had a vision of the Teacher, and I said to him: "Lord I see you now in this vision." And he answered: "you are blessed, for the sight of me does not disturb you. There where the nous; lies the treasure." Then I said to him: "Lord, when someone meets you in a moment of vision, is it through the soul (psyche) that they see or through their spirit (pneuma)? The Teacher answered: "It is neither through the soul nor the spirit, but the nous between the two which sees the vision [...] (Gospel of Mary Magdalene Page 10, verse lines 1-25.)

Mary Magdalene and Jesus' mother Mary are the only two Mary's mentioned in the canonical gospels. Mark 16:9 and Luke 8:2 refers to Jesus freeing Mary Magdalene from seven demons. She is one of the three who were at foot of the cross of Christ's crucifixion, besides apostle John and mother Mary (John 19:25). Mary Magdalene is the first to see Jesus resurrected from the tomb (John 20:11-18, Mark 16:9, and Matthew 28:9-10), hence some saints like St. Augustine consider her as the "apostle of apostles." For this reason, Apostle John and many scholars consider her as the founder of Christianity, although it is generally perceived that Christianism was born during Paul's journey to Damascus and the divine vision he experienced.

Scholars have debated why there were seven demons. Some have speculated this refers to the seven "chakras or wheels of energy" of Hinduism. It merely means that those visions of demons or the energy that cloud these chakras retard the spirit of the person, and Jesus, by his spiritual powers helped in cleansing her body.

The authors of this book present the Coptic text of the gospel of Mary Magdalene and its English translation. It also identifies the pages missing (either it is lost or the papyrus is too fragile to handle and letters and words is unreadable). The papyrus of this gospel was written in Sahidic Coptic language (with a number of dialectical borrowings) that was a translated from the early Greek text. But it is uncertain when the originals were written. Some scholars suggest that the earliest date for this gospel is the beginning of the second century. Several faulty transcriptions and other errors have been discerned in the writing of this gospel. The Nag Hammadi texts were also in Coptic language translated from early Greek manuscripts. The book is a great read for all with an insight into the early Christianity. Undergraduate students of ancient history of Israel and New Testament studies will also benefit tremendously by this scholarly work.

[LG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this book. The Gospel is very short, but included some very interesting things to contemplate. In a crude fashion, my take-aways include:
- It directly takes on a woman's role in the culture and the challenges the disciples had with Mary and Jesus. It was interesting to contemplate her as spiritual equal to the disciples and even a leader. JYL brought her to life for me in a way that made it quite real what her challenges were. Peter and Andrew in particular find it difficult to listen to what she has to share.
- It also was much more focused on spirit, body and soul. For me the reading connects Mary's relationship to Jesus, which (whatever happened btwn them) is part of what makes him human.
- It also is much closer to eastern thought.
- It also happens right after Jesus' death. It explores the disciples disbelief of his rising from death.

These things came as a pleasant surprise to me. JYL is very philosophical and makes comparisons to many writers and philosophical traditions.
While short - it definitely was packed. I could see myself re-reading this.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was transfixed by the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Jean Yves-Leloup has provided the reader with a beautiful esoteric interpetation of the words of Mary Magdalene. In the remaining pages left from this gospel, she reveals to the apostles' the words of Jesus and their deeper meaning. The fact that his words are delivered by a female, causes Peter some misgivings, but is eventually accepted as truth by the apostles' as the words resonate with power. Jean Yves-Leloup has given a line by line commentary that enlightens as it describes and is wise in it's explanations. Apart from the recent hoopla from popular books such as the DaVinci Code, this is a refreshing look at an important aspect of Chrisianity, the feminine divine, that has been overlooked and misplaced for centuries. Being a Roman Catholic, I truley believe that this and other gospels not in the bible do not take away from what we have always believed, but deepen and enrich our faith enormously.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uniquely fascinating. This book not only presents the known text of the Gospel of Mary, but then the book follows with a discussion of the text, offering commentary line by line.

The known text of the Gospel of Mary is missing many pages right in the middle of the gospel, so I (as well as many scholars, I am sure) am left wishing and wondering I knew what the missing text was. Hopefully some day someone will find another copy of this somewhere, and the missing test can become known.

The text available is very unique, and different from anything that the current Gospels present. I found the commentary very interesting also, though I am still trying to completely wrap my head around the anthropology of it all, the body (soma), the soul (psyche), the mind (nous) and the Spirit (Pneuma).

I might have to re-visit this one again at a future date.

[… · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gospel of Mary reminds us that the whole of life (or at least those deep intensities that we would consider the true substance of the human being and the cosmos) is ultimately literary - a massive multi-faceted, multi-dimensional imaginary narrative structure that subsumes our entire being where we become these interwoven grafts on a great cosmic story that is being played on a loop.

It is within this “realm of image and representation that is just as ontologically real as the world of sense and intellect.” And this is something we often forget certainly at our own peril…

This undefinable space that Leloup calls the “imaginal” doesn’t suggest a break with the senses or rationality, but remains suspended between them in a great cosmic immensity that represents the lone portal of transcendence, the “fertile void” where one may endeavor towards “the finest point of the soul” (“nous”).

We aren’t partitioned off into physical, spiritual, and emotional components, we are an admixture of deeply felt, nuanced realities and searing sensualities that abide by no categorical imperatives despite the contemporary emphasis on the taxonomic ordering of inner and outer life - spiritually destitute for the simple reason that expert opinion equates us with a pile of laundry that needs sorting.

It is by engaging with and being driven by this vast intermediate space between thought and empiricism, we can become more fully human, an “Anthropos” according to Greek thought.

And this is where we get it wrong - the knowledge we pursue is fraudulent and deceptive.

Truth is best understood as the counterpole to sin - it is the guarantor of freedom whereas sin is the mark of the slave. Sins are “the aspects that can cloud vision and energy” while also occupying the only metaphysical space where the corresponding virtues can exist and be practiced.

This isn’t compatible with the modern use of freedom - a kind of limitless way of being that recommends dissolution and rupture combined with some form of egoistic surplus. It is sin that actually alienates us from our freedom because freedom is actually found within limits where we are able to truly recognize ourselves and attain a solidified form and identity:

“Our goal is to keep going beyond that which confines and imprisons - yet which can never contain us - toward a sublime opening of the psyche or soul, which in the very act of accepting its limits, connects with a dimension death cannot define.”

We are imprisoned within our own selves, images and projections that are misapprehensions of who we really are and that therefore inhibit the unmasking of the authentic soul, whose dimensions are impenetrable to one who is myopic and disoriented by false desires generated out of a socio-cultural trough of slop that we mistake for reality. It is this “taking yourself for what you are not, identifying yourself with an image” that proves disastrous for the gradual attainment of consciousness.

And it is only by emptying ourselves of these fallacies and illusions that “God cannot help but come into you. Unfortunately, in those who are full of themselves, there is no place for the other. If you leave, God can enter.”

When God enters, capacity for authentic love enters, not a bastardized version of love gilded with glamour and fluff or the fleeting romantic intensity we often fetishize and sacralize. “It is actually precisely at those moments when this “in love” feeling is gone that only the truth of love can enable us to really choose love. This choice is also the real meaning of faithfulness.”

It is real love when we arrive at the point that we offer recognition to the complexity of the other, the deep crevices of the self, both the darkness and the light, that are indelibly interwoven within a person’s constitution - the holistic whole of the beloved will always inevitably bear down on the one who loves.

We truly do carry one another, only arriving at the point where virtue can be practiced when we are met with the burdensome element of another’s spirit. We are made to love, desire, and revere the physical, incarnate self of the one’s we love, but we are also keepers of their whole soul - an undulating reservoir of deep chasms and commanding peaks that forge into a manifest synthesis.

It is, after all, really just a way of seeing rather than possessing that defines real love. Consciousness is entirely dependent on altering our perceptions of the self and others because “we become what we love, and we become what we know.” Knowledge, therefore, is integral to seeing as we should see. It makes knowing/seeing the fundamental actuating principle of life, of becoming the whole person that is burrowed within us.

[Jill]

Just as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John weren't written by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, Mary Magdalene didn't write this gospel herself. It's impossible to know if someone wrote it down as Mary was speaking or if her words were repeated from follower to follower orally and if so, we can't know how many people it passed through before being written down. According to The Gnostic Society, there is evidence that this gospel was originally written in Greek and translated to Coptic and was widely circulated. The best surviving codex was copied in the late fourth or early fifth century and found in Egypt in the 1890's.

We'll never know who did write it, but it paints an amazing picture of the early apostles sitting together and talking about Jesus' teachings. As (probably) the only woman present, it seems that Mary had a struggle to make her voice heard. This exchange between her and Peter was made famous by The Da Vinci Code: "Did he really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?" Levi defends her, calling Peter "hot tempered" and arguing, "If the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her?" If you believe Dan Brown, that moment sparked a war between the Church and women that continues to the present day.

One of the first surviving passages reads: "The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots." This sounds very like the beliefs of the Native Americans who lived in a careful balance with nature. Nothing like this is in the Bible. It's interesting to think that before the Church went completely insane with its purgatory and its witch trials and its indulgences and its saints and its transubstantiation and its consubstantiation and its celibacy and its cathedrals and its crusades and its abortion clinic bombings and its exorcisms and its Westboro Baptists that Jesus and Mary spoke together about Philosophy 101 stuff. Paints a totally different picture.

We atheists look at a world that predominantly believes in god and angels and we get frustrated. But I think it's a mistake that some of us make to blame Jesus for the things his followers do.

Jesus looked at the world and saw many of the same problems we still have today: he saw the people in power abusing and exploiting that power and crushing the lower classes. He saw religious corruption (“The cost of redeeming your sin is sacrificing a pigeon. Here, let me sell you a pigeon.”). He just wanted the kind of world we have all imagined: one where there is peace and equality and justice. All the madness of Christianity simply grew from there like an infestation on a healthy plant, perpetuated by idiots with too much time on their hands (“Is it a sin to pull a fallen donkey out of a ditch on the Sabbath?” “Oooh, good question. Let’s get the wisest elders together and spend decades debating that.”).

He was no Thomas Paine, trying to create a secular society. He was a Jew who wanted his one, true god venerated as ruler of the world, as all monotheistic people believe their god is real and their dogma is the best. He and I might disagree on the existence of god, but he had good ideas and I respect his bravery. Going up against Rome was not something peasants typically did if they valued their lives. Unfortunately, because of the World’s Most Disastrous Game of Telephone--that is the preaching of the good news after Jesus’ death--his peaceful message of love and standing up for what you believe to be right resulted in frenzied convert-or-be-killed violence and a divisive superiority complex.

[HG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, we are missing a lot of the gnostic gospel of Mary Magdalene, about 6 pages from the beginning and 4 pages from the middle. What we have recounts a conversation between some of the disciples and Mary Magdalene where the disciples ask Mary Magdalene to tell them some of the things Jesus has only told her because he favors her more than the disciples.

[Lynn Wohlwend]

A pretty trippy read that was fascinating to me from a historical standpoint.

What if Mary Magdalene--wrongfully dubbed the whore by a pope--was actually the true leader of Christianity, and, in fact, the first real Christian? Forget Paul on the road to Damascus. It is Mary who is the apostle of the apostles for she was the only disciple pure enough to receive Christ's message of the Resurrection.

Much patriarchal meaning is made out of Christ's cleansing of Mary's "seven demons" but Leloup asks you to reconsider what this cleansing means--the purification of her seven demons (possibly also chakras) tells us she is the only apostle who has become "Anthropos" or fully human, as Christ was. It is she, and she alone of the apostles, who was able to converse with Christ after his death in a realm called the “creative imaginal."

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene is not a canonical gospel like Luke, Matthew, Mark, and John. Found in 1896 in Egypt, it is part of the early Christian writings* rejected by the council of Nicaea, put together by the Roman Emperor Constantine.**

Much of the first part of the text reads surprisingly new-agey: God is within. God is self-knowledge. There is no sin, only what we make as sin. We find God with the nous (higher mind) and within a space/time concept called the creative imaginal. So much of the beginning reads like a feel-good message that it would be easy to forget that Leloup is, and his interpretations are, in fact, Orthodox Christian. But the text will remind you soon enough. His belief in the feminine vs. masculine mind, his quick retort on bisexuality, and even the diagrams re-created and discussed leave no doubt. [Seriously: Those diagrams! Fantasy writers have nothing on Christian scholars. Connections to plants and animals and angels and Seraphim (there's a difference between angels and Seraphim, who knew?) with a human bridge to divine light. Now, that's a diagram.]

But, even so, I couldn't help but think two things as I read this: Of course Mary's gospel would be rejected by ancient Romans. Women were treated like dogs. And two: Mary’s teachings offer a better form of Christianity than we have now. The text actually values women as leaders and people of intellect--something still deeply lacking in many churches to this day.



*I had no idea that early gnostics considered Deuteronomy the work of a demiurge. So awesomely weird.

**There are Christian groups claiming that this is not true. That even before this council, the “true” books of the Bible were already decided, but, uh, yeah. You can judge for yourself why that might be a convenient way of thinking. And regardless of when exactly it happened, at some point, the Roman church decided MM's gospel wasn't their cup o' tea (cuppa blood?).

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene is not for the faint of heart. The author/commentator speaks in a strongly philosophical way, and at times was a little over my head. But, I did my best to understand what was trying to be conveyed.

This book was beautiful. It is quite a progressive standpoint which I was not expecting, but I am so thankful I read it. It gives a whole new perspective and context to the Gospel, specifically the Resurrection, that embraces Mary and the importance of her femininity.

If you’re not in the mood to have your thoughts challenged and your mind opened, don’t read this book!! But if you are, then this is for you. Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:

“Indeed, who do we think we are, to reject and excommunicate each other? We can trust in Being [God] to know the heart of its beings, just as the teacher knew the heart of Miriam [Mary].”

“We are not to judge ourselves. Only the love that moves the Earth, the stars, and the human heart can judge us. The Teacher [Jesus] is like a spring that offers water to all who are thirsty. It is not the light that fails us, it is our eyes that fail the light. It is not water that is wanting, it is thirst.”

“To allow the Anthropos [union with God] to take root and flourish within us is to continue unceasingly to introduce into all our actions, even the most banal and every day, just a little more consciousness and love. We must imagine and believe that it is this that will at least make the world livable, if not save it.”

I am not one to read a lot of faith-based books, but I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about Mary Magdalene/women in the Bible, and especially any woman who feels like she is not seen.

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be an interesting read and the interpretation provided was fascinating. After reading this I felt the divine feminine was at last revealed after having been buried. Having been raised in Christianity I always felt like "religion" left out the sacredness of the divine feminine which never made sense to me. From my experience, women are the more "in touch" with the spiritual and esoteric. I don't believe that this gospel or any of the gospels that were left out of the King James Bible are harmful to faith and belief in the divine.....rather I believe they create a more well rounded perspective and allow us to experience God from all aspects.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t think I came to the depths of understanding what is being teached in this book. In my own words: it asks us to look deep inside ourselves for the love of God (YHWH, I AM) and live in the spirit of the guidelines Moses received, the Ten Commandments, however difficult that may be. But there is no obligation, you are free to choose. You would do good to question everything that limits us, for instance the guru’s, the choice of only four gospels in the bible, the law. This book also restores the female role inside not only religion, but the world. Intriguing teaching and so true. Will definately read it again.

[Amalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text was a very intereasting reading. I wanted to read only the gospel without anyone's commentary or analysis (I didn't want to read someone's philosophical musing and attempts to tie the content to other traditions and popular beliefs). However that is not possible because all publications come with its own interpretation.

FACTS:

The author of this gospel cannot be Mary Magdalene because most academics place it in the middle to late 2nd century. Also, the Mary mentioned in this text is nowhere specified as Mary Magdalene.

Contrary to popular belief, the Gospel of Mary is NOT part of the Nag Hammadi library. This was discovered in Cairo, Egypt in the late 19th century. Scholars' thoughts vary as to whether the writing belongs to the Gnostic school of thought.

The gospel itself is very short and incomplete. About ten entire pages are missing from what must have been 20-30 page text. This includes the first six pages. As a result, it is difficult to arrive at a coherent overall message.

The Gospel of Mary addresses to New Testament figures (Peter, Mary, Andrew and Levi) and an explanation of sin (adultry). " ‘What is the sin of the world?’ The Teacher answered: There is no sin. It is you who make sin exist, when you act according to the habits of your corrupted nature; this is where sin lies"

"Attachment to matter gives rise to passion against nature. Thus trouble arises in the whole body; this is why I tell you: ‘Be in harmony’." This does sound like Gonestic philosophy.

If you are to appreciate the text as it is, you must leave all the conspiracy theories at the door and read the text alone.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book anywhere at all similar to this one, which possibly says more about my general lack of exposure to philosophy than it does about Leloup's uniqueness. But Leloup is a deep, deep thinker and not only did he translate the Sahidic Coptic of the manuscript into French (the English translation from the French is by Joseph Rowe), but he interpreted and commented on the text. He sees the manuscript as describing a world view quite unlike that found in most of the New Testament, or most of the western world, for that matter, a view that is both more Eastern and more mystical than most of us are accustomed to when thinking about Christianity.

Some of the book was hard going for me because Leloup uses philosophical terms that are new to me - "nous," "Pneuma" - and also uses terms that I'm used to but that he gives a different meaning to - "psyche," "soul." He does not use "soul," for instance, to describe what I would call the essence of a person's spirit. He places it between the "body" and the "spirit."

Two important themes come through: 1) There is no evidence that Mary Magdalene was ever a prostitute but there is instead evidence that she was the foremost apostle (the "apostle of apostles" and not, as some would say, an "apostle to the apostles"). 2) What went on at the Resurrection. This is the first interpretation of what happened that I can swallow.

I have not walked away from this book yet. I'll be re-reading it, and I'm already seeking out other books by Leloup.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

well before The DaVince Code pandamonium
there was this book making its way through
readers' hands.
my fascination with Mary Magdalene began of
a Catholic upbringing. then when i began listening
to Tori Amos i was sucked into much of her music
BECAUSE she dealt with subject matter i hold close
and miss Mary Magdalene was no different. but through
her songs i started hearing the story.. the possibility
that she & Jesus were a thing
(something i had seen hinted at in the play JESUS
CHRIST SUPERSTAR & THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST) and
that they may have had a baby.

this blew my mind of course and i was hooked on it.
so, then years ago i caught a Tori interview where she
mentioned this gospel.. i had no idea Mary Magdalene
had her own gospel and i made a special trip to the
bookstore.

i wasnt sorry. the gospel itself is only 7 pages but
the interpretation made tears stream down my face and
i wonder if i've ever read something so lovely.

this book gives me Hope. and it's no secret i hope
everything inside it is truuuuuuuue.

read alot of books on this subject.. may or may not
list them, but this one has remained my favorite.

[Melissa Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to the gnostic gospels.

How is it that I'd never read about this sensual and mystical woman?
I am not a Christian, but have long been drawn to the true Christ teachings ~ non-duality, the natural world, inner knowing, divine knowledge, transfiguration ~ spoken through one who could "see" in deeper and clearer ways the connection between the earthly and the divine.

I found myself having to stop to breathe. Thank you Jean-Yves LeLoup, for giving me the gift of your portrayal of this magnificent woman.

[Jerome Berglund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild, illuminating stuff. If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, or have any interest in apocryphal gospels, the history of the Christian church, the too often minimized feminine roots in the religion's conception, and the assembly of the traditionally accepted canon, definitely worth exploring.

[kate :~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

im soooooooooo normal about mary magdalene btw

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

[read dates are estimated after putting too much faith in the data kindle actually tracks]

this was good exposure to the hidden truths of the divine feminine (if that term of art has not been perverted yet) swept away from the current iterations of Christianity but it wasn't exactly what I'm seeking...

also I was extraordinarily bitter there is no Romanized and/or copy-paste presentation of the Coptic text. the hell am I supposed to do with this blurry pdf photo??

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy, that is my major complaint with this book. I love the subject matter of Mary and some of the quotes here and there, but overall, more of an academic text than one for church book group or for pleasure reading; I found it hard to keep interested and quit with about 30 pages left.

[Cathleen Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was raised and deeply embedded into evangelical culture where women aren’t allowed to preach, should submit to their husbands, and “saving yourself” for marriage is the most important thing a young woman can do. As a young adult, the final nail in the coffin was learning that even though our pastor assured us that our little Midwestern church was infallible and exactly as Jesus wanted, the early Christians were nothing like us! Those closest to Jesus in proximity and time did not live in McMansions, host fancy “Right to Life” dinners, and speak in hushed tones about gay people. I discovered this book about 10 years after “losing my religion” at a time when I desperately want to find Christianity again but don’t know where to look: this book is a revelation for those who have left the fold.

Even as a child, I had a deep intuition that Christianity was about radical love reflected from within and was deeply personal, not the multi-level marketing scheme of salvation that my church emphasized. The Gospel of Mary just makes sense. It compliments the radical message in the New Testament of transformational love and radically changes the idea of “sin.” Women are welcome and even key to this version of Christianity; we are not just here to please our husbands and submit to them but to be leaders, teachers, and beloved by Christ as spiritual equals. Honestly, parts of this book were clunky, complicated, and likely went over my head (charts, divine feminine versus masculine, etc.) However, this gospel felt like manna from heaven. If we could all find our “nous” I can only imagine what this world would be like. By chance, I recently read “The Alchemist” and “Siddhartha” which really echoed the ideas in the Gospel of Mary for anyone looking for extra reading.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Gnostic Gospels, which referred to this text, I appreciate getting a firsthand look at the Gospel of Mary. I also found the commentary by Leloup to be very interesting and helpful in interpreting and analyzing the teachings mentioned both in this gospel and in the traditional, institutionally-accepted gospels.

If I take away anything from this text, it will be a markedly different perspective of Christ's teachings. It introduced to me a new way of looking at both the "law" and the "grace" involved in Christian philosophies...and a remarkably more positive one at that.

It pointed out that one may look at the laws/commandments as instruments of freedom that provide us with both structure for living a happy life (as blessings and a model for happiness) and the freedom to find happiness in ourselves and in others. It also addressed (and complemented the accepted gospels) in the pursuit of spiritual happiness instead of material happiness.

I found it interesting how the commentary interpreted the text to encourage respect of other people's individuality, and loving others and learning to respect their own freedom...learning to love them and give them freedom instead of objectifying them and loving them as "possesions."

Overall, a very good read!

[Sasha Ruggiero · Rating 5 out of 5]

The actual gospel is only a few lines that are than analyzed in depth from a theological, philosophical, psychological and historical perspective. The analysis is extremely in depth and complex - the narrator has clearly spent a great deal of time and energy thinking about and researching this gospel in an incredibly balanced and thorough fashion. Reading this may not be an easy endeavor for those who prefer simple language, however, the explanations and diagrams are sure to open your mind to ideas you definitely would not otherwise encounter. Mary Magdalene may indeed have been the ‘highest ranking’ most spiritually evolved apostle of Jesus Christ. A woman?! How incredibly revolutionary for the time - I loved it!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely thought provoking. LeLoup gives fascinating insight on the Gospel of Mary Magdalene using Christian writings of the time, writings from known church fathers, the canonical gospels and the gnostic gospels. He does a wonderful job of weaving sources together. The discussions of the levels of body, mind, soul, and spirit were excellent. I also thought Mary Magdalene’s Gospel’s reporting of traveling to repose in silence where time rests for eternity was absolutely enlightening. Anyone interested in knowing more about Mary Magdalene as “the apostle to the apostles” and her insight into Christ’s resurrection and deeper teachings should read this gospel.

[J.S. Groves · Rating 2 out of 5]

The gospel itself is fascinating. The commentary is unhinged.

I wish that I could tell you what frame Jean-Yves LeLoup was using to interperet the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, but he never deigns to say. There were comparisons to the canonical gospels, which made sense, as did the comparisons to the gospels of Thomas and of Truth. But most of it was freewheeling nonsense, unrelated to any theology or apologetics I have ever encountered, and often with only tangential relation to the text ostensibly under discussion.

[DoubleM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a person who thinks for her/himself. As someone once said: "We must remember the Bible was written by MEN who thought the world was flat." This book and The Gospel of Thomas are just a couple of books that makes one sit up, take notice, and re-think all the things that have been passed down from the ancients. Or as Richard Bach says at the end of ILLUSIONS: "Everything in this book may be wrong." We just don't know; and I keep searching for my own beliefs, not someone else's.

[Paige Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically a DNF. I’ll admit that my low review was mostly because I do not have the education or patience for the scholarly approach to this translated scripture. It all went pretty far over my head. I did love reading the translated record, but it was so very short in comparison to all of the heavy analysis.

[Dawne Haase · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much and deep. I enjoyed and learned so much.
I will be reading this book again. She was a genuine beautiful student. Learning, applying and listening not just with her ears but with heart and soul Jesus teachings.

[Katalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m not gonna lie. I literally got a bit emotional because not only does she only have 18 pages in her gospel, but those pages are fragmented and we will never have the whole entire gospel because it was lost to time and also because her gospel probably wasn’t a priority because she was a woman!!

Mary of Magdala I will always be your ride or die

[Kristen Hopf · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow